With Love And Justice For All

Ep.19 - Reconstruction—Pivotal Moments in Black History

Between 1863 and 1877, the U.S. government undertook the task of integrating nearly four million formerly enslaved people into society after the Civil War. The white slaveholding South was forced to change its economic, political, and social relations with African Americans. While the war may have destroyed the institution of slavery and pushed for economic and political changes for an egalitarian society, Reconstruction was short-lived, and from the moment the Civil War ended, whites who had enslaved Blacks searched for any and all means to dismantle it—and they eventually did. Reconstruction can be called “America’s Unfinished Revolution.”

Ep.18 - Black (aka American) History Is Still Being Written

Black history is American history. Black stories are essential to the ongoing story of America—our faults, struggles, progress, and aspirations. This is why it is imperative that we take time to celebrate the contributions of Black Americans, honor the legacies and achievements of generations past, reckon with centuries of injustice, and confront those still alive and well today. The long shadows of slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, and so much more all point to the systemic racism that still underpins America, essentially holding back all of us from reaching our full promise and potential, individually and collectively.

Ep.17 - We Are Not a Monolith

Black is not a monolith. To consider those words is to consider the full breadth of the human experience. Black people don’t move, think, or speak as one. Yet often Black people are crammed into a box built by society, by white-body cultural norms, despite their vast array of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and lived experiences. Black people are not a monolith, and neither is the way they navigate or deal with whiteness.

Ep.16 - The Problem with Black History Month

Sometimes much of who we say we are (spiritual seeker, ally, anti-racist) is less practice and more performative. As we begin to observe and celebrate another Black History Month, how much does our support extend beyond February? This week on With Love and Justice for All, we talk about the origins and importance of Black History Month, as well as the performative problem of the occasion.

Ep.15 - Voter Suppression Is Dead! Long Live Voter Suppression!

Think voting conversations have no place in spiritual communities? Guess again. Faith leaders have a moral imperative to encourage love and justice for all, which includes having everyone’s voice be heard. Voting should be as easy and accessible as possible. The door slammed shut again this past week on federal legislation to create new protections for access to voting. Suppression efforts disproportionately impact people of color, students, the elderly, and people with disabilities. When an unjust rule stands in the way of justice, it is a moral imperative to break that rule.

Ep.13 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the entire nation pauses in remembrance of a civil rights hero. At least that’s the point of the federal holiday, a day off for many, that takes place on the third Monday of each January. MLK Day was designed to honor the activist and minister, who was assassinated in 1968 and whose accomplishments have continued to inspire generations of Americans. Listen as Rev. Kelly and Rev. Ogun share a little history about MLK Day, which is now Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service, some unknown facts about the man, and ways this day can be a day on rather than a day off.

Ep.12 - Finding the Dark: Decolonizing Darkness, Decolonizing Ourselves

The anti-racism work of decolonizing ourselves is about reclaiming our imaginaries, our hopes, and our collective playgrounds of life. Think about the territories we inhabit, specifically unceded, never-surrendered, and occupied land. In ironic ways, decolonizing ourselves is about recognizing the wounds of the conquerer, identifying what we have known as the unbridgeable categories of violence, distrust, and fear placed on humanity and nature. Decolonization is not about trying to erase those lasting marks of colonization; instead, it is about finding the ties that bind us all together, restoring our faith that we can know a world of equanimity, justice, and love for all.

Ep.11- Feedback from Friends and Frenemies

We receive a lot of feedback from classes, conferences, workshops, articles, and pretty much any of our anti-racism work out in the world. Some of it inspiring and some of it … well, not so much. We’d love to hear from anyone and everyone because your thoughts, perspectives, and feedback help us in clarifying, educating, and dismantling racism and creating a culture of caretaking.

Ep.10 - Race and the Military

Because it is Pearl Harbor Day, our conversation is focused on race and the military. Even though the armed services were integrated more than 70 years ago, it is still a fact that Black people are more likely to be disciplined and less likely to be promoted than whites.

Ep.9 - Nice Racism

So many of us think we are progressive allies, but we might actually be making things worse. Plus, headlines, recommendations, and listener feedback.

Ep.8 - Let’s Talk About Food

Special guest Derrick Weston is a food justice activist. He is committed not just to securing better meals for everyone but to dismantling structures that have exploited workers and consumers. Derrick has spent the last two decades serving churches and faith-based nonprofits in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. He currently manages a community garden on Baltimore’s east side and was recently awarded a Louisville Institute Pastoral Study Project grant to develop a food and faith network.

Ep.7 - Both/And Vs Both Sides

We talk about wanting to be open to “all perspectives,” but are we really? When it comes to racism or systems of oppression, are all perspectives valued? Do we have the capacity for both/and thinking to honor multiple realities? Does every viewpoint carry the same weight?

Ep.6 - Forgive Them, for They Know Not What They Say!

Everyday words and phrases have racist connotations, yet many don’t realize what they are saying. Terms like master bedrooms or blacklists and whitelists in computing are so entrenched we don’t think twice about using them—even though these terms are directly rooted in the nation’s history with chattel slavery.

Ep.5 - The Sum of Us (Pt.2)

Heather McGhee’s illuminating and hopeful new book, The Sum of Us, is predicated on the idea that while the primary victims of racism are people of color who are subjected to it, little will change until white people realize what racism has cost them too. Racism has costs for everyone. It is the common denominator of our most vexing public problems, the core dysfunction of our democracy, and a major component of the spiritual and moral crises that grip us all.

Ep.4 - The Sum of Us (Pt.1)

Heather McGhee’s illuminating and hopeful new book, The Sum of Us, is predicated on the idea that while the primary victims of racism are people of color who are subjected to it, little will change until white people realize what racism has cost them too. Racism has costs for everyone. It is the common denominator of our most vexing public problems, the core dysfunction of our democracy, and a major component of the spiritual and moral crises that grip us all.

Ep.3 - Rest, Restore, Repair, Resist

We talk about why rest is so much more than a spiritual practice. Plus, headlines, recommendations, and listener feedback.

Ep.2 - Don’t Take The Bypass

Are you using spiritual teachings to avoid difficult conversations? You might be on a spiritual bypass. We discuss how spiritual principles can be used to prop up white supremacy, as well as responses from Rev. Ogun’s latest Unity Magazine® feature. Plus, headlines, recommendations, and listener feedback.

Ep.1 - Let’s Get Our HOLY On!

What’s this show all about? Revs. Kelly and Ogun introduce themselves, talk about their new venture project_SANCTUS, and discuss what to expect on With Love and Justice for All.