Be the Bridge Podcast

If you long to see God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, this conversation is for you. Be the Bridge founder and podcast host, Latasha Morrison, is joined by Pastor Inés Velásquez-McBryde. She brings her heart, experiences, and wisdom to this episode as they discuss the dynamics of multi-ethnic churches. They consider the importance of understanding systemic history in order to plant multi-ethnic churches and the history of colonization in the Americas, the liberating power of lamentation and the hope and beauty of reimagining church. They also connect the struggle of the early church in desegregation and in integration with the continued struggles in the U.S. church today. If you are a pastor doing the work of reconciliation, stay tuned until the end to hear Pastor Inés speak a powerful prayer over you. This needed conversation holds the needed reminders of the gift of the Brown church and the continual goodness of God.

Quotes:
“The immigrant church in the U.S. is a gift. The Brown church is a gift to the U.S. church. We are a means of God's grace.” -Inés Velásquez-McBryde

“Often I found out that people wanted proximity to people of color in the pew, but they did not want proximity to the pain of people of color outside of the pew.” -Inés Velásquez-McBryde

“We are only adopted into the family of God because of justice.” -Latasha Morrison 

“Reckoning has to begin with repentance. And if there's no lamentation, there cannot be liberation.” -Inés Velásquez-McBryde

“This work as a reconciler is a lifestyle and we're always learning.” -Latasha Morrison

Links:
Ads:
Become a Recurring Partner of Be the Bridge
Shop the Be the Bridge Store

Connect with Pastor Inés Velásquez-McBryde:
Instagram
Twitter
Blog
The Church We Hope For

Connect with Be the Bridge:
Our Website
Facebook
Instagram

Connect with Latasha Morrison:
Facebook
Instagram

Host & Executive Producer - Latasha Morrison
Senior Producer - Lauren C. Brown
Producer, Editor, & Music - Travon Potts
Transcriber - Sarah Connatser

Not all views expressed in this interview reflect the values and beliefs of Latasha Morrison or the Be the Bridge organization.

If you want to see hope in action, just take a look at our youth! Here at Be the Bridge, we are passionate about equipping and empowering students to step forward in the work of racial healing, racial equity, and racial unity right where they are. For this episode of the podcast, Patricia Taylor, Be the Bridge’s Director of Programs, talks with Kaylee Morgan, Be the Bridge’s Youth & University Program Manager, and two students, Sydney Middleton and Regan Murray, to discuss our youth guide and their involvement in a group. They share the ways they are learning and growing as individuals and as students in a trusted community. They are leading the way in this work, are having brave conversations, and are reminding us to never underestimate the power of small steps along the journey and small conversations in daily life.

Host & Executive Producer - Latasha Morrison
Senior Producer - Lauren C. Brown
Producer, Editor, & Music - Travon Potts
Transcriber - Sarah Connatser

Quotes:
“We're here to equip the next generation to continue to do the work and empower them to empower those that follow right after them.” -Kaylee Morgan

“We do this work for the betterment of us all.” -Patricia Taylor

“You can't educate others without really educating yourself.” -Sydney Middleton

“You never know how a small conversation could change someone's whole perspective on an issue.” -Regan Murray

“I really do believe this next generation is going to see some monumental things when it comes to justice work in the justice movement and justice actually being served.” -Kaylee Morgan

Links:
Ad for Epic Will:  EpicWill.com [use promo code BTB20 for 20% off]

Become a Be the Bridge Partner: BeTheBridge.com/giveShop the Be the Bridge Store: Shop.BeTheBridge.com

Be the Bridge Youth:   BTByouth.com
instagram.com/btbyouth
tiktok.com/@bethebridge_

Be the Bridge:  BeTheBridge.com  facebook.com/beabridgebuilder/

Latasha Morrison: latashamorrison.com/ facebook.com/LatashaMMorrison

Lisa Fields is one of the world’s most sought-after Christian apologists and the Founder and President of the Jude 3 Project. She transcends tribalism and creates resources to help the Black Christian community know what they believe and why they believe it. Her story of struggling with Christianity has allowed her to bring clarity to others. And her conversation in this episode of the Be the Bridge podcast with Founder and Host Latasha Morrison points out the necessity of having Black leaders in theological spaces, the necessity of listening with empathy to the real questions people are wrestling with, and the necessity of holding a humble hermeneutic. They discuss the psychological impact of images of white bible characters and Jesus. They also give hopeful reminders of where Christianity began and that God is working things for good. Don’t miss this episode with Lisa Fields and the good work of the Jude 3 Project.

Host & Executive Producer - Latasha Morrison
Senior Producer - Lauren C. Brown
Producer, Editor, & Music - Travon Potts
Transcriber - Sarah Connatser

Quotes:
“I thought it was important to focus on the African American community, to answer the questions that our community is asking, to approach it the way our community would be able to receive it, and also for people to see themselves as apologists.” -Lisa Fields

“Because I'm not called to one tribe, I understand that I have to transcend the tribalism.” -Lisa Fields

“If you're giving a defense for the faith and you're not doing it with gentleness and respect, you're not doing biblical apologetics. You're doing something else.” -Lisa Fields

Links:
Ads:
Become a Recurring Partner of Be the Bridge
Shop the Be the Bridge Store

Resources Mentioned:
Truth’s Table Podcast episode with Lisa Fields and Latasha Morrison
Video of Muhammed Ali talking about white Jesus
Unspoken Movie
Courageous Conversations Conference
Jude 3 Project Podcast
Jude 3 Project Online Shop 

Connect with Lisa Fields: Instagram Twitter 

Connect with Be the Bridge: Our Website Facebook Instagram

Connect with Latasha Morrison: Facebook Instagram 

With the gun violence epidemic in our country, one brave step we can take is to have courageous conversations. This episode is part of our Take is to the Bridge series where we do a deeper dive into societal and cultural issues with the intent of exposing our listeners to opportunities for the reassessment of their own values and perspectives. Have you ever wondered about the history of gun ownership in the U.S. or of the original intent of the Second Amendment? In a time where we have more guns than people, what does a collective response to this gun idolization and violence look like? Elizabeth Behrens and Gina Fimbel join Latasha Morrison to give historical context into the gun debate. May this conversation remind us that we are all connected and allow lament and hope to foster needed change.

Host & Executive Producer - Latasha Morrison

Quotes:

“Part of racial bridge building is to be able to have vulnerable, historically informed, nuanced conversations about race and racism in America. Let's embrace that same mindset, that same sort of path forward with this debate too.” -Elizabeth Behrens

“Hope requires us to take action.” -Gina Fimbel 

“We've made a mistake of thinking that military superiority is a moral superiority.” -Gina Fimbel

“My citizenship is just not tied to me, but it's collective. It's tied to other people.” -Latasha Morrison

Ads:

Become a Recurring Partner of Be the Bridge

Shop the Be the Bridge Store

Resources Mentioned:

The Brady Plan

Moms Demand Action

Sandy Hook Promise

Be the Bridge:

Latasha Morrison:

Not all views expressed in this interview reflect the values and beliefs of Latasha Morrison or the Be the Bridge organization.

As a public theologian and a midwife of culture for grace and truth, Ekemini Uwan speaks and writes words of truth, of conviction, of wisdom. She joins Latasha Morrison on this episode of the Be the Bridge podcast to discuss the new book she co-authored, Truth’s Table: Black Women’s Musings on Life, Love, and Liberation. They talk through the chapters she wrote on colorism, deconstruction and decolonization, the realities of living single as a Black woman in America, and diaspora dreams. This conversation is packed with deep insights and knowledge. Ekemini shares needed reminders of the fundamentals of our faith and blackness as an image of God. She vulnerably shares parts of her story and heart. Ekemini is a theologian we can all learn from.

Host & Executive Producer - Latasha Morrison

Quotes:

“You cannot be anti-racist and be a colorist. You have to be anti-racist and anti-colorist.” -Ekemini Uwan

Links:

Resources Mentioned:

Ekemini Uwan:Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Be the Bridge:Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Latasha Morrison: Website Instagram

It is important in this bridge-building work to be reminded of the good being done on a local level. So for this episode, guest host Dr. Will Gravely is joined by three women who are leading and reproducing Be the Bridge groups through their local church. Lisa Miller, Beth Yokley, and Rikeesha Phelon share their individual and collective experiences engaged in this work. This look into their connections and conversations from their Be the Bridge groups is hopeful for us all and will be helpful for anyone wanting to begin their own local group. They share the important aspects of creating groups that are psychologically safe spaces for people of color, that see this work as part of discipleship, and that know the cost is worth it.

Host & Executive Producer - Latasha Morrison
Senior Producer - Lauren C. Brown
Producer, Editor, & Music - Travon Potts
Transcriber - Sarah Connatser

Quotes:
“It is so important, not just for people of color and white people who are geared toward justice, but I think the work of anti-racism and Be the Bridge is part of discipleship, and it's part of how we mirror Christ-like behavior to the world.” -Rikeesha Phelon

“We have got to, as brothers and sisters in Christ, be able to have difficult conversations because we're united by the love of Jesus. If we can't have these conversations, who can?” -Beth Yokley

“It's important that Christians have this conversation because of that command of love, but also because we're all created in God's image. Imago Dei. And if we believe that then we need to act like that.” -Lisa Miller

Links:
Ads:
Become a Recurring Partner of Be the Bridge
Shop the Be the Bridge Store

Resources Mentioned:
Be the Bridge by Latasha Morrison
Hope Church

Guest Host:
Dr. Will Gravely

Be the Bridge:
Website
Facebook
Instagram

Latasha Morrison:
Website
Facebook
Instagram

Not all views expressed in this interview reflect the values and beliefs of Latasha Morrison or the Be the Bridge organization.

Happy Father's Day from That Sounds Fun Network & Be the Bridge! Today we have a special bonus episode to share with you celebrating dads & all we love about them. In this episode, hosts from all different That Sounds Fun Network shows -- including me -- share what we love about our dads/and advice about being a dad.

ALSO! Our friends over at Storyworth are giving away TWO free subscriptions for our TSF Network listeners! To enter: visit thatsoundsfunnetwork.com & enter your email in the pop-up. That's it! Good luck & Happy Father's Day!

What is the significance of Juneteenth becoming a national holiday? How should we celebrate Juneteenth? What are the links between faith and freedom? Listen in to pastor, content creator, and scholar Rasool Berry share the important historical and spiritual contexts of Juneteenth, where on June 19, 1865, the Emancipation Proclamation was enforced in Galveston, Texas freeing Black African Americans who were enslaved. This Jubilee Day carried weighty implications for faith and society then and continues to today. Dr. Will Gravely hosts this incredible conversation for the Be the Bridge community that you do not want to miss.

Quotes:

“Juneteenth is an intrinsic opportunity to build bridges between the past and the present.” -Rasool Berry

“Juneteenth offers us an opportunity to think about both the resistance to that resetting of the relationship but also the ongoing need for us to renew our minds about how we see each other as coequals, and that legacy of that story of white supremacy has still continued throughout time in 157 years since.” -Rasool Berry

“This institution of slavery had implications across every area of life. It wasn't just socially, it was psychologically, even theologically. And so, the Union soldiers did not come to inform, they came to enforce.” -Dr. Will Gravely

Host & Executive Producer - Latasha Morrison
Senior Producer - Lauren C. Brown
Producer, Editor, & Music - Travon Potts
Transcriber - Sarah Connatser

Links:

Become a Recurring Partner of Be the Bridge: BeTheBridge.com/Give

Shop the Be the Bridge Store: Shop.BeTheBridge.com

Rasool Berry: rasoolberry.com/
facebook.com/rasool.berry
twitter.com/rasoolberry
Where Ya From? Podcast

Dr. Will Gravely: instagram.com/dr.willgravely/

Be the Bridge:  BeTheBridge.com
facebook.com/beabridgebuilder/
instagram.com/bethebridge/

Latasha Morrison: latashamorrison.com/
facebook.com/LatashaMMorrison
instagram.com/latashamorrison/

Not all views expressed in this interview reflect the values and beliefs of Latasha Morrison or the Be the Bridge organization.

In this special bonus episode that you will not want to miss, Be the Bridge founder Latasha Morrison talks with Dr. Claudia May. Along with being a professor and the Director of the Reconciliation Studies Program at Bethel University, Dr. May is a poet, scholar, and award-winning children's book author. She joins Latasha in this episode to discuss Juneteenth. They dive into the history, the beauty, the complexities around the important day. The depth of this conversation will bring enlightenment, healing, and hope.

Host & Executive Producer - Latasha Morrison
Senior Producer - Lauren C. Brown
Producer, Editor & Music By - Travon Potts
Transcriber - Sarah Connatser

Quotes:

“And what the spirituals remind us is that these were composers, creators, theologians, critical thinkers who did their exegesis, did their hermeneutics through the spirituals.” -Dr. Claudia May

“We need to acknowledge pain and injustice, and we address that. But we also need to embrace the truth that Black people are contributors.” -Dr. Claudia May “We need a variety of stories speaking about a variety of experiences that show us that Black people are not monolithic. We're complex human beings and multilayered. We need to see that.” -Dr. Claudia May

“Some of the principles for me of Juneteenth: acknowledging the injustices that we have confronted and ignored and lived through, to learn about and celebrate the histories and contributions of Black people, and applaud our lives and gifts and achievements.” -Dr. Claudia May

“I often say to my students, y'all need to travel, especially my Black students. Y'all to travel to see the impact we're having on world culture. Juneteenth acknowledges those kinds of contributions.” -Dr. Claudia May

“Our artistic expressions give multiple people's ways to access what their truth means to them.” -Dr. Claudia May“That we continue to learn from our ancestors, which is what Juneteenth reminds us. That we are interconnected, and that those in the past can contribute to our present. We don't have to be confined to our ancestors. But our ancestors, the cloud of witnesses shaped us, they can inform how we engage with the injustices that we encounter.” -Dr. Claudia May

LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE

Podcast link: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/be-the-bridge/

Social handles/links:

Instagram: @LatashaMorrison

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LatashaMMorrison/

As we celebrate the sixth birthday of Be the Bridge, we are peering into the heartbeat of the organization: Be the Bridge Groups. 

Be the Bridge groups. Guest podcast host Dr. Will Gravely connects with two Be the Bridge group leaders, Regina Alexander and Leah Anderson, as they share their experiences in leading and navigating local groups and virtual groups over the years. Be the Bridge groups are where this hard work of moving toward racial healing, racial equity, and racial unity is engaged.

Host & Executive Producer - Latasha Morrison
Senior Producer - Lauren C. Brown
Producer, Editor, & Music - Travon Potts
Transcriber - Sarah Connatser

Be the Bridge:  BeTheBridge.com
facebook.com/beabridgebuilder/
instagram.com/bethebridge/

Latasha Morrison: latashamorrison.com/
facebook.com/LatashaMMorrison
instagram.com/latashamorrison/