First, I want to thank you for coming back to our newsletter here at enfleshed. And if you are a first time reader welcome to you too! It is my desire in cultivating this resource to acknowledge that it isn’t meant to be exhaustive, but instead be a place of inspiring change/action/belief/question asking. Dismantling and tending is an individual and communal enterprise. As I sit here today writing this particular newsletter issue I find myself reeling because of all of the violent, newsworthy events that have rocked this nation. I am sitting in the wake of Ralph Yarl being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell (although thankfully he is recovering), the police officer Kim Potter being released early from her two year sentence for the killing of Daunte Wright, rising anti-trans legislation/sentiments, and much, much more.
In much of the chaos of the events that have been transpiring, there are common themes. One of those themes that is clear for me is white supremacy. I want to broach that topic for this issue of our newsletter. In our quest for a society that is equitable and sustainable for all this topic is something that we must discuss at length…and then proceed in the doing of actions to dismantle it. It is not lost on me that discussing white supremacy produces anxiety and confusion. There is a tension and anxiety that comes into any space where it is mentioned and I want to say that I believe there is a way to discuss it that honors our shared humanity. I believe that white supremacy is something that impacts us all, hurts us all…and that includes white people. I believe that together we can move forward in liberating ways.
Robert Monson
co-director
Robert (he/him) is a runner, musician, and a Black theologian committed to softness, contemplation, and liberation for all. As a recent seminary graduate (with distinction) and a current PhD student, Robert studied in-depth the intersection of Black Liberation Theology and womanist theology. Weaving together these two strands of liberation have been important work as well as other liberation based theologies. “How can we help facilitate community and provide answers to a hurting world that is reeling?” remains an important question in his work. While in school, Robert’s scholarly work was recognized and presented at various national conferences/outlets. Podcasting (two shows) and writing remain important aspects of his daily life as well as marathoning the latest Star Trek show(s).