Intersectionality in Religion, Struggle Black Religious Leaders

Dr. Monquie Moultrie, an Associate Professor at GSU in Religious Studies describes how black religious leaders are incubators for activism, how spirituality animates these leader’s activism, and how the leaders function as models for ethical leadership for future leaders. Moultrie describes how her interviewees, who are Black, specifically lesbian, despite their demographics, did find solace in religion. religious leaders work within their religious spaces and maneuver in such a way to find fulfillment within these spaces and ways to flourish. Dr. Monquie Moultrie shares how her interviewees can use their blackness, sexual identity, and place within their religious institutions to advocate for freedom. She mentions a reverend who wanted to help others find freedom for all, by kept sharing her life of what it was like growing up gay in the church.

Moultrie then cites another leader, Bishop revered Dr. Yvette Flinder, who’s goals for founding her church were to create an environment where people fight for their freedom and others who marginalized whilst uniting the gospel with various social movements. The Bishop also made it her goal to Speak on the intersectional nature of oppressions which she witnessed as her church expanded to different social justice works organically, from HIV to housing, women issues, prison reform, and border work. The speaker also includes Revered Pamela Lightsey, an activist who considers herself the first out black lesbian of the united Methodists church, made it her mission to fight homophobia in the methodist church as well as fight sexism within the Pentecostal church. These leaders, inspired by their identities and personal experiences, helped nurture activism inside and outside of the church communities.

Moultrie introduces How does spirituality animate the activism of her subjects’. Chloe Evans Professor Moore, 12:30 MW She mentions Reverend Katina Washington, whose career began as a chaplain, where she was taught to cultivate deep listening which translated into her activist work. As well as Dr. Yvette Flinder who felt it was her responsibility not only to make heaven but to get heaven to earth. Her spiritual beliefs inspired her to improve the world around her. Flinder also wanted to reclaim Jesus from those who wanted to use Christianity as a weapon against marginalized communities. Psychologist Thema Bryant Davis and Tyonna Adams claim that womanist activism is inherently based on resist oppression, but grounded in spirituality bc inspires them to fight injustice. The spirituality itself leads to a fight against injustice. Dr. Carrey, a spiritual activist claims that spirituality is individual and social. To her, the Lord’s prayer is a cue that she must uplift herself wit others. The spiritual roots of these women manifested into a fight against injustice. They are right because of Womanism discusses the intersectionality in religion, and introduces the idea of bringing identity, whether racial or sexual, or both , into theology.

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