The Racist History of Jehovah’s Witnesses: Faith, Race, and Separation

A critical digital history by Reginald J. Lawson.

From segregated Kingdom Halls in the American South to apartheid-era South Africa, this book examines the tension between religious ideals and lived reality within the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Reginald J. Lawson combines organizational publications, historical records, firsthand testimony, and personal experience to explore race, religious doctrine, segregation, political neutrality, and institutional change.

Inside this digital book

• The history of Black and white Witnesses worshipping separately in parts of the United States
• Racial segregation and religious life under apartheid in South Africa
• The difference between official teaching, organizational practice, government law, and personal belief
• A personal journey that began with questions about representation in religious publications
• The family testimony and historical questions surrounding the “back room”

Format: Digital PDF book.

Read a careful, challenging account of what was taught, what was practiced, and what members experienced.