Michigan is one of the states that will decide the election in 2024, and the western side of the state is one region within Michigan where the divisions are the strongest. Driving through my neighborhood, yard signs for Harris and Trump punctuate the lawns of many of my neighbors. Last week I needed to drive … Continue reading Episode 303: The Pledge – What Does it Mean? – “One Nation.”

And to the republic, for which it stands. We say these words all the time, but what is a republic anyway? According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a republic is a form of government in which a state is ruled by representatives of the citizen body. Modern republics are founded on the idea that sovereignty rests … Continue reading Episode 302: The Pledge – What Does It Mean – “The Republic.”

The pledge of allegiance was originally written in 1892 by a then-37-year-old minister named Francis Bellamy.  It was first recited that same year on October 12th to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Christopher Columbus.  Since then, it has grown in popularity, becoming a ubiquitous feature of American education and civic life.  But … Continue reading Episode 301: The Pledge – What Does It Mean? – “I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag.”

It has been our tradition on the Antioch Podcast to pause when we hit a milestone to reflect on the experience of being a part of this podcast. The Antioch Podcast began in August of 2016 when President Obama was in office to provide multiethnic church leaders with tools to understand what it meant to … Continue reading Episode 300: The 300th Episode!!! – “Looking In, Looking Back, Looking Ahead.”

Pennylyn Dykstra-Pruim, host of the podcast Diversity and Inclusion for All, was an occasional guest on the Antioch Podcast. As a professor, author and antiracism educator, she shared her gifts with the Christian and interfaith communities in Grand Rapids Michigan and wherever she was invited to speak. But to many of us here on the … Continue reading Episode 299: Remembering Pennylyn Dykstra-Pruim – “A Tribute.”

How do you say goodbye? August tends to be a time of goodbye for many students who are going to university for the first time and saying goodbye to family and friends they have known their entire lives, but it is not the only time in life where people cope with what it means to … Continue reading Episode 298: Antiracism in the Movies – “The Farewell.”

Fantasy and science-fiction movies are places where we can imagine worlds and people that we wish existed. When we lose ourselves in these kinds of stories, we suspend judgement for a moment and feel the emotions of what living in this imagined possibility would be like. Probably no better example exists than the 2018 movie … Continue reading Episode 297: Antiracism in the Movies – “Black Panther.”

King Richard is the story of Richard Williams, father of tennis phenoms Venus and Serina Williams and his journey to help his daughters achieve tennis stardom. Set in the 1980s and 1990s, this movie is a clear-eyed view of the corrosive forces of American racism set against the protective factors of dignity and family. Haven’t … Continue reading Episode 296: Antiracism in the Movies – “King Richard.”

The movie-turned musical “Hairspray” tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, a full-figured teenager who dreams of dancing on the “The Corny Collins Show” – a locally-produced television show in Baltimore in 1962. Tracy experiences discrimination for her weight, until she learns dance moves from African-American dancers who perform on the shows limited “Negro Day” episodes. … Continue reading Episode 295: Antiracism in the Movies – “Hairspray.”

Antiracism is nothing without stories, and some of the most powerful stories are told through movies. In the short span of 90 minutes or more, movies can take us on a journey through our imaginations to think about ideas and feel things that we don’t experience in our everyday lives. In this series, our team … Continue reading Episode 294: Antiracism in the Movies – “Origin.”