Welcome back to Tough Mind, Tender Heart. If you are new here…heyyy. My prayers and thoughts are with all who find themselves reaching for joy in the midst of bigotry, hate, shaky finances, and turbulent weather.
We have been journeying together over the past months in this newsletter to think about and act on what antiracism work can be in a world that is decidedly anti (you name it.) When we started this particular newsletter, it was our hopes at enfleshed that we would write out of the overflow of the work and values that we strive to embody every single day. We are an organization that commits itself to liberation, doing our part in dismantling barriers of access to the marginalized. In our spiritual resources, amplifying of other helpful orgs/comrades, telling beautiful stories, and calling attention to resources, it is our hope and desire that we can be ones who are faithful.
In this labor, I as a Black man have committed to writing a good portion of this newsletter with taking antiracism work deeper than I have perceived it to be. Today, I want to lift up love as the ethic that grounds activist work. Dismantling oppression, and being committed to various forms of activism usually comes with images of anger, passion, yelling, microphones, and marches. All of those things CAN be ally work and activist work. We know though, that love can be a grounding element that can manifest in different ways.
“I’m concerned about a better World. I’m concerned about justice…And I say to you, I have also decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to humankind’s problems. And I’m going to talk about it everywhere I go.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Love for the people that we are fighting for. Love for ourselves. Love, as much as we are able to those who we are against. Love is the anchor that we don’t talk enough about. For it is impossible to fight for people that we don’t love. This loving isn’t shallow and demands that we turn our attention to those who we are fighting with and who we are against. When love is our activist ethic we shield ourselves from becoming the exact thing that we hate.
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).