“Sinners” and the Sacred: A Reflection on Black Survival, Indigeneity, and the Power of Art
- The H3O/Art of Life Blog
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Rev. Hodari Williams, MDiv., M.A.
Presented by Omni-U Virtual University
A Return from War — and to the Frontlines
The film “Sinners” evokes a range of profound reflections. At its core, the story feels like an ode to Black men who, after returning from war, could not fully use their talents or benefit from the promises of military service. The twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, are emblematic of this truth—men trained with precision, gifted with discipline, yet forced to weaponize those gifts for survival in a world that offered them no sanctuary.
Ironically, the same skills once honed for war become tools for resistance against the evil that threatens them. Their story echoes the real-life experiences of Black veterans who defended their communities from racial terror when the government would not. “Sinners” lifts this historical reality out of the shadows and places it on center stage.
Economies of Survival and Indigenous Power
The film also lays bare the economic injustice of the early 20th century, shining a light on the exploitation of the sharecropping system and the resilience of Black communities who created their own informal economies. Amid this landscape of systemic denial, “Sinners” introduces something deeper—ancestral wisdom and indigenous power.
The Choctaw community and Annie, the hoodoo priestess, are not merely background figures. They are spiritual anchors who recognize the evil for what it is. Their presence challenges long-held colonial myths that cast indigenous knowledge as outdated or irrelevant. Instead, the film reminds us that this wisdom offers tools for liberation and discernment in ways colonized systems cannot.
This tension is powerfully illustrated in the scene where the preacher boy quotes the Lord’s Prayer, only to have the vampire Remmick join him and declare that he was taught the same lie. The implication is clear: colonized Christianity—taught as submission, not strength—cannot save us from forces it fails to name.
This moment recalled to me a similar scene from August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson”, when Berniece’s power to banish a ghost only comes when she plays the piano carved with the faces of her ancestors. The haunting is lifted- not through theology or sermon- but, through memory and connection. “Sinners” belongs to this growing Black storytelling lineage that centers indigenous knowledge as sacred, powerful, and necessary.
The Soundtrack of Survival
Watching “Sinners”, I was also struck by the film’s deep reverence for music. Just the night before, I had listened to my brother and friend, Rev. Reginald Williams, preach a sermon on the final words of Jesus on the cross—words that were, in fact, lyrics from a Psalm sung by his ancestors. Rev. Williams reminded us that we need a song in life’s most difficult moments—a playlist that can hold us when nothing else can.
The film affirms this truth. Music in “Sinners” is more than a backdrop; it is a vessel of memory, a healing balm, a protest cry. In one unforgettable scene, Delta Slim recounts the lynching of his friend. Overwhelmed by the weight of his story, he begins to moan and hum a blues tune. That sound is not just grief—it’s the groan of survival, the vibration of trauma too deep for words.
Music becomes a spiritual technology in these moments—bridging generations, stirring the soul, and inviting the ancestors into the room. As it has done in every chapter of our history, music becomes the language of resistance and release.
The Theft of Culture and the False Promise of Safety
Another theme that cannot be overlooked is the seductive nature of white evil cloaked in promises of love and opportunity. The vampire, Remmick, doesn’t just seek to kill Black people—he seeks to consume their gifts, repackage their brilliance, and make it his own.
This is a painful mirror of reality. Black culture, particularly Black music, has been repeatedly extracted, commodified, and whitewashed. Remmick’s manipulation of Sammy echoes the long history of cultural appropriation, where Black genius is extracted from its spiritual and cultural roots for white profit.
Even Sammy’s father, a preacher, urges him to surrender his gifts to the church for safety. But, Sammy instinctively knows that even the church can become a site of captivity when it has absorbed the logic of whiteness. His refusal is not rebellion—it is self-preservation.
This raises a haunting question: can our gifts be truly safe in spaces shaped by colonial logic? “Sinners” seems to say no. The film’s depiction of Black people being lured away from their traditions toward the vampire’s seduction mirrors how many today are pulled away from ancestral practice toward white evangelical expressions of worship, often branded as modern, sophisticated, or safe.
Yet, “Sinners” warns that abandoning our tradition does not lead to life. It leads to death.
Conclusion: A Mirror, A Memory, A Map
There is much more I continue to unpack from this film. But these initial reflections—on the role of returning warriors, economic injustice, indigenous wisdom, the power of music, and the theft of Black culture—are just the beginning. “Sinners” is not just a supernatural thriller. It is a spiritual provocation. A cultural commentary. A survival story.
It is a mirror that reflects our pain, a memory that reclaims our power, and a map that points us toward liberation.
Recommended Reading:
The “Sinners” Movie Syllabus:
Recommended Viewing:
“She Let Go to Hold On “Mother's Day Sermon given by: Rev. Hodari Williams; his wife, Mrs. Nakell A. Williams ; and
Asad Hashim Williams, their eldest son:
“If It Had Not Been…”, Sermon by Rev.Dr. Reginald Williams,Jr., Pastor of First Baptist Church of University Park, IL.at New Life Presbyterian Church on the occasion of the 8th Anniversary of Rev. Hodari S. Williams
“If the Stone Could Speak”, Easter Sunday Sermon by Rev. Hodari Sadiki Williams, Pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church, in the City of South Fulton, Georgia (formerly College Park, GA.)
Recommended Listening
“I Need You to Survive”
by Hezekiah Walker,