THE UN-SILENT CHURCH Roosevelt Community Church

Thanks for listening to the unsilent church podcast. This is our third episode talking about idea of a post-black America—and can something like that really exist.

We’re in an election year at the time of this recording, and there’s no more effective way to force a conversation than to present people with two polar opposites and force them to choose. Psychologists use this tactic often for personality inventories like the Myers Briggs Type Indicator.

Like those tests, an election with what feels like a choice between complete opposites, forces a kind of conversation amongst people with more freedoms to choose than ever before.

Today, Black people have far more freedom to choose than this time 100 years ago, even a little over 50 years ago. Those choices are identifying in a way that make it more challenging today to put into words exactly what it means to “be Black.” 50-100 years ago, that answer would have been much easier, but with the increase in freedom, choice and thereby privilege, answering that question isn’t as easy as it once was.

So in this episode of the Unsilent Church, we discuss our understanding of what it means to be black and the elements we believe need to be preserved regardless of how much more or less freedom, choice and privilege we gain (or lose) over the years.

Thanks for listening to the unsilent church podcast.

We’re carrying forward our conversation from black history month talking about black identity in America how it has become more fluid in its essence. 

To be black in the country very much meant to push against the boundaries that were put around specific people in this country. That common experience, though wrongfully set, did create a culture that has been and will be celebrated for a long time.

With that said, as those boundaries continually come down, that culture is shifting, which can be seen in the progression of media dating back to shows like Good Times, The Cosby Show and Family Matters, compared to more recent shows like Black-ish and BlackAF. 



In this episode of the Unsilent Church, we talk about that shift and what it means, especially as we’re about enter an election season where those demographics will come into play and be the topic of many conversations.

How should the church understand "Blackness," which is really a question of how the church should understand "culture."

We talk about this among other things in this episode of the Unsilent Church podcast. Enjoy!

Thanks for listening to the unsilent church podcast. It’s black history month, and without apology, we’re going to celebrate that, so we’re starting a new season on the podcast titled, “The Souls of Black Folk.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because the name comes from the classic work by W.E.B. DuBois, and similar to the purpose of that book, in this episode, we’re talking about what it means to be Black in this country (United States America).



For a long time, “being black,” though not exactly the same for everyone, in essence meant something to everyone. For better or for worse, being black was an integral attribute of ones existence in society and played a major role in their experience. 

A lot has changed since then, most of which includes more access to privilege than there ever has been for non-white people groups in this country. It begs the question, what does it mean to be black in America now? And does it still matter? 



We talk about this among other things, in this episode of the Unsilent Church. Enjoy.

How much does representation still matter today? In a country that’s professed equality for all but has an unfortunate history of bias and preference for specific people groups, must it remain a priority, in an effort to create a more just future, to maintain laws that ensure the equal treatment and representation of all people?

Is it even possible for laws to achieve those outcomes considering the complexity of people groups today and the existential varieties we now identify with? In a world like we live in today, did a law like affirmative action still matter? And now that’s it’s been struck down, what’s the best way forward now? That’s the conversation we had with friend, retired attorney and now law professor, Tom Campbell. It was great having Tom because he’s taught constitutional law, so his perspective is thoughtful, insightful and always helpful to understand where every side of an argument may have merit.

Affirmative Action was effectively struck down this past summer in landmark cases brought against Harvard and the University of North Carolina. With the kind of historic precedent a ruling like this sets, what steps do we take now to see more just future on earth as it is in heaven?

This is the conversation we have today in this episode of the Unsilent Church podcast. Enjoy!

Thanks for listening to the Unsilent Church Podcast.

This is the last episode in this season around the idea of “serving the city.” With every episode, after listening, our hope is that you walk away with a valuable insight that helps you navigate your life with more awareness, empathy, and compassion.

This episode is no different. Our guest is Eunice Yazzie, founder of Indige Design Collab and co-owner of Cahokia PHX. As an indigenous member of our community, Eunique has positioned herself to be a voice that centers the indigenous community, which has been repeatedly pushed to the margins.

In this episode, she provides a breadth of insight to show how creativity and compassion go a long way to restore dignity, honor the stories, and recenter marginalized communities.

Enjoy!

Thanks for listening to the Unsilent Church Podcast. If you’ve been listening this season, you know that we’ve been talking all about serving the city and how the church can play a critical role in the growth, development and health of our cities. But what about art…and creativity?



What can the church do to help facilitate and make room for creativity and the arts? Even more so, would you ever believe the similarities between the church and street art?



Today we get to have that conversation with an emerging street artist in our city, Giovannie Dixon, and talk about precisely that. Art can communicate big ideas in ways no other medium can, and churches are positioned better than most others to provide space to artists like Giovannie who can turn empty spaces into beautiful things. Hear about this, his story and more on this episode of the unsilent church. Enjoy.