Go With Grace

Healing through Political Consciousness & Community

Sun, 02 Oct 2022 23:04:00 -0400

This week I’m in conversation with Cassandra Calin and Megan Sharkey. Cassandra, who also goes by CC, is Soulforce’s Board Chair and Megan is the Director of Ruckus. They are partners, trained social workers and long-time supporters and friends of Soulforce. Our conversation illuminates the ways that white Christian Supremacy shapes systems of oppression and impacts our perception of self and self-worth. CC makes some incredible points about how Biblical messaging is taken out of context to create oppressive and unrealistic societal standards, and Megan offers some really lovely guidance on empowering oneself through political consciousness and community connections.

As a heads up, we are bringing the Go With Grace podcast to a close. I’ve truly enjoyed being on this learning journey with y’all. Despite the increasingly chaotic moment we find ourselves in, I am hopeful for the future. I’m inspired by all of us who are willing to continue forward with honesty, grit, rest, creativity and joy in the face of our hardships.

I know that if we continue to deepen our understanding of our world, each other and spirit, we’ll never be wrong.

This is a really wonderful episode to end on. I hope you enjoy my conversation with CC Calin and Megan Sharkey.

Transcript available here.

Notes:

Soulforce’s Spirit Resource Library:
https://soulforce.org/what-we-do/resources/

Soulforce Mailing List and Social Media Links:
https://soulforce.org/engage/

Soulforce History:
https://soulforce.org/about/our-history/

Soulforce current programming:
https://soulforce.org/what-we-do/our-approach-to-liberation/

Donate to Soulforce:
https://soulforce.org/donate/

Logo artwork by: adé Oni Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree

Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Highlander Homecoming with Je Naé Taylor

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 01:05:00 -0400

This week I’m in conversation with Je Naé Taylor, a storyteller, play director, Black Joy Experience album song writer and cultural organizer at The Highlander Education and Research Center. Please enjoy our conversation about Highlander homecoming and cultural organizing!

Transcript available here.

Notes:

Highlander Methodologies - https://highlandercenter.org/cultural-organizing/

Homecoming registration link -https://highlander.swoogo.com/90th/2311618

Black Joy Experience: https://www.liberationhouse.org/black-joy-experience/

Born Like Me - Jake Clemons Single (feat. Allison Russell & The Highlander Center)
https://music.apple.com/us/album/born-like-me-single-feat-allison-russell-the/1634362175

Podcasts featuring co-executive directors, Ash-Lee Henderson and Rev. Allyn Maxfienld Steele:

(Soulforce is mentioned in this one!)
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5m5Ho7TmMiX0HDrTZ8Onjr?si=7932729bffda4121

https://open.spotify.com/episode/24PAAfjqc75Hw0HYHx3bQT?si=1dc8251a659f402d

Highlander legacy:
https://www.npr.org/2007/09/02/14106495/highlander-celebrates-75-years-of-social-activism

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/community/we-are-survivors-one-year-after-the-highlander-center-fire/51-7fdf920b-929f-4ee4-b8e5-da0dba4f308f

Agusto Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed:

https://imaginaction.org/media/our-methods/theatre-of-the-oppressed-2#:~:text=Theatre%20of%20the%20Oppressed%20(TO)%20is%20an%20aesthetic%20method%20created,of%20consciousness%20and%20concrete%20actions.

https://www.democracynow.org/2005/6/3/famed_brazilian_artist_augusto_boal_on

Logo artwork by: adé Oni Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree

Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Babies in Baskets: Changing the Adoption Narrative

Sun, 07 Aug 2022 00:07:05 -0400

This week I’m in conversation with two of my dear friends and fellow adoptees, Juliana Finch and Imee Dalton.

All of us share our personal experiences and the impact of adoption on our lives.

Juliana is a musician, writer and Religious Studies student at UNC Greensboro. Imee is a spiritual practitioner and Kali practitioner, Kali is a Filipino martial art that I am also learning. We have a great conversation about Jesus and Moses as adoptees and how the Bible has also been wielded to support the adoption industry. Imee and Juliana were also voice actors in an audio fiction piece I wrote about my adoption experience called Crocodile Twins. I’ll include a link in the show notes so you can have a listen, along with a few other adoptee resources.

We start our conversation discussing ‘coming out of the fog,’ an expression used in adoptee communities to describe an individual’s journey of meaning making and processing their adoption. This generally occurs when adoptees reach adulthood and are given the space and tools to be honest about their experiences.

While difficult and triggering, side note, please take care of yourself as you listen. This offering is rich with examples of transformation, possibility and grace.

We end our conversation with what has felt healing and supportive for us, and how we envision better systems of care for adoptees.

Thank you so much for tuning in. You can follow Imee at THE MAYARI MOON on Instagram. Juliana is Juliana Finch on Instagram and Patreon. Links in show notes below.

Transcript available here.

Go with Grace is written and produced by me. I also wrote the theme song. Additional music by Blue Sky Moon, Ketsa and Audiorezout.

Show Notes:

Imee Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/themayarimoon/

Juliana Patreon and Instagram:
https://www.patreon.com/julianafinch

https://www.instagram.com/writeplayrepeat/?hl=en

Audio Fiction - Crocodile Twins
https://artistsoapbox.org/asbx-episodes/crocodile-twins/

Adoptee Resources:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30297153-all-you-can-ever-know

https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/about-2/

https://www.laniseantoineshelley.com/

https://www.adoptionmosaic.com/

http://adopteereading.com/already-enough-a-path-to-self-acceptance/

Logo artwork by: adé Oni Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree

Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Breaking Up With Jesus with Joey Richards

Sat, 04 Jun 2022 12:14:24 -0400

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Joey Richards, a musician, stand-up comedian and PhD student at UNC, Chapel Hill. Last year, I had the opportunity to see their one-person show called Breaking Up With Jesus about their Christian upbringing and the feelings of being judged and manipulated, yet stuck in a dynamic that was harmful…and their journey to disentangle themself from all of that.

In this interview, Joey and I talk about their show and comedy as a strategy to facilitate healing and transformation.

If you’d like to keep up with Joey or invite the show, Breaking Up With Jesus to your community, you can email josephpatrickrichards@gmail.com or josephri@ live.unc.edu. Here is the article with another interview with Joey about their show: https://indyweek.com/topics/joseph-richards/

Go with Grace is written and produced by me. Hideo Tokui at A Chili Bowl Production is our editorial advisor and sound designer. The theme song is by me. Clips of Breaking Up With Jesus provided by Joey Richards. Additional music by Blue Sky Moon, Danail Draganov, Sondé, and Simon Sharp.

Transcript available here.

Logo artwork by: adé Oni Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree

Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Christian Privilege and the Media with Chrissy Stroop

Sat, 30 Apr 2022 22:46:10 -0400

So much gratitude to Chrissy Stroop for taking the time to speak with me. Chrissy is also the coeditor of the essay anthology Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church.

Please support her work by ordering the anthology, following her on social media or visiting her website . Here are a few of the articles mentioned in the episode:

ONE YEAR AFTER 1/6, MEDIA STILL REFUSE TO RECOGNIZE AUTHORITARIAN CHRISTIANITY

SECULARISM IN THE US IS LARGER, MORE DIVERSE AND MORE DYNAMIC THAN EVER, BUT YOU WOULDN’T KNOW IT FROM THE MEDIA

BEHIND THE INCLUSIVE-SOUNDING ADS OF THIS $100 MILLION PR-BLITZ-FOR-JESUS IT’S THE SAME OLD CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN FANTASY

RUSSIA AND THE US HAVE MORE IN COMMON THAN YOU MIGHT THINK

TEXAS PARENTS WITH TRANS KIDS SPEAK OUT ON SHOCKING 'CHILD ABUSE' POLICY

Transcript available here.

Thanks for tuning in,
Grace

Our editorial advisor and sound designer for Season 2 is Hideo Tokui at AChiliBowlProduction.com . Music by Blue Sky Moon, Blue Sky Moon, Ardie Son, Bobby Cole licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. For more information about this license go to https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Additional music by Humans Win.

Logo artwork by: adé Oni Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree

Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Healing Spiritual Violence with Karina Vargas

Sat, 02 Apr 2022 18:46:20 -0400

In this episode, I talk with educator and feminist theologian Karina Vargas. Karina is currently working with Soulforce to create content for addressing and healing spiritual violence. She was also featured on Soulforce’s other media project, Teología Sin Vergüenza (which loosely translates to shameless theology), where theologians and activists from around the world discuss queer feminist theology in Spanish. You can view old and new episodes of Teología Sin Vergüenza here: https://www.facebook.com/TeoSinVerguenza/ . Please subscribe to our Newsletter and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebeook @SoulforceOrg for our latest programmatic updates.

Deep gratitude to Karina for her time and insight.

Transcript available here.

Our editorial advisor and sound designer for Season 2 is Hideo Tokui at AChiliBowlProduction.com . Music by Blue Sky Moon and One Man Book, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. For more information about this license go to https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Additional music by Humans Win.

Logo artwork by: adé Oni Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree

Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Take care,
Grace

Reproductive Justice with Tara Romano

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 22:37:05 -0500

This month I talk with Pro-Choice NC Executive Director Tara Romano about reproductive justice and the many nuances that get left out of the 'pro-life' vs 'pro-choice' argument. Big thanks for her time and incredible work in service of reproductive justice in North Carolina. Be sure to stay updated with Pro Choice NC’s work at prochoicenc.org or follow them on facebook, instagram, twitter .

Here are the two Soulforce resources I mentioned:

Breaking Open: Myths of the “Pro-Life” Movement

Mary’s Choice: A New Model for Biblical Motherhood

Editorial advisor and sound designer for Season 2 is Hideo Tokui at AChiliBowlProduction.com

Music by Podington Bear, One Man Book, and Blue Sky Moon. Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. For more information about this license go to https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Transcript available here.

Thanks so much for listening! Look out for new episodes every first Sunday of the month.

Take care,
Grace
Kinship Minister for Soulforce.

Learn more by signing up for our newsletter at www.soulforce.org.

https://www.instagram.com/soulforceorg

https://twitter.com/SoulforceOrg

Logo artwork by: adé Oni Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree

Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Christianity vs. white Christian Supremacy - An Introduction to Season Two

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 20:42:34 -0500

In this introductory episode for season two of Go With Grace, I have brief conversation with Co-Executive Director Rev. Alba Onofrio about the difference between Christianity and white Christian Supremacy, and why that distinction is important for our movement.

Transcript available here.

Thanks so much for listening! Look out for new episodes every first Sunday of the month.

Take care,
Grace

Kinship Minister for Soulforce.

Learn more by signing up for our newsletter at www.soulforce.org.

https://www.instagram.com/soulforceorg

https://twitter.com/SoulforceOrg

Logo artwork by: adé Oni Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree

Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Dandelions and Reflections

Sun, 05 Dec 2021 12:35:03 -0500

In this final episode of 2021, we hear from herbalist Sumi Dutta about the healing properties of dandelions. Soulforce looks to their magic for inspiration and guidance as we move into the new year. You can learn more about Sumi and her healing offerings on her website: https://sumistreet.com/.

We also hear an array of voices reflecting how Soulforce has uplifted and inspired them.

This is the book I mentioned: Graceful Exits: How Great Beings Die: Death Stories of Hindu, Tibetan Buddhist, and Zen Masters and here is the death doula website I mentioned as well: Going With Grace .

You can contribute to our giving campaign here.

Transcript for this episode can be viewed here.

Happy hibernation season. Sending you lots of rest and rejuvenation. This podcast will resume in February of 2022. Feel free to be in touch at grace@soulforce.org or reference our theological resources at anytime.

Thanks so much for listening!

Take care,
Grace

Learn more by signing up for our newsletter at www.soulforce.org Follow us on social media for new episode announcements: https://www.facebook.com/SoulforceOrg https://www.instagram.com/soulforceorg/ https://twitter.com/SoulforceOrg

Logo artwork by: adé Oni Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree . Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

This episode includes the following tracks:

Winter Nights by Scandinavianz | https://soundcloud.com/scandinavianz
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Winter Magic by Roa Music | https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Winter Time by Vlad Gluschenko | https://soundcloud.com/vgl9
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Equality Rides, Seeds and Change with Crystal Cheatham

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 10:45:45 -0500

In this episode I am in conversation with Our Bible App founder Crystal Cheatham.

We talk about her experience with coming out, the equality ride of 2012, purity culture, The Deconstructionist playbook, and a Soulforce foe for many years, the Falwells.

Here are the links to several of things I mention in the episode:

The abridged audio version of Mel White's book Stranger at the Gate

The podcast In God We Lust

The Deconstructionist Playbook is now available in audio book! Hard copies can still be purchased here.

Learn more about Soulforce's fiscally sponsored project, the Religious Exemption Accountability Project here.

And you can find more info about Mattias Roberts's book Beyond Shame here.

Here is the episode of Crystal's podcast Lord Have Mercy with Jo Luehman Decolonizing Christianity.

The transcript can be viewed here .

Thanks so much for listening!

Logo artwork by: adé Oni Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree . Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Breaking Open: Biblical Literalism and Inerrancy

Sun, 03 Oct 2021 03:48:44 -0400

In episode four of Go With Grace, Soulforce Co-Executive Director Rev. Alba Onofrio and Kinship Minister Grace Nichols discuss the theological resource Breaking Open: Biblical Literalism and Inerrancy.

Grounding resources from Grace:

Wisdom of Small Joys - a conversation with Ross Gay and adrienne maree brown

"Saving Grace" - Common feat. Brittany Howard

An instagram post by Lisa Olivera encouraging us to "remember to see ourselves as nature..."

All other Soulforce theological resources can be found here: https://www.soulforce.org/resources

We'll discuss the Biblical Literalism and Inerrancy more during our #SoulforceSundaySchool on Twitter on Oct. 17th

You can read the transcript of the episode here.

Learn more by signing up for our newsletter at www.soulforce.org
Follow us on social media for new episode announcements:
https://www.facebook.com/SoulforceOrg
https://www.instagram.com/soulforceorg/
https://twitter.com/SoulforceOrg

Logo artwork by: adé Oni
Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree . Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Discussing the film Pray Away

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 04:03:41 -0400

In this episode, Soulforce staff members Grace, Alba, Assata, and Megan plus board member Cole discuss the new film Pray Away.

Links to supportive things from Grace:

Hymn of Healing by Beautiful Chorus

Prentis Hemphil Finding Our Way Podcast: Navigating Conflict with Kazu Haga

Laura Flanders Show episode with Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. discussing his latest publication: Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own.

You can read the episode transcript here.

Links related to the film and discussion:

Director’s Statement

Mental Health and Discussion Guide

The Art of the Frame podcast episode hosted by Ron Dawson in conversation with Pray Away director Kristine Stolakis and producer Jess Devaney.

Article in The Guardian: ‘It doesn’t leave you’: the toxic toll of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exodus_Global_Alliance

https://www.politicalresearch.org/2013/06/21/exodus-global-context-ex-gay-therapy-continues-across-americas

Learn more by signing up for our newsletter at www.soulforce.org
Follow us on social media for new episode announcements:
https://www.facebook.com/SoulforceOrg
https://www.instagram.com/soulforceorg/
https://twitter.com/SoulforceOrg

Logo artwork by: adé Oni
Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree . Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Moralization of Harm, and Grace

Sun, 01 Aug 2021 12:58:39 -0400

This episode Co-Executive Director Yaz Mendez Nuñez and I discuss the moralization of harm and I, Grace, the host kick off the episode with my personal story and connection to Soulforce's work.

You can find the transcript of the episode here.

Learn more by signing up for our newsletter at www.soulforce.org
Follow us on social media for new episode announcements:
https://www.facebook.com/SoulforceOrg
https://www.instagram.com/soulforceorg/
https://twitter.com/SoulforceOrg

Logo artwork by: adé Oni
Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree . Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

white Christian Supremacy and Nationalism

Sun, 04 Jul 2021 11:37:36 -0400

We have chosen to launch the podcast on July 4th intentionally in order address the role of white Christian Supremacy in nationalism and to encourage people to think a little bit more deeply about this holiday and hypocrisy connected to the notions of freedom and liberation espoused to this country.

I'll work though some of the preliminary concepts of white Christian Supremacy , I’ll be unpacking why we chose to launch this podcast on July 4th and we’ll get to hear a little bit from Soulforce’s co-executive director, Rev. Alba Onofrio

Here are a few of my resource links:

“What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”
Frederick Douglas's speech read by a group of his descendants

https://www.treasury.gov/about/education/pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx
A bit about the history of how 'In God We Trust' made it onto our currency

The article by Robert P. Jones:
"Let's celebrate this Fourth of July without the myth of white Christian innocence"

And Soulforce's video "What is Christian Supremacy?"

Here is the episode transcript here.

Learn more by signing up for our newsletter at www.soulforce.org

Follow us on social media for new episode announcements:
https://www.facebook.com/SoulforceOrg
https://www.instagram.com/soulforceorg/
https://twitter.com/SoulforceOrg

Logo artwork by: adé Oni
Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree . Learn more about them and support their artistry at www.afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com

Go With Grace Trailer

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 19:43:13 -0400

Introducing Soulforce's new podcast! Hosted by Kinship Minister, Grace Nichols.

Soulforce works to end the religious and political oppression of LGBTQI people by decloaking the ideologies of Christian Supremacy and healing our communities’ spirits from weaponized religion.

On the Go with Grace podcast, we'll have a look at the way Christianity has been co-opted and how its weaponization works in collaboration with white supremacy and many other systems of oppression to cause harm.

Soulforce believes that spiritual resilience and the unwillingness to succumb to fear and hopelessness is crucial to our people’s survival.

We feel it’s imperative to equip our people with a strong understanding of how Christian Supremacy shows up in the world and how it impacts our lives.

We hope to be in community and conversation with you as we continue to develop the political and spiritual tools to push back against the harmful ideologies that make their way into our laws and policies, our social and cultural systems and our everyday lives.

Join us as we tackle these very tangled issues and fight for what is irrevocably ours: wholeness.

We’re gonna get into it y’all. And we’re gonna go with Grace.

Learn more by signing up for our newsletter at www.soulforce.org

https://www.facebook.com/SoulforceOrg

https://www.instagram.com/soulforceorg/

https://twitter.com/SoulforceOrg

Logo artwork by: adé Oni

Follow them at https://www.instagram.com/thisheretree/ . Learn more about them and support their artistry at afrosurrealistresearchbureau.com