African-based religious practices persist and thrive among a range of denominations in the western hemisphere, says Eziaku Nwokocha, a Phd in Africana Studies who is working on her masters degree at Harvard Divinity School, with a focus on the material aspect of worship. “In African diasporic tradition, they might light a candle on their alter, or they might wear a particular outfit that’s connected to the divine,” she said.