Welcome back to Tough Mind, Tender Heart. Welcome to those who have remained with us and to those who are just joining in on this newsletter and wanting to grow antiracist principles/ethics. Please feel free to email content ideas/topics that you are curious about. We would love to engage in different ways.
Have you ever seen a beautifully constructed quilt? There is something in it that is comforting to me as I look at how different patterns and strands come together to make something beautiful out of seeming chaos. Or. Maybe as someone who is chronically too cold, I like the idea of something warm to cover up.
“It matters, what remains hidden, and why. It matters, who we remember and who we do not. It matters, what we keep tucked under our tongues too long, and what we speak.” Anna Blaedel
I have been thinking lately about the society that many of us are endeavoring to build. A society beyond racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and the bane of capitalism. On many days I can’t help but wonder if this image of a liberated society is nothing but fiction. In order to reach the mere edges of liberation there is so much that will have to be dismantled and turned aside. On those particular days I think that there are too many strands to weave together. How can we do good work in this world? And maybe true liberation work is daunting. Maybe somewhere in all of our scheming, reading, plotting, and acting lies the need for a communal care ethic that recognizes that we won’t get free on our own. This newsletter is dedicated to antiracist work, but let us never forget that antiracist work done well is through an intersectional lens. While there is a need for specific work in the arenas of every “ism” and “phobia” are work is toward a communal good. Until we all are one.
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).