Medium Post 10/28

Prior to reading “Why the modern civil rights movement keeps religious leaders at arm’s Length” I had some idea about what the article would discuss just based on what we have learned in this class. I know that, compared to the civil rights movements of the past, there is less leadership and involvement from organized religion in the Black Lives Matter Movement. I figured this piece would delve deeper into individual instances of grift between spiritual leaders and leaders/members of the Black Lives Matter movement. On the other end of the spectrum, I thought “The Spirit Led Me: Toward an Understanding of Religious Rhetoric and Pentecostal Piety in the BLM Movement,” would be about the intersections between Black Lives Matter and Christianity. The title of the article “Some Evangelicals Struggle with the Black Lives Matter Movement” confused me a little bit. I have always understood Evangelicals to be a conservative group, and there is nothing about Black Lives Matter that could really be classified as conservative. That’s why the use of the word ‘some’ seemed strange to me, and also why it seemed strange to question whether Evangelical Christians would support Black Lives Matter. Lastly, I thought that the content in “Mapping the Intersections of Islamaphobia and Black Lives Matter: Unearthing Black Muslim Life and Activism in the Policing Crisis” was made apparent by the title. Just as Intersectional feminism deals with the overlap of sexism and racism, this article sought to explore the overlap between racism and Islamophobia for many Black Americans.

“Why the modern civil rights movement keeps religious leaders at arm’s Length” discusses how the movement has moved away from respectability politics and rejected religious leadership. Auston points out that the younger generation isn’t necessarily turning away from religion in general, but turning away from organized religion and the constraints within organized religion. A recent example that epitomizes this is the viral video of Keiajah Gabrell speaking to the Board of Police Commissioners in Kansas City. Gabrell quotes scripture, and calls on many different tenets of traditional Black Theology in her speech- she notes how God is on the side of justice. At the same time, Gabrell is loud and unapologetic, she rejects respectability politics. She literally says “I don’t seek to be respectable.” Though the sentiments of Keiajah’s speech are echoed by movements and leaders of the past, the rebellious and provocative nature of her delivery makes it clear that she is a member of a new generation of activists.

Here is a link to her speech https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTeqLKsMmTY&feature=emb_logo

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