With Love And Justice For All

Ep.41 - Let’s Get To (Just Enough) Work

Welcome to Season 2! Revs Kelly and Ogun return from break to share their adventures and mishaps, plus a conversation about the labor movement and unions having a resurgence.

Ep.40 - MLK’s Letter Lost In The Mail?

On a recent visit to the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City to view an Art Deco installation, Rev Kelly was inspired by what was conspicuously absent from the exhibit. It reminded her that we have still not accepted Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr's invitations in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail."

Ep.39 - Cloudy Days at Sesame and Other Headlines

Headlines from the past week you might have missed.

Ep.38 - Reclaiming Pleasure, Ourselves and Our World

What can reclaiming pleasure bring into our lives? How can it help us change our world for the better? And what do the voices of marginalized peoples and ancestors have to teach us when it comes to practicing and reclaiming our joy?

Ep. 37 - The Power of Pleasure Activism

Pleasure is a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment. Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, or direct social, political, economic, or environmental reform or stasis with the desire to make improvements in society. Pleasure activism is the work we do to reclaim our whole, happy, and satisfiable selves from the impacts, delusions, and limitations of oppression and/or supremacy.

Ep.36 - What, To The Oppressed, Is The Fourth of July?

On July 5, 1852, abolitionist Frederick Douglass took the stage before a a predominantly white audience at Rochester’s annual Independence Day ceremonies to deliver a speech now known as, “What, to the Slave, Is the Fourth of July?” Sadly, 170 years later, much of his speech still holds up. What is Independence to the oppressed today?

Ep.35 - Roe v Wade IS Love and Justice For All Pt.2

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade thereby eliminating constitutional protections for access to an abortion. We share our thoughts and feelings about the ruling, discuss the other precedents and protections that might be in jeopardy, and provide ways to support women during these perilous times. This is a follow up to Ep.29 which we recorded when a draft of the decision was leaked to the public.

Ep.34 - Love & Liberation

We revisit Juneteenth, Rev Ogun shares about his Juneteenth #blackjoy experiences including meeting a member of The Squad, and we talk about what liberation means for all of us.

Ep.33 - Celebrating Pride

It's our Pride episode. We take a look at Pride history, black pride trailblazers, rainbow washing, and we have an impromptu conversation about our own sexuality. We also talk about Juneteenth and offer some recommendations for our white bodied friends.

Ep.32 - Intersectionality & White Feminism

It has been well-known and documented for decades that factors such as race, income, and ZIP code are big influences on whether a person will live a long and healthy life or not. But, none of these factors stands alone. Each of our identities—as a woman, a person of color, being LGBTQ, having a disability, among others—are inextricably linked to each other. Recognizing that we all carry many identities that come with varying levels of power and privilege is called intersectionality.

Ep.31 - Let’s Talk About Buffalo

Revs Kelly & Ogun share their thoughts and feelings about the recent act of white supremacy terrorism in Buffalo, NY as well as the white supremacy cultural norms and ideologies that continue to foster such acts of deadly violence.

Ep. 30 - May is Mental Health Awareness Month

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness (52.9 million people in 2020). While People of Color (POC) have rates of mental health disorders similar to whites, these disorders are more likely to last longer and result in more significant disability for POC.

Ep.29 - Roe v Wade IS Love and Justice For All

It is worth reflecting on the racist origins of the anti-abortion movement in the United States, which date back to the ideologies of slavery. Just like slavery, anti-abortion efforts are rooted in white supremacy, the exploitation of Black women, and placing women’s bodies in service to men. Just like slavery, maximizing wealth and consolidating power motivated the anti-abortion enterprise.

Ep.28 - Decolonizing Education

Decolonization is the process of undoing colonizing practices. It is a process, not a one-time event. It is essential to keep reflecting throughout, and not to be discouraged that it’s not always straightforward. Decolonization involves reflecting on the structure of educational institutions, and their role within the larger society. It is also important to confront the power relations within these institutions. Within a diverse population of students, part of decolonization is learning how to be an ally, and to work in solidarity with each other—not just among students, but staff as well.

Ep.27 - I Am From...

In response to the rhetoric of racism, xenophobia and isolationism that is rampant in our country, Kelly and Ogun take a look at “identity.” We each hold a personal identity, a sense of self that develops as we age, and a social identity, which is our collective understanding of who we are, and of who other people are. 

BONUS - Walking Each Other Home: An Embodied Antiracism Mindfulness Practice [04/14/22]

Join us for WALKING EACH OTHER HOME: AN EMBODIED ANTIRACISM MINDFULNESS PRACTICE Thursdays 10am ET.
 
Through mindfulness practices, focusing on antiracism, we increase our emotional resilience, recognize our biases, and make real our common humanity.
 
Join us on Zoom or watch the livestream on FB Live. There will be space for discussion after the practice on Zoom only.

Ep.26 - Mindfulness: An Anti-Racism Practice

Mindfulness practices hold the key to grappling with interpersonal racism because they help people tolerate the discomfort that comes with deeper discussions about race. These practices build the resilience we need to stay in those conversations and to deepen community when the going gets tough. We can’t just think our way out of racism or other biases; we need to go deeper than intellectual understanding.

Ep.25 - Womanist Theology with Special Guest Bishop Yvette Flunder

Emerging in the mid-1980s, womanist theology is the work of African-American women theologians, church historians, ethicists, sociologists of religion, and biblical scholars. The term draws on poet, novelist, and activist Alice Walker’s four-part definition of womanism, which calls for “radical subjectivity, traditional communalism, redemptive self-love, and critical engagement.” Womanist thought helps to describe oppression and empower the oppressed in order to create change. Bishop Yvette Flunder has served her call through prophetic action and ministry for justice for more than 30 years. This call to blend proclamation, worship, service, and advocacy on behalf of those most marginalized in church and in society led to the founding of City of Refuge United Church of Christ in 1991, uniting a gospel ministry with a social justice ministry.

Ep.14 - National Day of Racial Healing

The National Day of Racial Healing is an opportunity for people, organizations, and communities to call for racial healing, bring people together in their shared humanity, and take action together to create a more just and equitable world. Racial healing is a process that restores individuals and communities to wholeness, repairs the damage caused by racism, and transforms societal structures into ones that affirm the inherent value of all people. It makes it possible to acknowledge and speak the truth about past wrongs created by individual and systemic racism and to address present-day consequences for people, communities, and institutions. Rev. Ogun and Rev. Kelly talk about what racial healing might look like, how to bring it about, and if it’s even really possible.
 

Ep.24 - Headlines … Still Processing

It's easy to read a headline about events that are emotionally charged and put yourself on "one side or the other." But do you find yourself flip-flopping as you process these events and media stories? Join Kelly and Ogun as they unpack some recent big headlines to help understand the collective stories behind the stories reported.