Front Row

Debo and Catherine Young sit down with Dr. Wilma E. Mosely Clopton, a writer, producer, director, and author. In this episode, Dr. Clopton talks about her experience growing up with her parents, and how she didn’t experience the direct impact of racism until her junior year of college, when she was away from the insulated world outside of her home. Dr. Clopton believes that those experiences gave her strength, and she uses that strength to make change.

Dr. Clopton goes into detail about several NMHS Unlimited documentaries, like “Did Johnny Come Marching Home” and “Elport Chess and the Lanier High School Bus Boycott of 1947.” Dr. Clopton references these films in regard to the miseducation of people, specifically when it comes to African Americans’ role in history and how systematic misinformation has been put into place to divide people.

Dr. Clopton is a graduate of St. Louis University, and she is the owner of the NMHS (The Negro in Mississippi Historical Society) Unlimited Film Productions that was originally founded by her mother in the 1940s. She is dedicated to highlighting the significant untold stories of Mississippi. She has written 4 books, 14 short films, 1 play, and a children’s coloring book. Visit the NMHS Unlimited website https://blackhistoryplus.com for more information and to buy their products.

Debo and David sit down with Catherine C. Young, Sr. Vice President of the Memphis Mid-South Affiliate of Susan G. Komen, to talk about systemic racism and the murder of George Floyd. Catherine starts off the conversation by highlighting the first time she experienced racism, as well as how she has faced discrimination in her life since then. Catherine goes into detail about how people of color view white privilege. She defines it as a recycling of wealth within the white community that results in white people being at the top, because they are given privileges that others do not have access to.

Catherine also talks about what it’s like to have to teach your children and grandchildren about safety, ranging from what to do when you encounter the police to being extra precautious in stores, and how black mothers are so fearful any time their child leaves the house, wondering if their child will make it back home.

This episode features Catherine Young, Executive Director and Sr. Vice President of the Memphis Mid-South Affiliate of Susan G. Komen. Catherine, a native of Crystal Springs, MS, received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, a Master of Science in Business Management, and a Masters of Arts in Education from Belhaven University.

Debo and David sit down with Dr. Keri Day, Associate Professor of Constructive Theology and African American Religion at Princeton Theological Seminary.

COVID-19 in Dr. Day’s home state of New Jersey shows the disparities between well-to-do white communities versus areas with people of color. Dr. Day also defines African American Religion and talks about how religion has developed in the United States.

They also talk about the disproportionate rate that COVID-19 has affected black people. Why is this happening? Dr. Day goes into detail about the top reasons for this: inequality and inequity. Low income African American communities are deeply disenfranchised, not just politically but economically. Is this pandemic the latest example of the systemic inequalities faced by black Americans in the United States, and if so, is this an opportunity for us to do something different and correct ourselves?

Dr. Keri Day earned her PhD in Religion from Vanderbilt, her MA in Religion and Ethics at Yale University Divinity School, and her Bachelor of Science from Tennessee State University.

In part 2 of our exploration of a world reshaped by COVID-19, Joerg Rieger emphasizes the importance of communities coming together to build power. He continues his call for us to see God amidst us as a working person. How has the image of the cross changed over time, and how does it relate to resurrection? What if we viewed the cross as a symbol of resistance?

Joerg Rieger is a distinguished professor of Theology, Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair in Wesleyan Studies, and Director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt University.

The Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice engages religion and matters of economic and ecological justice. As part of theological and religious reflection, its fellows study and support matters of economic and ecological justice and its implications for religious communities and the wider public.

Theologian Joerg Rieger talks about why oppressed people have been hit hardest with COVID-19 and why people of faith and theologians should care. Joerg’s theory of the logic of downturn in regard to the broken system in the United States asks, "What if we thought about God from this perspective from the bottom up, or the perspective of an essential worker? How are we going to get out of this?"

This situation becomes an opportunity to improve how we think about who has the power, and we’re realizing there’s a lot more power at the bottom with essential workers. If we think about God as a working person, then we give working class people more power and find hope.

Joerg Rieger is a distinguished professor of Theology, Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair in Wesleyan Studies, and Director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt University.

The Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice engages religion and matters of economic and ecological justice. As part of theological and religious reflection, its fellows study and support matters of economic and ecological justice and its implications for religious communities and the wider public.

Why have many faith traditions have been silent during this pandemic, and what would it take for us to own the problem of COVID-19 as a country? Debo and David sit down with Peter Laarman to talk about faith and leadership during COVID-19.

Peter dives into the idea that this crisis reveals the unacceptable things that have always been present in the United States: the winner-take-all economic system or the broken for-profit health care system. They also discuss what all of this means during an election year, and why it seems so impossible to make headway against economic and political injustice in the United States.

Peter Laarman is a United Church of Christ minister who served as senior minister of New York's Judson Memorial Church and then as executive director of LA's Progressive Christians Uniting before retiring in 2014. He remains deeply involved in national and regional social justice projects touching on race, class, and religion.

David and Debo sit down with Daniel Ball, incoming Chief of Staff for Freedom For All Americans located in Washington, D.C. Daniel was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, grew up in Jackson, and graduated at Ole Miss before returning to Jackson. Before becoming Chief of Staff at Freedom For All Americans, he worked with the Human Rights Campaign.

In this episode, Daniel talks about his passion for social justice and human rights, especially LGBTQ and civil rights issues, as well as his own experience growing up in the church as a gay, black man and adopting and raising his nephew Terrance. David and Debo chat with Daniel about the lack of protection for LGBTQ individuals in states like Mississippi and how religion has come to be seen as a tool that is used to weaponize and divide people. Daniel also goes into detail about alternative forms of spiritual healing and the importance of interfaith.

Our scholars and audiences seek understanding about the history and faith of religious people and culture—but not just for the sake of knowledge. Faith And Reason challenges faith to confront injustice in our world. Today, that means taking a critical look at the injustice right in our own backyard. In celebration of Black History Month in the United States, we are doing a series of podcasts featuring a few exceptional individuals who are devoting their lives to making a difference for black people in Mississippi.

Debo Dykes and Donna Ladd, an American investigative journalist who is a co-founder of the Jackson Free Press and the upcoming nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, sit down with Representative Ronnie Crudup, Jr. of Hinds County’s House District 71 in Jackson, Mississippi, where Faith & Reason is based. Representative Crudup, a native of Jackson and an advocate of south Jackson, attended Murrah High School and received his bachelor's degree at Belhaven University, and now serves as a minister at New Horizon Ministries, which his father brought to south Jackson in 1990.

New Horizon Ministries focuses on helping people find housing in south Jackson, childcare/after-school programs, and youth sports and arts. Representative Ronnie Crudup talks about shifts that have happened along race and economic lines in the last twenty years in south Jackson, as well as the results and effects of those changes. Crudup also talks about the work that’s being done to restore Mississippi’s capital city through New Horizon Ministries, and explains how getting churches to work together can better the local community.

Every February since 1976, the United States has celebrated the achievements of African-Americans during Black History Month. The month-long celebration puts those accomplishments and milestones into focus through social media and in classrooms across the country. Most people are aware of the atrocities that have taken place in Mississippi over the past 250 years. This savagery and wickedness towards black Americans in Mississippi continues to this day.

Our scholars and audiences seek understanding about the history and faith of religious people and culture—but not just for the sake of knowledge. Faith And Reason challenges faith to confront injustice in our world. Today, that means taking a critical look at the injustice right in our own backyard. In celebration of Black History Month in the United States, we are doing a series of podcasts featuring a few exceptional individuals who are devoting their lives to making a difference for black people in Mississippi.

Every February since 1976, the United States has celebrated the achievements of African-Americans during Black History Month. The month-long celebration puts those accomplishments and milestones into focus through social media and in classrooms across the country. Most people are aware of the atrocities that have taken place in Mississippi over the past 250 years. This savagery and wickedness towards black Americans in Mississippi continue to this day.

This episode features Catherine C. Young, Sr. Vice President of the Memphis Mid-South Affiliate of Susan G. Komen. Catherine, a native of Crystal Springs, MS, received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, a Master of Science in Business Management, and a Masters of Arts in Education from Belhaven University.

Catherine shares a heart-wrenching story of what it was like as a little black girl growing up in Mississippi. Her assiduous courage was modeled by her mother, her hero, who emboldened Catherine with the resolve and endurance to become an accomplished professional black woman in Mississippi today.

Like winter holidays of many other religions, including Christians’ Advent, Hanukkah emphasizes light during the darkest part of the year. The main Hanukkah observances are lighting a menorah (a ceremonial candelabra), spinning a top called a dreidel in a game of chance, and eating fried foods (to symbolize the oil in the story).

Hanukkah is an 8-day long Jewish festive holiday that commemorates an improbable victory, some 22 centuries ago, by the Maccabees, a band of Jewish guerilla fighters seeking to reclaim their land, their Temple, and their sovereignty from the oppressive rule of the Syrian Greek Empire.

The word “Hanukkah” means “dedication,” and it refers to the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem which took place after the Maccabees’ victory in 164 BCE. Once the Maccabees had restored the Temple and re-purified it, the traditional story says that they sought to relight a lamp known as the “eternal flame.” But, according to story, only one day’s worth of consecrated olive oil could be found, and it would be awhile before more could be produced. No one wanted to light the eternal flame only to see it sputter out after a day, but there was also a deep spiritual desire to rekindle the sacred lamp immediately. The priests decided to light it and hope for the best. Miraculously, it burned for eight days until fresh jars of olive oil were finally brought to keep the flame alive. Hence, the eight nights of candle lighting for Hanukkah.

Rabbi Marshal Klaven completed Rabbinic School at Hebrew Union College –Jerusalem, class of 2009. He served as a chaplain in the U. S. Air Force, the Director of Rabbinic Services at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, MS, and as Rabbi at Congregation B’nai Israel in Galveston, TX. Rabbi Klaven is currently Special Projects Coordinator at the York Jewish Community Center in York, PA, where he lives with his wife Christina Mattison, and their daughter, Ruby.