In 1877, a stained-glass window depicted Jesus as Black for the first time

A stained-glass window, which shows Jesus as a Black man for the first time, tells a story not only of race but of gender, class and ethnicity.

By: Virginia Raguin, College of the Holy Cross, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: April 18, 2026

Words: 722

Last Updated: 3 months, 1 week ago

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By Virginia Raguin, College of the Holy Cross

A stained-glass window, donated in 1877 to a church in Rhode Island, shows Jesus as a dark-skinned man. Most Western depictions portrayed him as a European, with light skin and sometimes even with blue eyes. A Black Jesus at this time was unknown.

Now in the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, the window was made by the studio of Henry Sharp, a prominent 19th-century American …

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