“Notes on faith” is theGrio’s inspirational, interdenominational series featuring Black thought leaders across faiths.
“The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.” — El Hajj Malik El Shabazz (formerly Malcolm X)
“I wish you power that equals your intelligence and your strength. I wish you success that equals your talent and determination. And I wish you faith.” — Dr. Betty Shabazz
Black women hold the portal to all life. They are our mothers, sisters, aunts, elders, the doulas to our dreams becoming reality in the present. They are sustaining surrogates, carrying on the mission beyond the life of men, often being the guarantors of the movement. This weekend, we celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but we must also say the name of Mrs. Coretta Scott King, who walked as his partner in life and ensured that her husband’s legacy, and that of the King family, remain firmly imprinted through the federal holiday we celebrate.
But Family, can I be transparent with you all? I am Rev. Calvin Taylor Skinner, a Baptist minister, a husband, a son — and a recovering misogynist. It’s a term borrowed from writer and activist Kevin Powell via my brother, scholar Dr. Jeffrey McCune. I don’t have room to tell it all, but in my youth and early days of ministry, I was such a rascal. It took some hard lessons and great love and patience — especially from my sisters — to help this brother to mature. (A shout to all the sisters and mothers willing to guide us with patience through it all; it’s not your burden to bear.)
Recently, news broke about a lawsuit filed by Rev. Dr. Eboni Marshall Turman against the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City, one of the oldest Black institutions in America, for gender discrimination in its search for a new senior pastor.
Read the full article here
