In 2018, Ghanian president Nana Akufo-Addo announced before the U.N. that 2019 would be the Year of Return for Africans across the diaspora. This was important because 2019 marked the 400th year since Africans were stolen and forcibly enslaved in the British colonies in what would become the United States. Although Africans had been enslaved …
Category: Faith.Hope.Love
On Kente Cloth: The Appropriation of Our Sacred Symbols
You must have really thought that you were doing something Dressed in our symbols of liberation You must have really thought that you could easily put them on Adorn yourself in our garments And that we would applaud and champion your efforts Think that you were really down for the cause And committed to end …
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George Floyd and Hoping for Systems Change
A reflection I wrote a few years ago keeps ringing in my ears as I think about what work will look like tomorrow and from here on out. For the last four years, I have worked for the City of Minneapolis on issues of "equity," and for the last four years, it has felt like …
2020 Writing Cohort: Fragmented and Whole
The Kinky Curly Theological Collective is excited to announce its 2020 writing cohort: Fragmented and Whole ©. The purpose of this fellowship is to bring Black and African women together to create a vibrant writing community that can support each participant in the further development of their voice. Prospective cohort members do not have to …
A Lesson in Vulnerability, Weakness, and Unapologetic Messiness
On December 7, I hosted the second annual shindig for the Kinky Curly Theological Collective. When I initially started planning for this convening back in June, I could have never imagined that I would be hosting this gathering of dynamic Black women feeling utterly broken, defeated, and raw. But that is what happened. Throughout the …
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Spirituality and Sexuality?
I grew up in a church environment that was quizzical and afraid about everything sexual. I mean everything! Anything that could be misconstrued as a sex act, or could lead to sex, or could make people think about sex, was forbidden. As a youth this meant purity rings, True Love Waits seminars, and books like …
Ebony Johanna 