The corporate leaders who spoke out against voter suppression this month do not deserve pats on the back. They spoke out too late, and failed to listen to Black legislators, activists and community members who have been speaking, writing and campaigning about voter suppression for decades. The question should not be if these few corporations were right to speak out, it must be: where are the others?
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While it is important to condemn the insurrection against the U.S. government and associated extremism, that is just one small step, and an external one at that. It is easy to denounce injustices we are against… and much harder to prove through action what we are for. The real work comes when we focus our attention inward – to ask ourselves honestly where white supremacy is maintained in ourselves and our organizations, and to take action to genuinely disrupt it.
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By nature, religion and religious institutions are steeped in traditions – which are part of what brings us meaning in engaging with them. By the same token, uncritical embrace of “tradition” at times risks obscuring the ways that institutions may be upholding inequities and elements of systems we seek to dismantle. As members and leaders of religious institutions navigate the role of faith in this work, it is critical that we unpack these nuances – even if they present us with questions that elicit discomfort.
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We’ve all heard it. For some of us it may prompt curiosity; others feel a familiar sense of dread, or even trauma set in when they hear it. I’m talking about the infamous, “Okay, but let’s play ‘devil’s advocate’ for a moment….” Here’s the thing: we desperately need people to play devil’s advocate. “Provocateur.” By all means, step into this role; think outside the box; push the boundaries! Just please, hear me out when I say, you’re likely doing it wrong.
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Some people watched the story of Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper unfold with confusion, or by giving her the benefit of the doubt. To others, this situation underscored an intentional effort to weaponize the “purity” of white womanhood against a Black man. The key difference is that some people have the context of a horrific history of white women weaponizing their whiteness — specifically against Black men — and others remain unaware of this trend throughout history.
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