In this episode, I am joined by my friend and amazing faith and community leader, Michael-Ray Mathews, who is a spiritual and social justice consultant who works at the intersection of faith and organizing. Michael-Ray and I discuss his key insights on the Power of Faith in changing our world for the better, particularly to the benefit of the unheard and marginalized in our country. Learn more about why faith is broader than religion or the church and why the binary and political polarization is a significant threat to our democracy.
Introduction: Michael talks about his ancestors and the significance of family and faith in his life. How his generational connection to faith, a family of preachers and missionaries are such a big part of who he is, and the work he does now as a faith leader and organizer.
The importance of understanding the integration of culture, faith, community and connection.
Illustrative Example: How the murder of Michael Brown Jr. informed his early work with Faith in Action, as an organizer of clergy and a connector to young activists on the streets in Ferguson at the time.
How faith and activism have long been part of the battle for freedom and justice, a battle that feels far too long, and how faith has been weaponized to condone hate and violence, but can also be a source of joy, hope, and healing.
Faith doesn’t have to be a religiously bound term — people can and do practice faith and spirituality regularly and every day. It’s not just about religion as an institution or about one faith or one God. The future requires us to be more open and work cooperatively with people of moral courage to change our world in such a tough time.
Pour the glass moment: Political polarization and binary thinking and the demonization of the other as one of the greatest obstacles to the future of our democracy.
How do we do the thing: Power is the product of relationships. We must value the power of relationships, weaving experiences across shared values, gifts, and dreams. We need to have more conversations both 1:1 and in our broader communities. Those relationships lay the foundation for organizing to make real change. It starts and ends with us, we can all connect and build relationships with our neighbors, colleagues, and friends.
Encouraging Word: When your work is done, what kind of world can we expect to see? How will we know we have succeeded? Success is unknowable except in retrospect, even years, decades, and generations later. MRM predicts that racism will still be alive 150 years from now. But the work we do now is about preparing us for that very possible future, planting seeds of wisdom, depositing wisdom in the ancestral stream of the trans-generational river as medicine for the future.
Homework: This is the time to examine the sources of wisdom that have shaped our lives. Where did you learn those important foundational lessons of who you really are? Consider how you will reclaim your relationship to spirituality as you engage in the work you are doing in the world.
References:
Guest: Michael-Ray Mathews, Spiritual and Social Justice Consultant. Founder of The Prophetic Foundry & Senior Fellow, People for the American Way (PFAW)
IG: @michaelraymathews; PFAW @peoplefor_
Books [available on Amazon]:
Co-Author, “Trouble the Water” Link: https://a.co/d/dDsz0NK
Contributor, “I Wish My Dad: The Power of Vulnerable Conversations between Fathers and Sons” by Jordan Tune Link: https://a.co/d/1HctUms
Additional resources:
Link to my website: yvettesimpson.com
Link to the book: authoryvettesimpson.com
Link to my IG page @theyvettesimpson.com and DM us your comments and show ideas @powerofypodcast
Show credits:
Producer: Nathan Ivey IG/FB @nathaniveycreative