Hello World,

Well, Black History Month 2016 is a wrap, but I’m still doing my monthly post in which I list interesting blog posts and or articles for black Christian women from last month that intrigued me as a black Christian woman ( but you don’t have be a black Christian woman to to check them out:) ! ) As usual, let me know if you like my list! Enjoy and share!

1. “Dancing 106-year-old Describes the Day She Charmed the Obamas: ‘I Can Die Smiling Now’” by Colby Itkowitz

Excerpt: Deeply faithful, McLaurin attends a weekly Bible study, and she said it’s helped her stay upbeat and healthy. That, she said, and a diet of fried beans and peas. Other than a back surgery about 50 years ago, she hasn’t had any major health issues. See more at: washingtonpost.com.

2. “DeVon Franklin to Suggestion in Church That Wife Meagan Good Should Cover Up: ‘She’s Going to Wear What She Wants to Wear in the Name of Jesus’” by Yesha Callahan

Excerpt: “This is not offensive, but I was at the grocery store and I looked at a newsstand and I saw you, and you had your breast showing,” one woman in the audience said. “So, so, I wasn’t gonna come here, I wasn’t, but the Lord brought me here to see you. You’re beautiful. You are a beautiful young woman, and your testimony is awesome. It’s awesome. Amen. Amen! And the Lord let me come and push past the judgment … because you have to make sure what you say and what you do match up, you understand? So we gonna cover up, right?” See more at: theroot.com.

3. “Too Sexy for Church Appeal: When Does Cleavage Become Sinful?” by Charlene Aaron

Excerpt:  Ayesha Curry, wife of NBA player Stephen Curry, received a ton of backlash from people who said she was shaming women who dress less modestly. Actress Meagan Good, who is also a Christian, has often been criticized for wearing clothing viewed as too sexy. See more at: cbn.com.

4. “They Lost Trayvon, Eric, Sandra, Jordan, Dontre. Now These Mothers are With Hillary” by Juana Summers

Excerpt: As rain pelted the rooftop of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist church on Monday afternoon, five mothers — united both in their grief and their purpose — came to share their stories. The women, from five different cities, had each lost a child to a high-profile case of violence. And each had thrown her support behind Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. See more at: mashable.com.

5. “The Legacy of Women in the Black Church” by Pastor Tiffany Thomas

Excerpt: Black women have a long and intricate history with the church. Women, making up 70 to 90 percent of black congregations, have always found the institution of the church a place of refuge, of solace and hope. As far back as African American history begins, during a time when their bodies were bound by the violence of slavery, black women gathered to worship communally a God who gave freedom and liberation in the salvific power of Christ. See more  at: christianitytoday.com.

6. “Black Women and the Imago Dei” by Austin Channing Brown

Excerpt: In the late ’80s and early ’90s when I grew up attending a predominantly white private school, words like diversity and multiculturalism had not yet been popularized. So schools were still developing curriculum and experiences largely devoid of cultural depth. In my experience, all of my teachers were white, as were the principal, librarian, and other staff members. We regularly used illustrated Bibles, storybooks, and movies in which all the characters were also white. When teachers posted pictures of Jesus in the room, Jesus was always depicted as white. See more at: todayschristianwoman.com.

7. “Meet the Incredible Woman Chosen to Lead Mother Emanuel Church After Last Year’s Shooting” by Collier Meyerson

Excerpt: Clark is unabashed about being a woman at the pulpit. During a part of service where visitors to the church introduce themselves, one particular gentleman calls out, “I’m going to ask, like I do every year.” She begins to fan herself. “Will you be my valentine?” The church erupts into laughter and cheers. “The answer is yes,” she says to her husband. More laughter and clapping. See more at: fusion.net.

8. “Charleston Shooting Survivor Jennifer Pinckney: ‘I Want to Carry on (Clementa’s) Work’” by Jesse James DeConto

Excerpt: The first lady of Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church offered two enduring images: her late husband’s smiling face lying in a casket, and the bullet holes that riddled the church walls when she went to clean out his office a week later. See more at: religionnews.com.

9. “Professor Who Donned Hijab in Solidarity Announces Exit from Christian College” by Women in the World Staff

Excerpt: A college professor at a Christian college in Illinois has agreed to leave her position at the university after she posted a photo of herself wearing a hijab in solidarity with Muslims on social media. Larycia Hawkins drew ire from the administration at Wheaton College over the photo and her remarks on Facebook, where she wrote that Christians and Muslims “worship the same God.” See more at: nytlive.nytimes.com.

10. “First Female African-American General in the Army National Guard Visits Windsor Church” by Jenna DeAngelis

Excerpt: “I’ve had many people, both black and white, tell me that, ‘C’mon you can’t do that.  You’re never going any further than this.’ and to me that was always a challenge,” Cleckley said. Every challenge became an opportunity and every opportunity became another page in her book, A Promise Fulfilled. See more at: fox61.com.

Any thoughts?

The post The Top 10 Blog Posts and or Articles for Black Christian Women in February 2016 appeared first on After the Altar Call.

On Monday, July 20, the White House will recognize twelve people of faith as “Champions of Change” for their efforts in protecting our environment and communities from the effects of climate change. These Champions have demonstrated clear leadership across the United States and around the world through their grassroots efforts to green their communities and educate others on the moral and social justice implications of climate change. The program will feature remarks by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy and Senior Advisor to the President Brian Deese.

The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event will be live streamed on the White House website. To watch this event live, visit www.whitehouse.gov/live  on Monday, July 20^th at 2:00 PM ET.  To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program, visit www.whitehouse.gov/champions. Follow the conversation at #WHChamps.

Reverend Gerald Durley, Atlanta, Georgia

As the former dean of Clark Atlanta University and the former director of the Health Promotion Resource Center of the Morehouse School of Medicine, Reverend Gerald Durley seeks to combine the disciplines of faith and science with the lessons learned as a civil rights advocate of the 1960’s. He believes that climate change, global warming, and environmental justice are moral imperatives and civil rights issues. He has worked with Interfaith Power and Light, the Sierra Club, Eco-America, U.S. Climate Action Network, the Environmental Working Group, Green Law, Ambassadors for Clean Air, Moms Clean Air Force, and Water Keeper Inc. Currently he is working to eradicate fluoride from toothpaste and drinking water and testifying before EPA on the clean power plan.

Huda Alkaff, West Bend, Wisconsin

Huda Alkaff is the Founder and Director of the Islamic Environmental Group of Wisconsin (Wisconsin Green Muslims), formed in 2005. She is an environmentalist with higher education degrees in conservation ecology, sustainable development, and environmental education from the University of Georgia, and has experience teaching environmental studies courses at the University of Wisconsin. Huda is a founding member and leader of the Interfaith Earth Network and Wisconsin Interfaith Power and Light. Huda also serves on the national Interfaith Power and Light Campaigns Committee, the national Greening Ramadan Task Force, and the Milwaukee Environmental Consortium Board of Directors.

Steven Beumer, Maitland, Florida

Steven Beumer is an active member of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Winter Park, Florida.  He has led St. John to make changes through new energy efficient roofing and LED lighting. He also organized a regular worship service in April dedicated to Earth Day.  Additionally, Beumer organized hands-on environmental projects such as labeling storm drains in the neighborhood to prevent trash from going into the lakes, and litter clean up on public streets near the church. Further, Beumer has worked with other faith communities to find their environmental footing within their own faith context.

Sister Joan Brown, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Sister Joan Brown is a Franciscan Sister from the Rochester, Minnesota Franciscan Community and is the Executive Director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light (NMIPL). NMIPL works to educate and inspire faith communities and individuals; engage them in energy efficiency, renewable energy and local food; and works with people of faith to emphasize the moral implications of various public policy concerns at the local, state, and federal levels. Sister Joan has worked for decades in the areas of justice, peace, and integrity of creation in the southwest. She also works with the Partnership for Earth Spirituality, is an OXFAM Sister Ambassador on the Planet, serves on the national IPL board, and writes for various publications including as a monthly contributor to National Catholic Reporter’s Global Sister’s report.

Cassandra Carmichael, Annapolis, Maryland

Cassandra Carmichael is the Executive Director for the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, which is an alliance of four major faith groups: Jewish, Catholic, Evangelical and Protestant. Previously, she was the Washington office and eco-justice program director for the National Council of Churches where she implemented the environmental and justice ministries of NCC’s 37 member denominations, which represent 100,000 churches nationwide. Cassandra is a senior fellow in the Environmental Leadership Program, and a previous board member on the Chesapeake Bay Alliance.

Patrick Carolan, Stratford, Connecticut

Patrick Carolan has been the Executive Director of the Franciscan Action Network (FAN) for five years. He has made climate change a core issue at FAN, and has built relationships with other faith and secular organizations in that role. Patrick co-founded the Global Catholic Climate Movement (GCCM), a coalition of Catholic leaders and organizations from across the globe that have come together to raise awareness about the urgency of climate action in light of Catholic social and environmental teachings. Prior to coming to FAN, Patrick was involved in faith rooted social justice organizing. During the 1980’s and early 1990’s he served as a state employee union official, serving two terms as president. He and his wife Stella have been foster parents and have adopted two children in addition to having two children.

Nana Firman, Riverside, California

Nana Firman has been involved in developing urban community garden in Southern California and encouraging the American Muslim community to practice an eco-lifestyle, which has led her to become a member of the Green Mosque Initiative for Islamic Society of North America. Nana previously worked with the World Wildlife Fund in Indonesia for several years, directing their recovery efforts in the wake of natural disasters, and has also worked with Muslim leaders in Indonesia to create climate resiliency plans. Climate change is not just an environmental problem, but for the people of faith like her, it is also a moral and ethical issue that has already affected many vulnerable communities globally. She is currently coordinating Muslim outreach for OurVoices, a global faith and spiritual climate action network.

Rachel Lamb, Silver Spring, Maryland

Rachel L. Lamb, is Chair of the Steering Committee for Young Evangelicals for Climate Action (Y.E.C.A.), and has served with the organization since its inception. Over the past three years, Y.E.C.A. has grown into an active national organization with members from a diverse array of church denominations. Under Rachel’s leadership, Y.E.C.A. has developed a successful Climate Leadership Fellows program that extends to college campuses throughout the United States and across international borders to the Christian Bilingual University of Congo in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. While studying at Wheaton College (IL), Rachel was the recipient of the EPA’s Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Fellowship for Undergraduate Environmental Study. Through this Fellowship, Rachel worked with Tribes in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest to produce a collection of best practices for climate change adaptation in the region. In 2015, Rachel received her Master of Public Policy and Master of Science in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Currently, Rachel also serves as an Assistant Professor at the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies in Michigan.

Reverend Kim Morrow, Lincoln, Nebraska

Reverend Kim Morrow is a religious environmental leader who is passionate about helping people respond to the environmental urgencies of our time in ways that are community-based, theologically motivated, and hopeful. She serves as Executive Director of Nebraska Interfaith Power & Light, a non-profit whose mission is to facilitate the faith community’s response to climate change. For the last five years, she has also served as Minister of Sustainability at First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln, and now serves as a climate change resource specialist at the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Kim presents at churches regularly on the link between faith and climate change, and her work has fostered a host of programs including ecologically-themed worship services, conferences on faith and climate, and church farmer’s markets, She is ordained in the United Church of Christ and lives in Lincoln with her two daughters.

Rabbi Marc Soloway, Boulder, Colorado

Rabbi Marc Soloway serves as the spiritual leader of Congregation Bonai Shalom in Boulder, Colorado and is president of Haver, Boulder’s Rabbinic Fellowship.  He chairs the Rabbinic Advisory Board for Hazon, a leading faith-based environmental organization in the United States and is also on the national board, and has co-chaired two national Jewish food conferences.  Marc also serves on the board of Ramah in the Rockies, a Jewish Outdoor Adventure camp, with a mission of sustainability.  In his Jewish community, Marc has been central to the creation of an interfaith Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and the development of community farming.  Marc’s synagogue was the first to be a zero waste facility, supports local food initiative with a mission to produce much of the food served, and powers its ner tamid (eternal light above the ark in the sanctuary) through a solar panel, as a symbol of sustainable spirituality.

Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr., Hyattsville, Maryland

Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr., President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, is a Church of God in Christ Elder and community activist. The Hip Hop Caucus is a national non-profit and has been building support for the climate movement among cultural influencers and celebrities. This work led to the launch of People’s Climate Music and the first ever climate album called HOME (Heal Our Mother Earth). After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Reverend Yearwood established the award winning Gulf Coast Renewal Campaign where he led a coalition of national and grassroots organizations to advocate for the rights of Katrina survivors.  A national leader within the green movement, Lennox has been successfully bridging the gap between communities of color and environmental issue advocacy for the past decade.

Sunita Viswanath, Brooklyn, New York

Sunita Viswanath has worked in women’s and human rights organizations for almost three decades. She is co-founder and active board member of the 14-year-old front-line women’s human rights organization, Women for Afghan Women.  Sunita is also co-founder and board member of Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus, living and building a Hinduism that prioritizes social justice, and upholding the Hindu principles of ekatva (oneness), ahimsa (non-violence) and sadhana (faith in action). Sunita is being honored for her work with Sadhana to encourage Hindus to live out these principles by taking care of the environment.

Any thoughts?

The post White House Honors Civil Rights Leader Rev. Dr. Gerald Durley & Other Faith Leaders for Climate ‘Champions of Change’ Tomorrow! appeared first on After the Altar Call.

Hello World,

About a week ago, some friends and I met at a forum my friend hosted to discuss various issues in the black community. Of course, one of those topics was the election of the first black president and the changes that are likely to take place in our community as a result. Many of the women, including me, spoke with pride of finally seeing a sho nuff Black woman celebrated at a worldwide level. For once, it seems that the ethnocentric standard of beauty rather than the Eurocentric standard of beauty won out…And no disrespect to my high yella sisters, but it seems to me that when many black men “make it” they choose to go for either the white girl or the closest they can get to it…But Barack, who is the next leader of the free world, chose a brown-skinned, black woman who goes weaveless. No disrespect to those who accessorize with weaves, but that’s cause for a celebration. Had this election occurred when I was a little girl, I’m sure it would have gone a long way to affirm the beauty that I sometimes questioned when I looked in the mirror…more about that later.

So when a friend of mine e-mailed this article to me a few days ago, I was delighted. I was also suprised that I had neither written nor said anything about one of Michelle’s most salient features.  In the article,  First Lady Got Back by Erin Aubry Kaplan, she describes her joy of seeing a woman with one of our culture’s most celebrated features in the White House.

“Free at last. I never thought that I — a black girl who came of age in the utterly anticlimactic aftermath of the civil rights movement — would say the phrase with any real sincerity in my lifetime. But ever since Nov. 4, I’ve been shouting it from every rooftop. I’m not excited for the most obvious reason. Yes, Obama’s win was an extraordinary breakthrough and a huge relief, but I don’t subscribe to the notion that his capturing the White House represents the end of American racial history. Far from it. There is a certain freedom in the moment — as in, we are all now free from wondering when or if we’ll ever get a black president. Congratulations to all of us for being around to settle the question.

But what really thrills me, what really feels liberating in a very personal way, is the official new prominence of Michelle Obama. Barack’s better half not only has stature but is statuesque. She has coruscating intelligence, beauty, style and — drumroll, please — a butt. (Yes, you read that right: I’m going to talk about the first lady’s butt.)”

Yes, that’s right Michelle, you can call her Mrs. Obama if you’re nasty, got a butt, and I, for one, say it’s about time that booties be celebrated at a worldwide level. Brothers, can I get an “Amen” this Sunday? One of the points that Kaplan makes in the article is how black women sometimes feel like we have to hide our booties to blend in at the workplace.

“Thanks to Michelle, looking professional and provocative in a distinctly black way will become not only acceptable but also part of a whole presidential look that’s more, well, inclusive. Now we’ll all be able to wear leggings to board meetings; we’ll sport pencil skirts sans the long jackets meant to cover the offending rear at big conferences where we have to make a good impression.”

As I said in my last post, I grew up in white schools. However, when I went home I was surrounded by black people in my neighborhood. This dichotomy created confusion when it came to my beauty and culture.  I remember in third grade as a part of a history lesson, my classmates and I had to dress up as American historical figures. A newspaper photographer took pictures of some of us and told us that we were going to be in the paper. I was crushed when I saw a picture of me and a classmate. In the caption of the picture, it was said that I was a “slave woman,” and the other girl in the picture was Betsy Ross. Umm, excuse me, Mr. Newspaper Photographer Man, I was Harriet Tubman!!! (If you couldn’t get that simple fact right, then you shouldn’t have been in the business!)  Incidents like this chipped away at my self esteem.

Around that same time, the little boys in my neighborhood began telling me I had a big butt. I did notice that my little girl dresses bunched up in the back but I wasn’t too self conscious about it until they started to notice. I also noticed that the little girl dresses on the white girls at my school moved easily over their backsides as they skipped along. (I won’t even get into my fascination with their swinging ponytails.) I figured if I noticed, they noticed too. So what was my antidote? Every day for a long time I started standing with my back against the wall and tried to tuck my butt in. I figured the wall would help me stand so that my butt went in rather than protruded.

It didn’t work. In the seventh grade, this guy, Francisco Ruiz, said to me, “Why is your butt so big?” (Yes, I still remember his name.)  I was flabbergasted and unsure how to respond. I,  after what seemed like ten minutes of stunned silence, finally uttered, “I don’t know.” After that I had had enough, and I was determined to go to a black high school. I lobbied for my cause for about a year.  As I said in my last post, my parents did finally relent and let me go to a black high school and from the moment, I walked into its doors, I no longer felt like I had to apologize for my big booty.  By the time I graduated from high school, I had totally stopped trying to camouflage my booty altogether. In fact, my shorts and jeans were probably too tight for my mama’s taste.

And now that I’m in my ’30s, there are even books to back up what I now know to be true. Having a big booty is like having “an open door that no one can shut.” (Shout out to my Bible Study class! Tell me if you can find where this excerpt of scripture is found in Revelation. Forgive me if I’m being sacrilegious.) Has anyone ever read  “The Rules: Time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right?” It is basically a book about playing hard to get as a strategy to get a man. The first rule in this book is, “Be a ‘Creature Unlike Any Other.” The feminist answer’s to this book is “The Real Rules: How to Find the Right Man for the Real You.” The first rule in this book is, “Treat Men the Way You Want Them to Treat You.” Both books have good points. But the third book,  “The Sistahs’ Rules (Not to be Confused with The Rules): Secrets for Meeting, Getting and Keeping a Good Black Man,” I can really get down with.  Rule #1 in this book is, “Celebrate the Power of the Booty.” Now, I know that brothers like to quote this line from Poison -“Never Trust a Big Butt and a Smile.” But they just frontin’. They know there is power in the booty!

Having a big booty can take you places in life – just ask Michelle O.

P.S. I wish I could go back in time a la “Back to the Future” and tell that my 8-year-old self! And since Kaplan referred to Sir Mix-A-Lot’s hit, “Baby Got Back,” in her commentary, I feel compelled to include his video here.

Any Thoughts?

Watch this video on YouTube.

The post Michelle Got a Big Ole Butt…Now, That’s Change I Can Believe In! appeared first on After the Altar Call.