Selma March

Last night I went to see Selma, and I was absolutely enthralled. The artistry was beautiful. The actors authentic. The lines soul-stirring. When the credits began to roll, I felt as if I had just been through a weeklong revival. I was exhausted and full, convicted and encouraged, reeling and rooted. 

I won't recount the events of the movie here. I won't spoil any scenes. Though I really, really want to, I won't give away any of the incredibly thoughtful and relevant lines of the movie either. Today all I want to do is be honest about how I hope all viewers of #SelmaMovie will recognize that yesterday is today. 

I hope that viewers will recognize not how relevant its themes are, but how close its issues are. I hope that viewers realize that the Voting Rights Act of 1965- the heart of the Selma movie that has so moved us- the blood, the tears, the beatings, the strength, the strategy- was effectively dismantled in 2013 by the Supreme Court who in a 5-4 vote ultimately decided "the country has changed" and therefore protection of the right to vote is no longer necessary. I hope viewers realize that the celebration at the end of this movie, the uplifting moment, the fulfillment of King's declaration "truth is marching on" is now a deflated balloon. 

I hope that viewers connect the police brutality in the movie to the police brutality still taking place today. I hope that viewers connect the easy way with which black bodies were tossed in jail cells to the ridiculous numbers still being rounded up today. I hope that King's proclamation of the dignity of the black body is easily connected to #blacklivesmatter. I hope the distance is closed. I hope the strategy, the rationalization, the justification for keeping black bodies oppressed is obvious. I hope the blank faces of hatred, of indifference, of the thirst for power, the desire to "keep black bodies in their place" look eerily familiar. I hope viewers realize that one by one black bodies are still being beaten in the streets. 

I hope viewers leave theaters feeling called to open their eyes. Called to know about the #NAACPbombing (and the many that have occurred since the Civil Rights Movement). Called to know about voting suppression. Called to know about incarceration rates. Called to understand systemic poverty. Called to take a stand against police brutality. Called to write and march and demonstrate and resist and stand and preach and sing for the sake of justice. 

There were a lot of wonderful moments in this movie. I am incredibly grateful for this gift from director Ava DuVernay. You cannot leave the theater without feeling immense gratitude for the women and men who risked everything for justice.

I hope we will refuse to squander their gifts to us. I hope we realize that yesterday is today.

Now, seriously. If you havent already, go see this film. Be inspired. 

Friends, its finally here. 2015. 

In the last post we reflected on the year and recounted some of the things we learned. As we step into a new year, I want to share my vision for 2015 with you.  

2015 will be our year of practicing Holy Resistance. 

I think this is what we've been doing for awhile now. Calling out racism. Challenging patriarchy. Naming brutality. Speaking truth. Going deeper. These are the actions of people who resist the status quo, who demand more. More justice. More peace. More of ourselves. More of the Church. We resist our comfort with things as they are- even as we move with hope into the future. 

The resistance we practice is not without foundation. It is a holy practice as we seek God and Gods word. It is holy because it is an imitation of Christ who was so focused on the kingdom of God that he regularly resisted this kingdom. Unlike most royalty, Christ's resistance was not based on "being above" the world, but diving into it. Literally. 

In 2015, we're going to keep diving, exploring, determining what it means to practice Holy Resistance. We'll do it together. Collectively. As the body of Christ, we need not practice alone. Reconciliation is meant to be done together. So this year, I'll be introducing you to my community, the loves of my life, the people I've been practicing with- some of them for years. I pray that you, too, find community. Its integral to this work.

My plan for 2015 is to turn this site into a toolbox for you- to dismantle and to build, to help you practice holy resistance. The blog posts will be just one resource for you. I plan to add many, many more... but you'll have to keep coming back! 

As we start a new year together, lets stay connected by using the buttons on the right. You can sign up for my newsletter. It comes out once a month, so you don't have to worry about receiving a ton of messages from me. You can follow me on Twitter and Facebook; I often use both. Lastly, if you prefer to have new blog posts sent to your inbox, just write your email address in the feed burner box.   

I'm so excited about our year of Holy Resistance. Hope you're rested, because we have work to do in 2015! 

Friends! We've come to the end of another year together. Can you believe it? We've walked through a lot of turmoil this year. We followed the trial seeking justice for Jordan Davis's murder. We paused to celebrate the life of Maya Angelou. We were gripped by the protests in Ferguson; stunned by the no-indictment decision. We nurtured a movement, stretching ourselves wide to bring light to injustice. Instead of showering Advent in a false sense of celebration, we dived deep into lament, acknowledging the reality of the darkness. And thats just what we've been through together. 

Before we jump into the New Year, I have compiled a list of my top posts for 2014. These are the ways we have grown together, questioned together, turned a corner together. These are the ways we've been practicing a reconciled life, and I look forward to continuing the journey with you all. 

10. The Tipping Point Subjects are asked to quantify a diverse neighborhood. Average answers? Black folks responded that a 50/50 split would qualify a neighborhood to be considered diverse. White folks responded that 96/4 (whites/blacks) would constitute a diverse neighborhood. While most respondents- black or white- declared they would like to live in a diverse neighborhood, there was a vast difference in how each defined diversity. 

9. Top 10 Conversation Deflections Unfortunately for many people attempting to speak truth to power, sharing our hearts on these issues (not just theories, but how they make us FEEL) is always risky. Sometimes those listening engage well, but we always know there is a chance things will fall apart. It doesn't always matter what the justice issue is- mass incarceration, education, immigration, or in this case racial justice- there is always a risk that our hearts will leave as broken as when we came.

8. White Privilege Weariness  My weariness is rooted in realizing how often starting the race conversation with white privilege automatically centers the experience of white folks. On the day mentioned above, I so clearly saw how focusing on white privilege filled the space. There was no room left for the stories, the experiences, the realities of people of color except in service to the education of white folks. We almost served as more of a comparative study than live humans standing on the opposite side of the room.

7. Metaphysical Dilemma  When I first learned to write my name, I had no idea it would be so subversive. I had no idea it carried meaning, expectations. I had no idea it was tied to race or gender- how others would perceive me. I had no idea. But I experience the "surprise and wonder" pretty regularly. 

6. Talking Points: You Bought the Lie You bought the lie that extra force is necessary when dealing with blackness. That we are heartless, monstrous, beastly. You believe our bodies are to be feared. You believe that the police can't treat us the same way because we are far more resistant to authority, far more disrespectful. You believe that it is we who are solely responsible for the dangers officers face. You believe we bring it on ourselves because we couldn't possibly be innocent. For the rest of America we believe in innocence until proven guilty, but for us- there is no question of our criminality. 

5. My Faith & Feminism  #FaithFeminisms has been the slowest conversion of my life. There was no flipping of a switch, no church service revelation, no falling to my knees in wonder. The connection was borne slowly, tumbling and kicking inside, peeking out to see if it’s safe, grasping and begging for air. The midwives of friends, authors, sisterhoods, mentors and preachers it has taken to help her live would form quite an extensive list- crisscrossing the country, reaching from heaven to earth.

4. Worthy. I want to scream to the world tonight, that black kids are precious. They are beautiful. They are full of life, of creativity, of soul. Black kids are bursting at the seems with potential, with possibilities. Black kids are made in the image of God. Black kids are made in the image of God. They carry within themselves the capacity to love deeply, to give generously, to hope eternally. They could change the world, if only we would let them live. 

3. Made for Whiteness  I used to think I was made for white people. I know that sounds a little crazy, but its true. When I discovered this thing called "racial reconciliation" I was attending a predominately white college where many people of color found themselves constantly teaching white folks about racial justice. 

2. Justice, then Reconciliation  We use the language of reconciliation fairly often in Christian social justice circles. Sometimes we offer ourselves synonyms like diversity or multiculturalism, but I think it's really important for us to explore the realities of practicing reconciliation. The fact that there is no singular definition of racial reconciliation, practically speaking, has created a situation where we are not entirely sure when we're doing it and when we are failing miserably at it. So let's explore the requirements for reconciliation to take place.

1. Black Bodies White Souls  ...what I found most intriguing is MLK's response to the question about his mistakes as a civil rights leader. His reply: "Well, the most pervasive mistake I have made was in believing that because our cause was just, we could be sure that the white ministers of the South, once their Christian consciences were challenged, would rise to our aid. I felt that white ministers would take our cause to the white power structures. I ended up, of course, chastened and disillusioned."

Today's post is a fun interview I did for Seminary Dropout with Shane Blackshear. We talk about my start in racial reconciliation, the events of Ferguson (while we were still waiting for the indictment decision), and the role of the Church in reconciliation. 

Take a listen while you drink some tea after your Christmas shopping or during your travels for the holiday!