Category Archives: Social justice

Meditation on a Theme

  Constance Merritt’s brilliantly crafted villanelle has great resonance at this moment we are living in. It invites reflection that will empower us for the work of resistance and renewal. Her poem teaches us that we must create a world …

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Posted in Black Lives Matter, Bullying/violence, Children, Church leaders, Church seasons, Congregational life, Economic disparities, Family, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Hospitality, Housing, Incarceration, Interfaith, Opening to change, Pop culture, Respectability, Social justice, Stigma, Women of color | Comments Off on Meditation on a Theme

Becoming Love Medicine

I stood there in the Norman Manley Airport of Kingston, Jamaica. My small 11-year-old palm connected to my lanky brown hand held tightly on to my mother’s full warm palm center.   What do you do when your home and …

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Posted in Black Lives Matter, Blog, Bullying/violence, Church leaders, Economic disparities, Family, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Interfaith, Sexual orientation, Social justice, Stigma, Women of color, Youth and young adult | Comments Off on Becoming Love Medicine

For Freedom’s Sake: Ending Child Sexual Abuse in Black Churches

I am a freedom fighter, writer, minister, scholar, and survivor of child sexual abuse. I am also the founder of Children of Combahee, a newfound project through the Just Beginnings Collaborative that mobilizes against child sexual abuse in Black church …

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Posted in Black Lives Matter, Blog, Bullying/violence, Children, Church leaders, Family, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Sexual orientation, Social justice, Stigma, Women of color, Youth and young adult | Comments Off on For Freedom’s Sake: Ending Child Sexual Abuse in Black Churches

“But Those Were Just Words”: Things We Should Stop Saying After This Election

By Jameelah Jones, M.A. This commentary originally appeared on Jameelah Jones’ Medium blog.  I won’t type the presidential election results because you already know them. For 24 hours, I didn’t know what so say. For many of us who do …

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Posted in Black Lives Matter, Blog, Economic disparities, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Respectability, Sexual orientation, Social justice, Stigma | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on “But Those Were Just Words”: Things We Should Stop Saying After This Election

Treading Water: The United Methodist Church’s Latest Plea

    As I watched the business of the 2016 General Conference of the United Methodist Church, my mind flashed back to my childhood. I remembered being a lifeguard. I used to teach people how to tread water. This was …

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Posted in Blog, Church leaders, Congregational life, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Sexual orientation, Social justice | Comments Off on Treading Water: The United Methodist Church’s Latest Plea

Wave of restroom laws hearken back to Jim Crow

  Remember when our people were highly restricted in the use of public restaurants, restrooms, and water fountains? We had to plan ahead. We carried our own food and beverages, arranged to stop at someone’s house to use the bathroom, …

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Posted in Blog, Bullying/violence, Gender, Social justice, Stigma, Transgender | Comments Off on Wave of restroom laws hearken back to Jim Crow

Why I can’t forget my blackness

The discomfort of being THE black guy in the room is something that I have to negotiate over and over again. Often—especially in progressive and/or queer political spaces— I am one of very few people of color. In practice, the …

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Posted in Black Lives Matter, Social justice, Transgender | Comments Off on Why I can’t forget my blackness

Meet me at the intersection of love & justice

Contrary to popular belief, there is power and hope at the intersection of race and LGBTQ life. As a Black, same-gender loving woman who is a pastor, Bishop and activist, I can solidly say that my wife, children, grandchildren, and …

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Posted in Church leaders, Family, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Opening to change, Social justice, Stigma, Straight allies | Comments Off on Meet me at the intersection of love & justice

The Black church: Bold and bad enough to accept and affirm

The Black Church has been a strong pillar of the community. I pray that it will have the courage not only to accept, but affirm its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender children. The recent VH1 segment, Out in Hip Hop: …

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Posted in Church leaders, Congregational life, Economic disparities, Family, Gay/lesbian, Hospitality, Media portrayal, Opening to change, Pop culture, Sexual orientation, Social justice, Stigma, Straight allies, Transgender, Youth and young adult | Comments Off on The Black church: Bold and bad enough to accept and affirm

Your human rights don’t infringe on my religious freedom

There’s a stink in the air, the putrid smell of Christian elitism framed as “religious freedom.” The Christian right in America has been successfully bullying non-religious and religious minorities for centuries. From the colonization of this country to the civil …

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Posted in Blog, General discussion, Religious freedom, Same-sex marriage, Social justice | Comments Off on Your human rights don’t infringe on my religious freedom