Gentlebeings,
I wonder if each generation that has lived on this earth felt like there was too much going on. So much life and death and beauty and chaos that it was hard to catch a break for respite. I wonder this because what I see in this world feels at sometimes new and at other times ancient. The need to categorize unto diminishing. The oneupmanship that I experience in rooms that weren’t meant for this Black disabled body. And the sheer force of beauty that comes when I look at the birds outside of my window. Has it always been this way?
I’ve been sitting with the work of the Black feminist and poet Ntozake Shange, especially For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf and offer her words as a grounding for today’s newsletter:
“I found god in myself
and I loved her
I loved her fiercely” -Ntozake Shange
This grounding supports me like the arms of a loved one as I consider what it means to embody bravery when the world seems to be moving at a rate that is much too fast to cultivate empathy, stand up for the most marginalized among us, say no to that invitation that, while good, means being complicit with hatred, etc. Existing at a time when multiple things are true at once and all are begging for prioritization means that courage and clarity can be in short supply.
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).