A Record-Breaking Federal Fine against Liberty University
Plus, a story of radical generosity
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This week’s newsletter includes:
- Wisdom from Abolitionist Organizers
- A record-breaking fine against Liberty University for Failing to Protect its students
- Danté Stewart on Ramadan in Palestine
- Misty Copeland and the Legacy of Black Ballerinas
- And Sy helps us stay grounded with a story of radical generosity
Sy’s Recommendations
Wisdom from Abolitionist Organizers
As I said on a recent bonus episode of Shake the Dust, I am sympathetic to the cause of abolitionists because of how boldly they imagine a better future for the most marginalized among us, and how much that reflects the priorities of God’s kingdom. Another point of commonality Christians have with abolitionists is the fact that our visions of what constitutes a truly just society will not be realized anytime soon. So there is much to learn from abolitionists about finding hope, joy, community, and healing from trauma while living in the tension of never knowing if we will see significant fruit from our labor. And here’s a great place to start if you’re not sure exactly what I mean. I occasionally listen to Movement Memos, a podcast about what’s happening on the front lines of abolitionist activism in America. In an episode from last year, the host, Kelly Hayes, interviewed veteran organizer Mariame Kaba, discussing the book the two of them wrote together. Hayes and Kaba are good friends who have done decades of work against police brutality, mass incarceration, and so much more, while trying to build new, better ways of ensuring our safety and wellbeing. The conversation is very much worth your time.
- Listen to the interview or read the transcript
Liberty University Fined for Failing to Protect Female Students
(content warning, mistreatment of sexual assault survivors) A long way back, in one of our first newsletters, I highlighted a podcast that told the stories of a few female students at the influential evangelical Liberty University who the school punished or ignored when they reported sexual assault. The federal Department of Education has now fined the school more than $14 million, the largest such fine in the department’s history. The findings from its investigation are damning—a school-wide culture of silence around sexual assault because of how frequently and consistently perpetrators faced no consequences while their victims faced shaming and punishment for violating the school’s strict rules around sex. I pray that this is just the beginning of a process of justice and restitution for the victimized women, as well as a reckoning over the school’s truly awful culture.
- Read about the findings and the fine
Jonathan’s Recommendations
Dante Stewart on Ramadan
You’ve probably heard of Danté Stewart, either from his book, Shoutin’ in the Fire, his many articles and talks, or from his interview on our podcast discussing Blackness and theology. He posted a carousel on Instagram the first night of Ramadan, reflecting on what the month means for people in Palestine this year. He got me thinking about what a holy time of fasting looks like when food was already running out, provisions falling from the sky have killed people because a parachute failed, and the IDF has fired into crowds waiting for humanitarian food distribution. What does prayer look like in the middle of a genocide? Danté’s post pressed me to consider the conditions of those seeking to honor their holiest of months; to mourn with those who mourn; to seek their good alongside my own; and to live into the liberation that Jesus calls all of us to. I hope his words do the same and more for you.
Misty Copeland and the legacy of Black Ballerinas
Every time I take my daughter to ballet class, I am deeply grateful she’s not the only little Black girl there. She exists in the cultural wake of the world-famous Misty Copeland, author and the first Black principal at the American Ballet Theater. But Copeland knows that she too is downstream of many Black dancers who made her career possible. An event recorded late last year featured Copeland talking with ballerinas from the Dance Theater of Harlem in the 1970’s, the country’s first Black ballet company. The conversation is enriching as these women honor and uplift each other’s courageous efforts. I am deeply grateful for the ways that Jesus prioritizes marginalized women in scripture and I am looking forward to our most prestigious stages doing the same more often because of these women’s incredible work.
- Watch the event below or read about it
Staying Grounded with Sy
A Story of Radical Generosity
The actions of individual people can sometimes remind me that it is possible to break radically with the status quo for the sake of helping others flourish. In 1936, a Chinese-American family named the Dongs moved to a town in southern California, but could not find a place to live due to racially restrictive deeds and housing laws. But the family eventually found a couple who intentionally rented to BIPOC who couldn’t find other places to live in the area. The couple, Emma and Gus Thompson, knew exclusion first-hand since both were Black, and Gus was born in slavery in Kentucky. Years later, the Thompsons sold the home to the Dongs, making them the first Asian American family to own real estate in the town. And that town was Coronado, an island municipality across the bay from San Diego with a world-famous luxury hotel and probably the most stunning beaches I’ve ever seen. So the Dongs are rich now. They recently sold the Thompson’s old home, plus another property they purchased, and made several million dollars. To honor the Thompsons, two of the Dong brothers are now donating $5 million to benefit Black college students, and are trying to get San Diego State’s Blac Resource Center named after the couple. As the linked article helpfully points out, there are fierce debates about reparations for harms racism has caused, but the Dongs help us imagine beyond those arguments. What if we gave financially simply in recognition of all the good marginalized people have done for each other in this country while leaning on each other to survive oppression? Let this spark your imagination for how we might fight injustices, not only through compensating people for harms done to them, but also through radical generosity.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Jonathan and Sy