Professor writes of how to bridge both the African - American faith and the Catholic faith . `` What is irrefutable is that without a deep and authentic faith and a passion for the institutional development of that faith , African-Americans could have never sustained the fortitude necessary to survive and succeed in the American experience . '' T.D . says : ` ` Prayer is good , but you also have to be able to manage your checkbook . '' . Williams - Smith , of African - Japanese descent describes how she found inspiration in prayer .
Professor writes of how to bridge both the African - American faith and the Catholic faith . T.D . says : ` ` Prayer is good , but you also have to be able to manage your checkbook . '' . Williams - Smith , of African - Japanese descent describes how she found inspiration in prayer .