Source: courtesy of Rev. Deneen Robinson, Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, K. West Savali / iOne
On Jan. 22, MADAMENOIRE will host a panel via Facebook on the influential Black Church and what role it can, and should, play for the Black community as reproductive rights are at risk across the nation. In the new year, these conversations about polarizing topical issues can longer be ignored.
Black women and birthing individuals are witnessing their rights be threatened or wholly taken away across the nation. The Black church is a monumental influence that has and can shape the Black electorate to vote for officials or impact policy that helps this demographic garner the aid needed for Black families. As we now live in a society where Roe v. Wade is overturned, the inter-communal conversation around safety and accessibility to birth control and, yes, abortion, is a discussion that takes utmost priority.
This panel will include multiple discussions with spiritual leaders about advocating for Black lives in all capacities while maintaining Christian values, even if conservatively at odds. The panelists include Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, Rev. Deneen Robinson and iOne Digital’s own vice president of content and a veteran journalist, Kirsten West Savali.
Rev. Robinson currently serves as Birth Equity Religious Director at the National Birth Equity Collaborative. Rev. Sekou, who has a doctorate degree in religious studies, is a pastor at Valley and Mountain Fellowship in Seattle, Washington, and author of two novels, Urban Souls: Reflections on Youth, Religion, and Hip Hop Culture and Gods, Gays, and Guns: Religion and the Future of Democracy.
This event is a gateway for discussions among Black people within their spiritual hubs on how to assist those having reproductive or familial complications, even if it is not in the traditional mindset. Whether that be abortion, or support for young parents who choose to begin their families, how these institutions show up for those who are most vulnerable in their community is at a critical standpoint.
For those who are yearning for answers about how these pillars in the Black community are evolving, this conversation is sure to address what is being done and how.
Pull up to the “Reproductive Justice and The Church” panel Sunday at 2:00 PM EST on MN’s Facebook page.
Be there or be rectangle.
RELATED CONTENT: The Fight For Reproductive Justice Continues: National Birth Equity Collaborative Releases Statement On The Roe V. Wade Overturn
