Additional Rec. - June 11, 2020

Additional Rec. - "Race: The House We Live In"

This video is packed with information. Sociologist Melvin Oliver expounded on why the Federal Housing Administration was created, the public policy decisions that supported redlining, and the connection of this history to present racial disparities. As the user EFH commented under the video on YouTube, the “wealth gap [is] explained in 6 min.”  

#additionalrecommendation #recommendation #melvinoliver #race #thehousewelivein #thehouseyoulivein #history #GIBill #redlining #suburbanization #wealth #wealthaccumulation #wealthgap #equity #antiracist #antiracism #justice #reparations #equality #reflection #action #loveyourneighbor #love #learning #seekjustice #restorativejustice #lovemercy #walkhumbly #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative

Featured Song - June 10, 2020

Featured Song: “Raindrops” by Bandy ft. Sedonte Rouland, Vokul, and Gwen T.

Bandy wrote on Bandcamp, “I dedicate this track to mental health awareness. Sit. Sup. Weep & Rejoice. You are not alone.” Thank you for sharing this song with the world @bandythenomad. Head over to her page to follow her and hear a sample of "Raindrops."

Click on the hyperlinked song title above to listen to and purchase the song “Raindrops” through Bandcamp.

#raindrops #bandy #song #featuredsong #BandysNotebook #music #newartist #femalerapper #rapper #original #pioneer #support #beyou #mentalhealthawareness #depression #community #belonging #aplaceforeveryone #loveyourneighbor #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative

Podcast Rec - June 9, 2020

Podcast Rec: Co-Conspired Conversations “Girl You Betta Apologize; The Problem with Rachel Hollis” (Released May 10, 2020)

“One, I’m tired of talking about this white woman, and I wouldn’t have to be if she just apologized.” Weeze

“She’s nothing more than the slave master’s wife. She is the epitome of the epigenetic disposition of the slave master’s wife.” Myisha T

“Historically, white women as an entire category, as a whole, have always been portrayed as these models of self-respect and purity and modesty. And then meanwhile while they’re being depicted that way, we, Black women, our ancestors are being depicted as Jezebels and promiscuous and angry and our bodies weren’t even our bodies.” Lettie

“There are women who happen to be white, and then there are white women. Rachel Hollis is a white woman who is holding up systems of dominance and oppression and white supremacy through both her complacency as well as her actionable use of the tools of oppression.” Weeze

“You want to know one thing that white women could do before they could do anything else was buy and sell enslaved people.” Lettie

“We’ve always been oppressed whenever it comes to the work that we do and the labor that we put out there.” Lettie

“We all know that the Bible has been used as a tool of oppression against Black and Brown bodies from the beginning.” Myisha T

“This is why white women will continuously uphold whiteness over their own female liberation because it is the only thing that provides them with dominance or power. It is the only thing that enables them to continue to navigate society in a way that positions them just a little bit above certain people. It maintains that hierarchy and that dominance.” Weeze

“It’s very convenient that you are real strong and empowered and liberated until you have to face Black women because you understand, whether it’s explicit or not, unconsciously the body understands, because remember this is epigenetics, it is imprinted in us. The white body in white women understands that if they lean back into their victimhood that the tropes around the angry Black woman will absolutely be the default that circumvents accountability. And that is what we watched unfold.” Weeze

“Racism is inaction. Racism is silence. Racism is complacency. Racism is knowing that you benefit from a system and doing nothing to change it.” Weeze

Please listen to this entire episode, especially if you are a white woman. Rather than getting defensive, may we women who are white be thankful for the honesty of Black women and be moved to action to dismantle all systems of oppression.

#myishat #weeze #lettie #coconspiredconversations #podcast #podcastrecommendation #podcastrec #podcastsofinstragram #girlyoubettaapologize #checkyourprivilege #liveintothework #antiracism #antiracist #dismantlewhitesupremacy #endwhitesupremacy #endracism #rachelhollis #whitefeminismisnotfeminism #feminism #dismantleALLsystemsofoppression #history #listentoblackwomen #believeblackwomen #blackleadership #love #loveyourneighbor #learning #seekjustice #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative

Misconceptions about Committing to Anti-racism Work

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

I am not and never will be an anti-racism educator or expert. However, I am committed to anti-racism work and to the elevation of the voices of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color. When I first began the lifelong journey of dismantling racism in myself as an individual and in institutions, I had many misconceptions. I know that I still have misconceptions and blind spots that will be revealed as I continue doing this work. I want to share six misconceptions with you all. If you are white and just beginning your journey, I hope this list helps you learn more quickly than I did so that our behavior doesn’t continue to harm Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color.

Misconception 1: I can’t make a difference because I don’t have a platform. A platform is necessary for my words and actions to matter in this work.

Why This Is Wrong: Kathy Khang said, "You cannot wait to build a platform to speak up" on the HER with Amena Brown podcast in Season 1 Episode 9, “Body Language featuring Kathy Khang.” In her book Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up, Kathy Khang wrote, “But remember, speaking up is never a question of gaining audience size. It's an act of obedience and faithfulness" (Khang, 2018, p. 151).

Solution: Be obedient and faithful moment by moment whether anyone sees or acknowledges your words or actions.

Misconception 2: White people will only listen to white people [who have positioned themselves as educators and trainers] when they are entering the work. 

Why This Is Wrong: In the March webinar for her Patreon supporters “Let’s Talk About White People Making Money off of Anti-racism Work,” Tina Strawn and others unpacked numerous reasons why it is problematic to pay white people for an anti-racism education. Tina Strawn explained that white trainers center themselves as the beginning point.

Solution: Elevate the voices of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color [who are anti-racism educators and trainers]. Recommend resources from Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color to white people when they are entering the work and continue recommending resources by Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color.

Misconception 3: I need to connect the grief of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, People of Color in specific ways to white people for them to be moved to action.

Why This Is Wrong: In the Truth’s Table podcast episode “The Kids are NOT Alright!”, Ekemini Uwan, Michelle Higgins, and Dr. Christina Edmondson discussed the separation of families at the southern border of the United States. Ekemini Uwan stated, “That ‘offness’ [we feel] should not be predicated upon whether we have children or not. And that’s, I think, some of the problematic advocacy that I’m seeing is, ‘My child. Because I couldn’t bear to be separated from my child.’ Ok. That’s fine. That’s well and good. But let’s not center you. Let’s center the actual children who are right now being held in cages. A fourteen-month year old who has not been bathed in 85 days who is covered with lice. That should make your soul cry out whether you have birth children, whether you have adopted them, whether you have not. It does not matter. That child is a human being made in the image of God, and all of our souls should cry out. And we should be repenting and weeping and wailing in sackcloth and ashes.”

Solution: See the inherent dignity in each person as someone made in the imago Dei period. Apply this to the suffering and injustice experienced by all Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color. Don’t distract from the issue at hand by centering yourself and basing your solidarity with Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color on, “I can’t imagine if” scenarios.

Misconception 4: I can't mess up or fail in this work. I have to do all I can to ensure I do not make mistakes, even if that means staying silent sometimes because I don’t want to say something wrong.

Why This Is Wrong: In the video “The Importance of Normalizing Conversations About Race + White Supremacy,” L. Glenise Pike said that we need to let ourselves be human. She explained that we will make mistakes and must be held accountable, and perfectionism allows us to hide behind what we think is a noble reason to not have these conversations. She sums this up as self-preservation. 

Solution: I would rather say and do something wrong and be corrected by Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color than be silent and do nothing at all. Silence and complacency make me complicit in upholding institutional and individual racism.

Misconception 5: I must jump right in and educate all the white people.

Why This Is Wrong: In The Trinity Academy webinar “From Master’s Wife to Social Influencer,” Weeze of the That’s Not How That Works podcast stressed the need to ask, “Who do I need to become?” before asking, “What do I do?”

Solution: Weeze explained that we need to become people who can maintain actionability. We need accountability for this. Submit yourself to the leadership of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color and financially support them for their work.

Misconception 6: I have to immediately block and cancel white people who make mistakes.

Why This Is Wrong: In the same webinar “From Master’s Wife to Social Influencer,” Myisha T of Check Your Privilege said that she is not into throw away culture.

Solution: Myisha T instead operates from the mindset of seeing the humanity of others first. Weeze said they prefer redemption culture, which provides people the opportunity to redeem themselves. This was said with the words of Maya Angelou in mind: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

I've learned all of this and so much more by buying books, listening to podcasts, signing up for webinars, and financially supporting Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color in other ways. You can, too. You should, too. Don’t look to me or other white people to educate you, and do not pay white people to educate you. Pay Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color anti-racism educators and activists. Join Patreon communities for monthly webinars like the ones referenced here. If we are truly committed to anti-racism work, we will put our money where our mouth is and believe that the education is worth paying for to receive it from those with lived experience and actual expertise. Then, we can do as Myisha T says and live into the work.

Grace and peace.

***Edited to add: Other Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander People of Color who are anti-racism educators may have differing opinions from the educators I referenced here.


#dismantlewhitesupremacy #endracism #endracismnow #seekjustice #antiracism #antiracist #empathy #equality #action #dothework #liveintothework #showup #believepeopleofcolor #trustpeopleofcolor #supportpeopleofcolor #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative

If All Lives Matter, Then Wear a Mask: COVID-19, Abortion, and the Origins of the Modern-Day Republican Party

Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

I'm tired of reading about people who don't want to wear masks. Let me tell you why I wear a mask every time I go out. I do it for you. I do it to protect you. I would like the same level of care and concern in return.

I'm tired of seeing people who say the death toll wasn't as bad as we were led to believe it would be. Let me tell you why we lost over 100,000 image bearers instead of the projected numbers in the beginning. It's because of the social distancing and precautions people are taking.

I'm tired of seeing people who say, "All lives matter" but do nothing to demonstrate this sentiment. If all lives matter, then wear a mask.

So this post is laced with love for those who are anti-abortion. I refuse to use pro-life when the only life being theoretically protected under this political rhetoric is the child in the womb while a blind eye is turned to countless other lives, like Black lives during interactions with law enforcement and Brown lives at the border.

So this post is laced with love for those who want to legislate womens' bodies because they believe that the women should have made better decisions and not gotten pregnant while saying they care about the vulnerable baby. Yet these same people, some of you who will read this, complain about needing to social distance and wear a mask. Do you not realize that by these actions you can protect the lives of the vulnerable? By social distancing and wearing a mask, we protect our immunocompromised neighbors, our elderly neighbors, our Black and Brown neighbors who are being disproportionately impacted, and our neighbors of all ages with underlying medical conditions. Where is your love for these lives? Where is your pro-life stance when presented with the opportunity to protect these lives? You moan about not wanting to wear a mask and about the ways your privileged and comfortable life has been disrupted, proudly declaring no one can force you to comply with any regulations regarding PPE. You demand businesses reopen and support those business owners who want to sue their governors for not allowing bowling alleys or other non-essential businesses to reopen. Do you not see how you are aligning closely with the armed white supremacists, that the only difference is that you aren't toting a gun outside your governor's office? I keep thinking about the NowThis Politics video with Ekemini Uwan where she explained that "deep lovelessness for one's neighbor" and racism are motivating anti-lockdown protests and the ignoring of scientists and scientific data. Let us be people who love our neighbors well, in word and deed. The absolute least we can do to demonstrate love is wear a mask.

And for those who want to say that places should be able to reopen and if people go out and contract the disease then it was their own decision, you can't even see how faulty your logic is and the disconnect between this and your anti-abortion rhetoric (what you call pro-life). You say you prize the life of the unborn child and will support legislation to protect that baby but oppose legislation to protect people who are vulnerable to death if they contract COVID-19. Be consistent.

Also, please do some research on the origins of the modern day Republican party. It did not begin as a political movement opposed to abortion. It came right out of opposition to racial integration. Know your roots. If you don't know where your beliefs stem from, you can't eradicate that which is damaging. As Dr. Christina Edmondson of Truth's Table explained, unconfessed sin doesn't just go away. That's not how sin works.

-Listen to the Almost Heretical podcast episode "Good News and Bad News with Lisa Sharon Harper."
-Read The Color of Compromise: The Truth About the American Church's Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby.

As Ekemini stated in the linked video above, we are all connected. We can work together to protect our most vulnerable neighbors from COVID-19. I believe Black women. I trust Black women. I am looking to Black women to lead this country in all of their wisdom, strength, and love.

#trustblackwomen #believeblackwomen #ekeminiuwan #lisasharonharper #covid19 #wearamask #seekjustice #socialjustice #justice #loveyourneighbor #love #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative

Important Dates in the Month of June

June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.

June 19th is Juneteenth.

According to the GLAAD website, “The majority of Pride events are held in June to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in New York City on June 28, 1969, which most historians consider to be the birth of the modern LGBT movement. At the time, police raids on bars catering to LGBT patrons were common, but that night, the patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back. While historical accounts of the night vary, the violent response ignited a national firestorm of activism that brought new visibility to the struggle for LGBT equality...Over time, the smaller marches and gatherings organized by community members evolved into a highly organized slate of events attracting a broad range of LGBT community members and straight allies. The increasing popularity and visibility of Pride events can partially be attributed to greater levels of acceptance towards the community. While Pride events play a key role in raising the profile of the community and commemorating the history of the LGBT social movement, Pride also marks an opportunity for the community to come together, take stock and recognize the advances and setbacks made in the past year.”

According to the Juneteenth site, “Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation - which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.”

Let's do our research and financially support activists, advocates, authors, and educators who challenge and broaden the narrative while dismantling individual biases and institutional systems of oppression.

#June #LesbianGayBisexualandTransgenderPrideMonth #LGBTPrideMonth #Juneteenth #June19 #nomorehate #endviolence #enddiscrimination #dismantleALLsystemsofoppression #research #support #love #loveyourneighbor #everyneighbor #humanity #dignity #empathy #equality #action #seekjustice #restorativejustice #transformativejustice #justice #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative

Mutuality Resources

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

On May 24th, Stephen and I shared about our journey toward mutuality through IG Live. I have pasted the transcript from our closing which included challenges to the viewers. At the end of this post, I have linked the resources that I referenced in the video. There are also additional resources I didn't mention but found beneficial. I will be adding to the resources as other people send me their suggestions. Grace and peace to you all.


Nicki: No one is excluded if we operate from a mindset of mutuality or mutual submission. If we all outdo one another in showing honor, look not to our own interests but to the interests of others, and submit to one another, then we don’t have time for arguments over who is out and who is in, who can exercise this gift and who cannot, or who can have this or that gift and who can’t. Mutuality levels the field and invites everyone regardless of race, gender, gender identity, class, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic we could think of to use in order to draw a line. As the late Rachel Held Evans so aptly put it, "What makes the Gospel offensive isn't who it keeps out but who it lets in." And in all this, I’m not saying we don’t need white men. I just want white men to see how much they need others so we can all flourish.

Stephen: In closing, here is a challenge for Christian men. Ephesians 4:12 is about how spiritual gifts are given to all for the building up the body. How are you intentionally seeking out the voices of women to be built up by their gifts? If you are not currently submitting yourself to women as Ephesians 5:21 instructs you to, that needs to change. As you have conversations with women and listen to their stories, you’ll probably feel defensive. Don’t dismiss what they are saying though. Lean into the discomfort and work through it.

Nicki: And here is a challenge for white people who are Christians. How are you intentionally seeking out diverse voices of Black, Indigenous, People of Color to be built up by their gifts? If you are not currently submitting yourself to Black, Indigenous, People of Color as Ephesians 5:21 instructs us to, that needs to change. Diversify your social media, the books you read, the podcasts you listen to, and where you spend your money. 

I also have a challenge for white women. In the Truth's Table episode "BlacKkKlansman (Movie Discussion)," Dr. Christina Edmondson said, "I think it's incredibly nuanced, to think about the ways in which white women get close to male privilege instead of dismantling systems of privilege. They get closer to white male privilege through having a shared enemy." White women, we have to be about the work of dismantling all systems of privilege rather than seeking the approval of the white men in our lives. I know what I'm saying right now won't sit well with many white men, but we don't need permission to have differing opinions and to seek justice. If we wait for permission from those who hold the power, we’ll never get it. If you are a man, I want you to ask yourself the last time you asked a woman for permission to think differently than she thinks or were concerned about her approval if you thought differently. I am just guessing, but I imagine you’ve never felt that pressure or rarely do. Women were not created to be ruled and intellectually controlled. We have our own minds. We fully bear the image of Godde. And Godde loves us, really loves us. Be secure in that love. And for white women specifically, don't do what Myisha T said in the Speaking of Racism podcast episode "Living into the Work." She said, “I’m often even telling white women that I work with in tech the way that you’re treating women of color in these tech spaces are the way that white men treat you. It’s the cycle of abuse. It’s just passed down, and we’re not recognizing it as a culture.” I know it is difficult to push back against those we have been taught to trust as spiritual authorities because we are told we are more easily deceived and cannot trust ourselves, but fight against what I have heard numerous people of color describe as self-preservation. Submit yourself to Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color to dismantle systems of privilege.



Podcasts

Truth's Table and Pass the Mic “Gender Apartheid”

Truth’s Table “#SilenceIsNotSpiritual” with Lisa Sharon Harper

Almost Heretical Gender Series

Freedom Road “#MeToo #ChurchToo #SilenceIsNotSpiritual”

Co-Conspired Conversations “Girl You Betta Apologize; The Problem with Rachel Hollis”
Speaking of Racism "Living into the Work with Myisha T from Check Your Privilege"
Almost Heretical “Good News & Bad News” with Lisa Sharon Harper

Deconstructionists “Against” with Dr. Tad DeLay

Books

The Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harper

Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James

Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey

A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans

Paul and Gender by Cynthia Long Westfall
The Will to Change by bell hooks (recommended by Megan Wooding)
Gifted to Lead by Nancy Beach (recommended by Megan Wooding)

Additional Resources

“The Combahee River Collective Statement” by the Combahee River Collective
“Mutuality 2012 Posts” by Rachel Held Evans
"Complementarian Theology in Crisis" by Kevin Giles

“God Cares About Women (and Christians Should Too)” by Megan Wooding (@mwooding)

“Dear Sisters, I'm Sorry: A Letter About Theology, Modesty, and Purity Culture” by Nicki Pappas

If you have any other books, podcasts, or resources to add about this topic, particularly by Black, Indigenous, People of Color, those who identify as LGBTQIA, or anyone else who broadens the narrative, you can email me at broadeningthenarrative@gmail.com.

#egalitarian #deconstruction #evolvingfaith #podcasts #truthstable #passthemic #almostheretical #freedomroad #coconspiredconversations #believeblackwomen #speakingofracism #deconstructionists #theverygoodgospel #lisasharonharper #halfthechurch #carolyncustisjames #jesusfeminist #sarahbessey #ayearofbiblicalwomanhood #rachelheldevans #becauseofrhe #paulandgender #cynthialongwestfall #combaheerivercollectivestatement #meganwooding #challengethenarrative #broadeningthenarrative