The Unfinished Circle

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.