J.W. Martin

Jathan’s research lie at the intersection of Religious History and Public Humanities with topics covering African American history, commemoration and death, popular culture, and religious aesthetics. By examining the fragilities and performances of Black life, Jathan’s work contextualizes the history and materiality of African American Religion in the wake of the quotidian reality of death in African America.

Martin is the founder of The Black Church Historical Preservation Project which has archived the material and oral histories of over twenty churches in the United States. Martin is a 2017 graduate of Florida A&M University and a 2021 graduate of Yale Divinity School.

Currently, Martin is a 2021 research fellow at Columbia University’s Center on African American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice and the Institute of Sacred Music’s Program in Music and the Black Church.