Ep255 | Natasha Sistrunk Robinson: Voices of Lament

The full episode transcript is below.

Narrator 0:01

You are listening to the Be the Bridge Podcast with Latasha Morrison.

Latasha Morrison 0:06[intro] How are you guys doing today? It’s exciting!

Narrator 0:09
Each week, Be the Bridge Podcast tackles subjects related to race and culture with the goal of bringing understanding.

Latasha Morrison 0:17[intro] …but I’m going to do it in the spirit of love.

Narrator 0:19
We believe understanding can move us toward racial healing, racial equity, and racial unity. Latasha Morrison is the founder of Be the Bridge, which is an organization responding to racial brokenness and systemic injustice in our world. This podcast is an extension of our vision to make sure people are no longer conditioned by a racialized society, but grounded in truth. If you have not hit the subscribe button, please do so now. Without further ado, let’s begin today’s podcast. Oh, and stick around for some important information at the end.

Latasha Morrison 0:53
I am so excited, Be the Bridge community! I have my friend on here today. It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been trying to arrange this. But I think since then, she’s dropped about 500 books. I mean, I’m exaggerating, I’m exaggerating. But you may have heard this name before. We have twin names. This is the name that I get called all the time. And then we also have a special guest that’s going to talk about the new project that they have just released, a voice that you may be familiar with. But right now I want to introduce to you Miss Natasha Sistrunk Robinson. (applause) And she is the President of T3 Leadership Solutions and an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation. She is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy. Let me say this: United States Naval Academy in the house! Ok! And she is a former United States Marine Corps Captain. And I was just joking with her before this, and I said, “And it shows.” (laughter) And she is a former federal government employee for the Department of Homeland Security. So watch yourselves on this call. Like she she is coming with all the receipts. She’s a doctorate candidate at North Park Theological Seminary. She is also a graduate of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte. And she has an M.A. in Christian Leadership. Oh, wait a minute, let me go back. She graduated cum laude. I gotta add that in. You know, when you have a sister on, and they have that on their bio, I want to make sure that I say it. So y’all know that she is coming in with all the credentials. Okay? And she has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the military, federal government, academic, and nonprofit sector. She continues to shape the generation of leaders. And she is also an author. And she has written the book, The Journey to Freedom (Exodus Bible study). And she is the editor on this new project, Voices of Lament: Reflections on Brokenness and Hope in a World Longing for Justice. And this is a liturgy of about 29 women that is based off of Psalm 37 that we’re going to talk about today. And she also authored her memoir, A Sojourner’s Truth: Choosing Freedom and Courage in a Divided World. And then her first book, one of her first books that I know I’ve heard great things about it from other people that have read it, I’ve also used it, it’s called Mentor for Life: Finding Purpose through Intentional Discipleship. And so I am so grateful. And there’s some other works that I just don’t have time to go over this and all the bio. But Natasha is really out here creating materials, Bible studies, for not just people of color, but for all people. And so she is a sought out speaker, consultant, mentor, and executive leadership coach. And she’s published more than 100 articles. And so, I want you to welcome Natasha to the Be the Bridge Podcast. Woo! (applause) And, you know, you just wrote, and we’re gonna bring in because we have Miss Mariah Humphreys on the call right now, too. And Mariah worked on this last project with you. And I want you to explain this last project, and then we’re gonna have Mariah talk about her role in it. She’s gonna join us for that portion. And then we’ll get all into the nitty gritties of who Natasha Robinson is and all the things that she’s doing and working on. Okay?

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 5:08
So the book that we’re releasing is called Voices of Lament and the subtitle is Reflections on Brokenness and Hope in a World Longing for Justice. It’s inspired and based on Psalm 37, which is a Hebrew acrostic poem. So it follows the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. And it really talks about how God deals with the wicked and how God deals with the righteous. And so, I was inspired by another project that Kristie Anyabwile worked on. And we had women of color writing on Psalm 119 – His Testimonies, My Heritage. And, you know, it was in the middle of the pandemic, like right at the beginning of it in the summer. I was praying, I was reading through Jeremiah, the book of Jeremiah and Psalms and landed on Psalm 37. At the same time, when I was reading Jeremiah chapter nine, and in that passages it talks about God telling Jeremiah to call the wailing women because of the atrocities that were happening in Israel. And he said, “Call them to wail over us.” And there were very specific reasons that they were wailing. They were wailing because their men had been taken out of the public square. And this is what I called George Floyd summer, so 2020. They are wailing because the children have been taken out of the streets. And so you know, I grew up in the South, Tasha, you’re a southern girl as well. And, you know, the only reason children wouldn’t be in the streets is because it’s not safe. And so, you know, that’s a really important element of just growing up in the South where you just play outside all day when you’re not in school.

Latasha Morrison 6:48
Right.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 6:48
And you know, they’re wailing because death has climbed into their windows. And when I talked about it with the contributors of this project, when I shared this with them the first time I said, “You know, death is an enemy to us the Bible tells us. But death is also a thief. Right? Because if it was a welcome guest, death would come in through the front door. And so the fact that it’s coming in through the window, the prophet says, is to tell you it’s uninvited, it’s an uninvited guest, it’s catching you off guard, and is disrupting your whole life.” And I think women of color, probably more than anyone in this world, but certainly in our country, we understand our lives being interrupted in these ways by things we don’t have control over. Right? Whether it’s systemic injustice or family things or children things. And yet, we persevere through the suffering, through the mourning, through the lament. And I just love that these women were called. And they will called to then teach their communities how to wail and how to teach their children and their daughters, specifically, how to wail. And so I wanted to gather a group of women of color who I knew could embody this passage well the inspiration behind Jeremiah nine, but also speaking to the justice and injustice that we see in Psalm 37. And so, I gathered 29 women of color to write essays and liturgies and poems. And Miss Mariah here was one of our liturgists. And she wrote a phenomenal piece that represented not just herself, but her people, her tribe, well. And one of the hearts I had behind this project that people will see the faithfulness of God through the different tribes and languages, nations and people groups. And so she was one of the women that embody that so well. So I’m so glad to have her as a part of this project, and to call her sister and friend.

Latasha Morrison 8:34
And only Natasha could put together 29 women. Only the captain in the Marines could gather together 29 women. You guys, I mean, I don’t know if you’re listening to this, some of you if you’re listening, you’ve ever written something before, it is hard enough writing something with another partner. But 29? Only you could do something like this. Mariah, what was this experience like? And I want you to talk a little bit about your piece and why you wrote your piece.

Mariah Humphries 9:15
Yeah, only Natasha could gather all of these women and keep us on track and on schedule.

Latasha Morrison 9:25
Oh, I knew you were on track and on schedule. (laughter)

Mariah Humphries 9:30
She collected us very well.

Latasha Morrison 9:32
(laughter) I love it. I love it.

Mariah Humphries 9:37
Needless to say. When I first came onto this project, it was an immediate yes for me, because I got to combine a lived experience, who I am, and also biblical text. Which for me is ideal. Right? So whenever I came on and we were all asked to write a chapter. Great, great, great. And then there was a missing element. And she said, “Hey, everybody, we’re missing an Indigenous person to come in and do a poem or a liturgy. So we all texted each other. And we all said, “Not it.” And then the other women said, “I cannot do that.” I’m like, “I will step in and do a liturgy.” And I’ve never written a liturgy before, Tasha. I mean, I grew up Southern Baptist. We just don’t do liturgies in the Southern Baptist.

Latasha Morrison 10:29
It is not easy. (laughter) It is not easy.

Mariah Humphries 10:31
No! So I was like, how am I going to do this? Stay true to the text and stay true to who I am? And so it was just a really beautiful thing, because at Be the Bridge, we talk about lived experience and we talk about history and we talk about who we are and who we represent not only on this earth, but also spiritually. So that was a perfect thing for this liturgy that I was able to be honored to write really. And so I did. I tried to, I looked at I think, was 23 through 28 of Psalm 37. And I wanted to stay very true to who I am as one voice, as a Mvskoke voice, but also part of one voice of a collective. And I thought it was just a beautiful combination of spiritual faith, and then a lived experience of ancestral experience. So when I went through, I kind of walk through history. I walk through some of the things from Genesis one all the way through to what we face today. And so, throughout my liturgy, I focus on faith. And I focus on the hope of no matter what we go through here, that we are God’s, and that we were created beautifully and called good through creation. And I think that’s kind of a reminder that I tried to put into this liturgy all the way through, to remind myself as well, no matter what we face, no matter what suppression we have of our voices, oppression that we have as people of color, as people of faith – there is that equality, there’s that intentionality as we were created. And as you talk about often not for sameness but oneness. And so that was just really kind of a theme that is through this book in general, but specifically, when I was going through this liturgy of writing technically. I actually brought in people who do this often. So writing technically, but also writing as a woman of faith, who wants to stay true to the culture that is reflective of God as well. And not a culture that’s been assimilated, but just a true culture that God has kind of put into place and is formed. And I think that’s just beautiful. And so that was really the intention behind the liturgy. And the women who write into that chapter after my liturgy, I am so excited that it, just the stories that these women wrote, I was a student through this project. And I was also an educator, too. Right? But I was a student through every other chapter and poem. You see different languages throughout this book, you see different stories and histories. And I think that is just such a beautiful, beautiful thing. So you’re going to be, you’re going to be pretty proud, Tasha, as you walk through these chapters. Because you’re like, “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.” Because both Tashas in my life are represented here. Right? And you guys both…I have to keep that straight, like Latasha, Natasha. And the both of you focus on bringing in and uplifting other voices. And this is a great collection of that, and just to be able to have it be focused on faith and Scripture is very different than what we see across the board today. And I think that’s what makes this collection unique. And it was just a real joy to be part of it and to represent who I am, and then externally who I am through projects and Be the Bridge. And yeah, it was just a beautiful process. I’m grateful for it.

Latasha Morrison 14:05
Yeah. And this is a beautiful book. Not only is the cover beautiful, but the words. And, you know, I love liturgies. And just like you, Mariah, it wasn’t something that I in the practice of my faith had been familiar with in my denomination growing up…well, being nondenominational but having some Baptists roots, it wasn’t something. But I always say it’s like the a personal call and response in a sense. You know? And so I think liturgies are beautiful. And I use them and wrote some for my book. And those things are difficult. But there’s something you say here. You say, “You handcrafted our seat at your table of justice.” And let me tell you guys, you definitely want to…we’re going to talk more about the book. And I’m definitely saying you have to get this book. It’s beautiful. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a woman of color or not, I think you need to hear the stories, and how Natasha beautifully explained just the birth of where this is coming from and the call for all of us as women. And what this came out of, this lament came out of things that were happening in our country in 2020. And this is the present day lament of women. And in here you say, “We are seen, we are heard, we are uplifted.” And that is the thing. And so we all want to be seen. Everyone wants to be heard. And we all have this need and right to be uplifted. And so this is a book that brings about dignity to every voice. And I’m so grateful for your voice and grateful that Mariah serves as our Director of Marketing and Communications with Be the Bridge. I’m so glad that she was a part of this project. So thank you so much, Mariah, for joining us and explaining your liturgy. And I just can’t wait to hear more about these 29 women. And I love that, like, you know, based off of you were reading Jeremiah 29. Because that is just a lot of women. But you guys, when you read through this, it’s not segmented; it flows. And so I haven’t had a chance to go through everything but just the few things that I was able to skim through, this is something that’s going to be great for a lot of women. And I would love to see just a diverse group of women and men to really go through this. Because although women are writing this, I feel that men have their place of understanding in this work. And so, Voices of Lament: Reflections on Brokenness and Hope in a World Longing for Justice, and so, edited by Natasha Sistrunk Robinson. Oh, and the foreword! Oh, wait a minute, I forgot about that part. (laughter) The foreword by yours truly. (laughter) Y’all know I’m a mess. But anyway, thank you, Mariah, for joining us. Natasha, you’re gonna stay with us. And we’re gonna continue this conversation. I want to hear a little bit. You know, I love the way you explained about this. But I don’t want to just talk, I want to talk about the process of this…

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 17:46
Sure, sure.

Latasha Morrison 17:47
…and why this is needed. But I also want to talk about some of the other things that you’re involved in, too. And just for people to see the fullness of who you are and your contribution and everything. So, Natasha.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 18:03
Yes, girl. (laughter)

Latasha Morrison 18:03
Man. 29 people.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 18:05
It’s a lot of people.

Latasha Morrison 18:07
Only you could do that. Voices of Lament: Reflections on Brokenness and Hope in a World Longing for Justice. And the cover on this is beautiful. I wish you guys could see this. Although we can see each other, this is videotaped, you have got to Google this and go and see the beauty of this. And what was this process like, Natasha, in bringing together 29? You gave us the reason for choosing 29 different voices. What was this process like? Because I know this had to be a grueling process. not just have organization, but just have emotion also.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 18:53
Yeah, yeah. It’s very interesting. I was actually writing…so it’s COVID. So you sitting at home all day. And I was writing two books and doing some doctorate work. So that’s what I was doing pretty much in COVID – eating, walking, praying, hanging out with my family, and writing a lot. That’s really what was going on. And so when I think about just kind of the thematic work of what was happening, was really looking at the God of…so I was writing this at a time I was writing my Exodus Bible study, which is like a laypersons commentary. Looking at the God of generations, looking at the God who names himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, looking at the God who puts himself as the only God to be worshipped and praised in contrast to Pharaoh who’s an idol and false god and no god really at all. And how his people sometimes choose to go back to Egypt or sometime forget and grumble for how he’s provided and sometimes object the leader or the leaders he’s putting in front of them to lead them in the right way, and then craft their own narratives out of their own hurt and trauma and pain about what life was like when they were enslaved. And so now I’m talking about not just physical slavery, but spiritual bondage. Right? Because I think there’s still a lot of Christians in the Church that are not free. And so I’m thinking about all that writing one project. And then I’m thinking about this other project at a time when the pandemic was just happening. And I’m looking around, and I’m like, “Why in a time that there’s so much suffering and anxiety and grief and death was the church not a place that people were running to as a leader?” And I think there’s some very practical reasons for that. I think practically, you had a lot of churches that just didn’t know what they were doing. You know, some of them didn’t have social media, didn’t have a website, let alone trying to figure out how to do virtual church. You had large churches that didn’t really have intimate relationships, that discipleship was not happening with their congregants. So, you know, if the church is centered around the show, and I don’t mean that, you know, but really what’s happening on Sunday, and you have 1000s of people gathering, then what do you do when that’s not the reality that you have available to you? And so I think there were a lot of practical technical challenges that churches and leaders were facing, and that kind of, in my opinion, took our eyes off the ball of the spiritual opportunity we had to really serve and minister to a community of people that really were hurting and lost and asking a lot of important questions. And I said the reason why I think the church wasn’t able to lean into that latter piece is because a lot about churches, quite frankly, are still – churches, denominations, Christian organizations – are still predominately led by white men. Right? And so we just haven’t provided leadership education and discipleship for that particular group of people from a posture of lament or suffering or persevering through that type of thing. But I know people who have been anchored in that. I know people who lead out of that posture, and most of the time, that’s women of color. And Tasha you and I went to Rwanda together. I mean, that’s a global thing. It’s a global reality. It’s not just something we see happening in the West.

And so I called forth these women really physically in the same way I saw spiritually the wailing women being called forth in Jeremiah, because they are professionals in this. They know exactly what to do. And they’re able to lead a church that really lacked direction about what it means to practice a spiritual discipline of lament, what it means to lead people through difficult times, what it means to hold on to hope when life is not going your way. You know? I think about…I just preached Sunday about Ruth and Naomi, and was like, so when you are faced with a life of abundance – which is, you know, a lot of people in America, people that will listen to this podcast, right, that’s their reality. You have a life of abundance. And I’m thinking about Naomi now. And you leave that place because there’s no food. That’s what it means when you have a famine, to go to a spiritually destitute place where there are pagan worship happening in Moab. And then there’s death all around – your husband died, your sons die. And you don’t have any, all those assurances that you thought you had. This was our life in a pandemic.

Latasha Morrison 23:47
Yeah.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 23:47
You know, all those things have…all the trappings have been stripped away. And there’s nothing and no one but you and God. Like what do you say about Yahweh then? Is God’s name still worthy to be praised?

Latasha Morrison 23:59
Right.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 24:00
And so I think that really is the question that, you know, of all time that we were wrestling with. Is God’s name still worthy to be praised? And what I want to say out of my spirit is yes. And then so then how do you disciple people? How do you lead people? How do you coach people and mentor people through that reality? That God’s name is still worthy to be praised when death and destruction is all around, when things is not going your way, and things didn’t work out how you thought they would.

Latasha Morrison 24:34
Yeah, yeah. That’s so good, Natasha, because you know even you mentioned just the congregation, just the Church in general, especially, particularly denominations that don’t have this theology around lament. And why, you know, when you say women of color, know how to access that and live that and breathe that. And the reason why is because we have had to learn how, like God’s name is worthy to be praised, even when things are not going your way, even when you let power or resources or freedom or choice, like all of those things, God’s name is worthy to be praised. And so and basically helping us see those things that are not as though they are. There’s so much I mean, in lament that we miss. Because like half of the Psalms are written, are David’s lament.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 25:50
Yes, yes.

Latasha Morrison 25:51
You know? I mean, this man was crowned king. And it was decades before he was able to take that rightful place. But in the midst of that there was the working of the Spirit of God and the maturity, the things that were happening to prepare him to get to this point, and so not despising that season of lament. So I think that there’s so much in that. But why do you think? Because if we know that, like when we know that half the Psalms are about the lament, there’s a book called Lamentations.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 26:29
Yes, yes. I’ve read it. (laughter)

Latasha Morrison 26:32
Prophets, minor, major.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 26:35
Crying child. They crying child. They crying out.

Latasha Morrison 26:39
I mean Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. I mean, so so much, especially in the Old Testament, is about lament. And this is the what we need now. Because lament to me, you have to be able to tap in to empathy, there’s so much you have to be able to tap into. Why do you think this is something that’s just missing in a lot of denominations? Especially like, I mean, this is the feedback I get a lot from people who read proportional lament, because a part of our work, our process of Be the Bridge is that of lament. You know? That’s something that we teach as our pathway as we get to reconciliation, is lament. Why do you think this is missing from so many congregations?

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 27:33
Yeah, I think it makes people uncomfortable. I think it, you know, we have to give up the illusion of control. I think there’s some fear associated with it. Like, if I let people see the real me, then I’m not going to have the respect or the power, or I’m just going to be uncomfortable. I think there’s all those things. But I also feel, my heart spiritually is that of discipleship. And I think we just had a crisis of discipleship in our country. I don’t think that’s a new thing. I think that’s just a been an ongoing thing. And I think part of that crisis is a biblically illiteracy. So part of that crisis is that biblical illiteracy, and so if we’re not…and this is the challenge Tasha, like, if people are not engaging with the text regularly, then the danger we have in our Christian church culture is that we start worshipping a God that we proclaim, but it’s not the God of the Bible.

Latasha Morrison 28:35
Right.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 28:36
And so the gods, little g, that we proclaim become idols that we worship, and we build altars to those gods – that could be our bank accounts, it could be our relationship, it could be your marriage, it could be our political allegiance, whatever, it could be our nationalism – all these things that we say to identify ourselves that we think is going to keep us safe and keep us in power and control. And we build our altars to those things which cannot save.

Latasha Morrison 29:08
Yeah.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 29:09
And so, to tear those altars down require us to admit that we have a dependence on the God of the Bible, that we trust the God of the Bible, that we trust the God of the Holy Spirit to comfort us. When we are suffering, when we are grieved that we trust the Son of God, Jesus, who is acquainted with our suffering, the God-man Jesus, who came and suffered in every way that we have but was without sin. Right? And so there are all kinds of ways when we think about discipleship and following the God of the Bible, that we, I think, we start to orient ourselves differently. And so you said why we don’t do it, we can’t see it. I don’t think we read enough. And I don’t think we have been convicted by the Holy Spirit to have eyes to see what is clear in the text. But if we only reading one type of leader and we only listening to the one type of pulpit and everybody’s saying the same thing, it’s just like watching a news station. Right? Then you only oriented and discipled into one thing; you don’t have eyes to see all the other things. And so whenever I’m teaching, writing, speaking, I’m always asking God, for the Holy Spirit to work in me first, but also that the Holy Spirit is ministering to the hearts of people so they can see, they have eyes to see the Bible says, and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

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Latasha Morrison 32:06
I think that it’s beautiful when you talk about even bringing the different ethnicities of people groups together to write something like this, because we say this all the time, that there’s not one nation or tribe that can represent the totality of who God is. It takes every nation and tribe. And so when you have centuries of ideologies, theology, doctrines created by one group and there’s major components that are missing, because it takes the, to really display the fullness of God, we need every tribe and every nation. And so because of systemic racism, that hasn’t been the case and things have been missing. And I think God has…you’ve seen what the Black church brings to the church. We see even the Indigenous church in what can be learned from the Indigenous church. There are things that can be learned from the Asian cultures. And so there’s so much. And I think one of those things is like vulnerability, in a sense. And I think lament takes great vulnerability. And that vulnerability helps you to do the hard work of discipleship. But it’s hard to disciple someone into something that you haven’t been discipled in yourself.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 33:47
Say it. That’s a whole word.

Latasha Morrison 33:47
So, I love a lot of your work. A lot of Natasha’s work is all about reimagining and rethinking discipleship. And you know, and I think there’s so…your voice is so powerful in the sense. And I don’t know if you guys missed this part, but she said during the pandemic. Now, there was a lot, a lot of us was doing a lot of things in the pandemic. But she over here be writing 50 books, Bible studies getting her doctorate. (laughter) Let me tell you, I’m in seminary right now. And I just can’t do it all. I can’t sit. It’s so hard to lead, to be in school, and to write a book. Like, I have to put things on pause. It’s gonna take me forever to finish seminary. (laughter)

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 34:01
That’s okay.

Latasha Morrison 34:05
It’s gonna take me forever. But it’s just, this is difficult work.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 34:44
Yeah.

Latasha Morrison 34:44
And like you said, how these things tie together. And I feel like God is is using your voice to speak to the multitudes in this work.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 34:54
Praise God.

Latasha Morrison 34:55
And when I look at this book and I look at your Bible study, I don’t know, she dropped that. I got a chance to look through your Exodus study. And it’s really good. And then she also did one on the Nicene Creed, too.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 35:10
The Nicene Creed. Yup. Yup.

Latasha Morrison 35:10
You did one on that. So you thought I forgot about that one? I dropped that one. I pay attention now. (laughter) I don’t get to do everything. But I pay attention. I think these are some things that really help you reshape how you’re interpreting. Because this is another voice that is speaking into these things. And I think it’s important when we broaden ourselves and diversify the voices that were listening to. You may see something and realize something that God is trying to speak to a multitude of voices, not just one voice. And so I think that’s important with the work that you’re doing. What were some of the…what are some of the your hopes out of this project and some of the work that you’re doing, the articles that you’re writing, the studies that you’re creating? What are some of your hopes, Natasha?

Yeah, so I think in this project in particular, there’s a few hopes. Right? So I’m gonna be very direct and say, from the very beginning, we prayed for this book to become a classic. Because it’s that good.

Yes.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 36:12
It’s that good. Because there’s nothing else like it. Because there’s a desperate need for it. And because it’s timeless. Now, the other reason is, Tasha, you and I write books. And because the success of this book, numbers wise, will speak against a narrative about what women of color, and particularly what Black women can do in the Christian publishing industry as far as sales go. So I think there’s a lot of women of color that God can use in a mighty way through the gift of their writing and their words that will never get an opportunity because the idea that they have, there’s no standard for it in industry. And so you have to have industry standards, so that when you do a book proposal, you can have comps to compare them to. And so that’s one thing. But the other thing, when I think about the systemic injustices in how institutions work, and Christian publishing is another institution. And, you know, when I was selecting these women, about half of them beforehand I had a personal relationship with, the other half were referred to me by other women that I trusted and knew. And so I didn’t have a personal relationship with these women. And some of them I’ve been able to cultivate a deep relationship with over the last two years. Mariah is one of those women. But I sought to diversify this community in a lot of ways. So there’s about equal representation. I didn’t want to have like a whole bunch of Black women and a few other people kind of sprinkled in there. So there’s about equal representation between African American women and those women, I would say, descendants of the transatlantic slave trade, Asian American women, Hispanic or Latina women, Pacific Islanders, and then this last group I have is Indigenous women, and what I would call global citizens. So these are women that are not born and raised in the United States. So they have a different social location than that. And I think we need to learn from those women. And it was important to me to have multiple Indigenous women voices speak. And so that was very intentional. It’s intentionally intergenerational. But then the other way, Tasha, when I think about justice is…and these women are doing all kinds of work and leading all over the country in different ways. But I intentionally selected about half of these women that has some kind of platform and about half of them that didn’t. So I could have went out right and asked all my friends, I could have asked you and Truth’s Table and all these women that have platforms. And, you know, maybe that would have helped sales go better. But part of my act of justice in this, being a person who’s a leader and understanding how systems work and trying to create access and opportunities for people, which is extremely important for me, is to create that for people. So if I can have some woman on this project that loves the Lord, that is a trusted voice within her own community, that’s going to be serious and intentional in how she addressed the texts, but no one knows her name outside of that, this book can platform her. Right? So when she goes to a publisher, and she has something very specific to say, she can say I was a part of that project.

Latasha Morrison 39:54
Yeah.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 39:54
So to me as a leader, Tasha, that is extremely…so it’s not about my name being attached to a best seller or sale, it’s about what the work that this book would do if the prayer that we’ve asked the Lord for becomes a reality. So that’s a hope I have of this project. I believe it’s timeless. I believe that it’s unique. I believe that the church needs it. But I also believe it’s a gift to our country, and can provide some healing that we all need if we just are humble enough to hear and pay attention.

Latasha Morrison 40:26
Yeah, I’m looking at chapter 30. It says, “What Carries Us Home.”

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 40:32
Yeah!

Latasha Morrison 40:32
“A poem for Generation Z.” This right here. This poem alone was written by a Haitian American, a Korean American, two Korean Americans, an African American, and Indigenous nations. I forget Mariah’s, how to pronounce her…

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 40:53
Mvskoke.

Latasha Morrison 40:54
Mvskoke Nation. Mvskoke. Make sure I say that right, Travon. Mvskoke Nation citizen.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 41:01
Yep.

Latasha Morrison 41:01
And so I think that right there, you’re not reading other things where all these different types of voices are coming together. And you’re so right in choosing this. I even see Dennae Pierre, I know her, Grace Cho, you know a lot of these, K. A. Ellis, just so many people that I have seen their work, and all of these people coming together. This is incredible. And to be able even to bring this many people together for this type of work takes an abundance of leadership. So it speaks to just who you are as a leader. And I mean, I’m seeing a Nigerian poet.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 41:54
Yeah!

Latasha Morrison 41:54
All kinds, I mean, you guys. Let me tell you. It will be good for your soul.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 42:01
Yes!

Latasha Morrison 42:02
To see Psalm 37, I think this is written in Hebrew right here. Right?

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 42:09
Yup. Yup.

Latasha Morrison 42:12
And, I mean, this is a beautiful work. And this is a gift. When you talk about Psalm 37. And there’s so much in this. And so each person has a portion in this. And I think this is going to be something that is life changing for a lot of people. And I just, I love how we think about this. And I love the fact that you’re platforming all of this, and it’s not so much as…it’s about all of you.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 42:45
Yes.

Latasha Morrison 42:48
You know, in this. Because I see sometimes when people do this. And I think is different when you are a white person, and you have a collection of leaders where you’re bringing together all these voices of people of color. But then you’re the one this doing all the interviews, and, you know what I’m saying?

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 43:07
Yeah.

Latasha Morrison 43:07
I’ve seen that too. And I love the fact how inclusive this work is. I wanted to talk to you a little bit because I know a lot of us know you as an author. But you also lead Leadership LINKS which is a nonprofit organization. So I want you to explain…I’ve had an opportunity couple years ago to do something with Leadership LINKS. And I know your heart, you have a young daughter, and so your heart to see discipleship in this now generation. We can’t say next generation. It is the now generation. Tell us a little bit about that work that you’re doing through your nonprofit.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 43:54
So this is the funny thing. This is how we get confused, right? We out in the street doing things and people are calling Natasha Sistrunk Robinson, Latasha Morrison, because they know, (laughter) you know what I’m saying, like we both leading, we both Black, we both write books, we both talk about race stuff, and we both have nonprofits.

Latasha Morrison 44:14
Yeah. (laughter)

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 44:14
So we did a social media post about this one time. It’s like, look, this is Latasha Morrison. This is Natasha Sistrunk Robinson. Latasha Morrison does Be the Bridge. Natasha Sistrunk Robinson does Leadership LINKS. And you can support both of us. Praise God (laughter) in the work that we’re doing.

Latasha Morrison 44:34
Exactly, exactly.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 44:36
But it’s a running joke we have. But my work at Leadership LINKS is really the same thing. I started this nonprofit. We just celebrated our seven year anniversary, Tasha. So I thank God for that. And you know, it’s hard work. Girl, you know. It’s hard work. And so because I say a lot of times, this is another injustice we see in the community where people of color, particularly Black people, and particularly Black women, when we’re starting something like this a nonprofit. I didn’t know I was starting a nonprofit, I just wanted to do good work. And as I called my friends saying let’s get to work. So you start something with some passion and prayers. And our sisters and brothers, you know, they get to start with checks and donors and supports and structures. And it’s like, we didn’t have none of that. We just kind of step out on faith and like, “God, this what you told us to do, let’s do it.” So this nonprofit I started, we started praying about it over a decade ago. We didn’t know it was gonna be a nonprofit. But I basically called on some of my friends, these are six African American graduates of the Naval Academy. So these are all out of the, they were active duty or veterans in the Navy. I was the only Marine among the group. And it was an intergenerational group, it was men and women. And we gathered because we had five passions of education, leadership, mentorship, public service, and our Christian faith. And so we were just having conversations about what is it that we could do together because I believe that we could have a greater impact if we kind of pooled our resources – that’s time and talents and treasure. Right? That we were gonna pull that, we could a greater impact. And so all of us were kind of living our lives under those core values, or passions, but I’m like, hey, let’s kind of focus those efforts. And so we started this nonprofit Leadership LINKS Incorporated, specifically, what we’re doing is providing leadership education in a holistic way that includes character development and spiritual formation. And we’re doing that, we really focus, have been focusing over the last seven years, in preparing middle and high school girls (and now we have a program for young women) through mentorship to lead in the marketplace. So really preparing them for innovation, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership, and anchoring that, you know, through our biblical principles and focus from our Christian convictions really. And so we’ve been doing that for, we’re in the sixth year of our mentoring program for girls. We have 25 girls in the program this year from four different states. We just launched our first mentoring program for young women. We have seven girls in that program from like four different states. And so it’s been a joy and a burden, right, to take something, but then you get to see the results of it. And for me, we’re not measuring results by numbers, you know, because I think a lot of times in church, we are having metrics that are in alignment with the world. I’m not saying those are bad, I’m just saying that’s not the way things are measured in God’s economy. And so we like to measure in the church, sometimes by I call it the three b’s – buildings, the size of our buildings, the size of our budgets, and how many butts we have in the seat. Right?

Latasha Morrison 47:48
Right, right.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 47:48
And so, but I think, you know, in God’s economy, the wealth, the true wisdom and riches is when we see lives transformed. You know, when we can see the testimony from parents and children, and how they see themselves and what they believe they can do in the world by partnering. We have a creed, and part of that creed says, “Therefore, I will actively take part in the great work God is doing in the world.” And so to see people across generations, like our theme for our mentoring program is mentoring across generations, get excited about partnering with God in the work he’s doing. Right? And that’s what we get to see happening. And that’s the thing that really kind of keeps me going, when I get discouraged. I’m like, “Look now, God.” Like when Moses was like, “I didn’t ask you for all these people.” You know? (laughter)

Latasha Morrison 47:48
Right, right!

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 48:06
But, then you see, but then you, you know, you get a little note or you get an email. I was just reviewing our surveys from the program last year, and to see these girls talk, like, you know, “I didn’t have confidence before, I have confidence now.” “I didn’t believe I could do public speaking, now I can do that now.” “I have a higher standard for myself. I know that young people are looking up to me, now I have to be a role model.” You know, so that’s what I’m hearing from sixth graders and seventh graders and 12th graders. And I’m like, “Wow God, we thank you that we’re doing something right here.” And so people can find out about that wonderful work at our nonprofit website: Leadership LINKS. L I N K S stands for our five core values of love, inspiration, network, knowledge, and service. LeadershipLinksInc.org and they can find out more about our work and support us there.

Latasha Morrison 49:29
Yeah, I love it. It’s so funny. I do the same thing. I’m like, “Okay, God. God, you chose me. (laughter) You chose me to do this work. Lord I need you to show up.”

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 49:43
I’d be like, “Are you sure this is what we doing?”

Latasha Morrison 49:46
“I need you to help your people. Get your people. Gather your people. Collect your people.” You know.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 49:52
“These your people.” (laughter)

Latasha Morrison 49:51
Yeah. “These here your people, Lord.” (laughter) Yup. Because I think sometimes we can hold on to something that was never meant for us to hold on to. It’s not ours. You know? And I think having that perspective, it actually shows me what my role is. And the thing is God can do this work through anyone. But he chose me. And this season that we’re in, I’m expecting God to show up and support and pour in and give us wisdom, give us direction, give us vision, all of those things that need it. And I was like, and it has to come from God, because I don’t know what in the world I’m doing. (laughter) I don’t know what in the world I’m doing. “I hope you know know what you’re doing, God. Because I still don’t know what I’m doing.” (laughter)

Listen. Like, “God, can we get a nap? And a check.”

Yes, oh my goodness.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 50:49
Can I get a nap and a check? Cause I need both. (laughter)

Latasha Morrison 50:55
And don’t let the nap affect my check.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 50:58
Hello, somebody!

Latasha Morrison 51:00
I know, I know. It’s a lot. And I think there’s so many women out there doing some beautiful things. But what I hear, especially from women of color is like a lot of our work is started from ground zero.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 51:20
Oh absolutely. Absolutely.

Latasha Morrison 51:22
Trying to get the infrastructure and all the things that, you know, trying to play catch up in a lot of the things and so.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 51:30
Yes.

Latasha Morrison 51:30
So we do need brilliant people to come alongside and help. And so I think, you know, we just have to keep pushing and getting opportunities, like here to platform each other’s work is a beautiful thing. And I think, you know, when you talk about this, you kind of mentioned a little bit some of the challenges. What has been some of the challenges of a woman, like yourself, you know, leading as it relates to leadership? What were some of the challenges, and you kind of mentioned them in a broad way, as in your writing, you know, as an author, what are some of the challenges that you’re facing as a leader? As a writer? And I would say, you know, as a theologian?

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 52:32
Yeah, yeah. That’s a great question. Thank you so much for it, Tasha. I think, so I think one thing I want to say when people, you know, we’ve been following and supporting each other for a long time, even when we’re not interacting, we’re paying attention. We’re praying. Right? But everybody doesn’t know the work that we do. And so for me, for people who might just be popping on on one thing, like the podcast or the nonprofit or the writing. And what I’m saying is that some people know you for like, one thing or two things, but they don’t know you have your hands in multiple things. And so, for me, my main work, what people I think I want people to understand like, so my spiritual gift is leadership. Like, I came out like that. I’m the oldest of three children. And I was voted student body president by my peers in middle school. Right? All my cousins did what I did. So I, you know, my first keynote address, like to a large group of over 1,000 people was my high school graduation, where I got two standing ovations. So my spiritual gift is leadership. And so I’ve always had that. Now, what my experience has done is honed those leadership skills and has done that in very different ways. And so when you say, “Well, how can you rally?” Because that’s what I’ve always done. Right? I’ve always been that person. And so that’s that. So my work, I believe, is really at the intersection of my Christian faith, the convictions of that faith, and my spiritual gift of leadership. And so I write about these other things, Tasha, just because I’m a Black woman. Right?

Latasha Morrison 54:18
Right, right.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 54:20
I don’t necessarily want to be talking about race all the time or gender issues all the time. But I write about these things out of my social location. But primarily, what I’m really solid at is leadership. And so, you know, and even that you say what’s the challenges of writing. Well, because even the people we know, like us, and like Jo Saxton for example, it’s an uphill battle to say, I want to write a book about leadership in this industry.

Latasha Morrison 54:47
Yeah, yeah.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 54:48
Right? Like they will not put leadership on our book title. And then, because you can name the three people that is writing about leadership that are all white men in the Christian arena. Right? As if they’re the only ones that have anything to say about leadership. And so I think that’s part of the challenge I face as a writer, like, I just haven’t been given the confidence, not in myself, but within the industry to write about the stuff I really know well and am good at and have experience in. You know? So that’s been a challenge. But I think the other challenge is that, you know, I think there’s something to be said about integrity and faithfulness. Just being obedient and saying yes to the things that God has called you. And so I think my journey has been a series of saying yes. The challenge has been, Tasha, that my first job was being an officer in the Marine Corps. I was a Financial Management Officer in the Marine Corps, graduated at the Naval Academy at 22 years old, and started leading people and major projects right away. I am among the first class to graduate from Naval Academy post 9/11. So we were in war, as a Financial Management Officer, I was managing millions of dollars. And we were in wartime. Right? That’s the anchoring of my professional training as a 22 year old kid. And so the way I’ve been trained as a leader is completely different than most people. And so when I think about that, the professional development in a career like that, I knew exactly what the path was. I knew exactly who my mentors were, I knew exactly who the sponsors were. And if I did the things, if I did…you know, they say you got to be a great Marine, and you have to be great at your job. So a great Marine would be stuff like being a solid leader, being physically fit, you know, those type of things, not getting in trouble. Right? And being good at your job would be you got to know how to be a great Financial Management Officer. And I was a great Marine, and I was a great Financial Management Officer. And so I was advancing very well, you know, in the early part of my career, and made a decision to get out because I felt God called me out. And because I thought at the time, and I still believe it was the best decision for my family. So my husband and I, we miscarried our first child. I was four or five months into that pregnancy. And so my child that we have now with us, my daughter, she was like two years old. And if I went back into the fleet, what we call, I would have never seen her. My marriage was not healthy at the time, we would not have survived. And so I made a decision that I wanted to…the spiritual question, God was asking me, Tasha, was, “Are you going to trust me to provide or are you gonna trust the military to provide for you?” And so I quit. You know, I mean I got out, I fulfilled my commitment. But I got out and left a job that I loved and I was good at and they were paying me a lot of money and all my friends were doing it. And I say that as a long response to, I kind of got into these other things. I never had a desire to be an author. I never had a desire to run a nonprofit. I never had a desire to, you know, lead a small business. And so I got to this place of being like a social entrepreneur, as a result of saying yes to things that God was putting in front of me and walking out of places where God had closed doors. And the challenge, probably the number one challenge here, Tasha, being in this place, is it is a vulnerable place. Because a lot of times what you’re not able to do is not for lack of competence, it’s for lack of capacity. Right?

Latasha Morrison 58:41
Yes.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 58:41
It’s for lack of community. It’s for lack of support. That’s the challenge. It’s not the lack of confidence, or competence. And so, you know, I think about this, and I look around us, like, you know, you don’t have the mentors, and you don’t have the sponsors. And I think I’m like when I look at women of color, and Black women in particular, there’s very few people ahead of us, Tasha, that are doing this. Most of the women of color and most of the Black women that are doing this, you know, seminary and stuff, they’re in the academy or they’re in the pulpit. But you and I have been called primarily to the marketplace. And so we don’t have a lot of mentors and sponsors that understand the challenges and things that we’re up against. And so we’re figuring this all out as we go, because we don’t have those examples ahead of us that are facing the same challenges that we’re facing. And then the models that they give you might not work for us. And so that’s the main challenge I’ve faced. It’s, you know, growing into this and just trying to be obedient to the call really. Yeah.

Latasha Morrison 59:54
Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you for saying yes. And I was just in Charlotte recently and I got a chance to meet with a group of, a Be the Bridge group there, some leaders. And one young lady had written a book. And in her book she had wrote, she talked about how lament has been the hardest thing. She’s an African American woman, and how lament had really been one of the most difficult things for her to connect to and to feel her own pain. Because we’re so used to especially as African American woman, not really, sometimes having the chance to pause and to grieve and to lament and to hope.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:00:47
Yes!

Latasha Morrison 1:00:47
It’s like, you got to do the next thing. Do the next right thing. And sometimes you do that grieving in the midst of, but taking that pause to really feel it. And so she said, that’s what she did. And so she wrote this, a part of her book, she wrote this lament to her ancestors.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:01:08
Oh gosh.

Latasha Morrison 1:01:08
And it was beautiful. And I’m listening to her read it, because she read it. And she does voiceovers, so it’s beautiful how she’s reading it. And I’m sitting there thinking, I’m looking at all these women in this circle. And, we were at a tea house that was owned by another African American woman who also is apart of this work. And, I was like, “Lord, thank you for allowing me to say yes. And to continue to say yes.” And what I would say is in this work that you’re doing, showing up, saying yes, that there are going to be generations that are going to be impacted.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:01:32
Praise God.

Latasha Morrison 1:02:01
Even with this book, people may not realize the gift that this is today in 2022. But they may realize the gift that it is in 2025, or whenever that is. But the fact that it is written.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:02:18
Yeah.

Latasha Morrison 1:02:18
And that’s the one thing. After I wrote my book, I said, “Lord, I thank you. I thank that the words are here. So if I’m no longer here, that you have put breath into these words, and they are here to bring about transformation for years to come.”

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:02:37
Amen.

Latasha Morrison 1:02:38
And so that’s what I would say with these words. And there’s so many, so many books out there that we don’t see the gift of it until after the fact. And so just know that this is done, this is good work, and God has breathed on it. And your yes, every day, your yes has not only changed the lives of people that you impacted in the Marines, but also the students and the children that you’re working with, and also the women and men that you’re working with. And so you are doing great work. And so I’m so grateful to have you on here today to even bring to the audience to talk about just some of this work that you’re doing. So, you know, go out and get this book. It is Voices of Lament: Reflections on Brokenness and Hope in a World Longing for Justice. And then shout out to the publishers.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:03:40
Yes!

Latasha Morrison 1:03:41
Baker Publishing, you know, Revell, that took a chance on this. Because I do see some things changing. I see some things changing even with, you know, my publishing company. I see little increments of change. And we say this all the time, as people change, as the Lord transforms the heart of his people to be more inclusive, to see the dignity in everyone, to shift power structures, the places that those people intersect, those places will begin to change. And so we start seeing these glimpses of hope of books that would have never been published 20 years ago, but are getting published now. And I think we’re gonna continue in that trajectory. But I also feel that God would do something to reimagine even the publishing industry.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:04:39
Yes.

Latasha Morrison 1:04:39
Just like we’re seeing in movie production where we never thought about all these streaming pathways. And you know, first it was like, “Okay, we need production companies and writers and all these things.” And now you see people of color that are part of all these industries. But then they were saying okay, but then there’s a certain group that controls what gets seen.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:05:02
Yes.

Latasha Morrison 1:05:03
And then, all of a sudden, you start seeing different ways on the ways things can get seen.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:05:09
Yes, yes.

Latasha Morrison 1:05:10
And so you see that like with self publishing and audiobooks and all of the things that we’re seeing. And so God will make a way.

Amen. Either people will bend and change, or they will be forced to change. And so just know that God’s work will get done and God’s voice will be heard. And so, and the work that we do are part of God’s voice. I’m grateful for you, sis.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:05:40
Love you.

Latasha Morrison 1:05:40
You know, we had a chance to go to Africa together back in when was that?

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:05:47
2017. 2017.

Latasha Morrison 1:05:48
2017? Oh my god. 2017 We went to Rwanda. And we got to witness and be up close and personal with the kind of restoration process, the reconciliation process in Rwanda. And we got to do that with a group of, all of us were African American women. And Amena Brown was I think she put it, Amena led this. She put all of us together with Africa New Life. And the beauty of that, it was so funny because I had been to Rwanda a couple times before. And I’m just gonna tell something funny, like, I’m not a bug person. I don’t like bugs. But to be with all the women and when the bugs are coming around, and all of us reacted this way.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:06:44
Yup, yup.

Latasha Morrison 1:06:45
You know, the whole bathroom situation. Just all the things, you know. It was beautiful. But then even how we got to speak with the women leaders there.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:06:56
Yes!

Latasha Morrison 1:06:57
Them pouring into us. Like, you know, we were like, “Y’all smarter than us. We want to learn from you.” Just the beauty of that was great. And I will never forget that experience.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:07:11
Nope.

Latasha Morrison 1:07:10
Getting to walk on that soil. And I will never forget that moment we had when we went to the school when the school was closed. So we decided to stay and have prayer. Oh my goodness, you guys. What a time, what a time, what a time. On the soil of Rwanda, let me tell you, it was beautiful. And so, that was, we had known each other before then. But I think all of us really got to know each other. So we have, I’m the worst. We do have a Voxer group still together, and we try to support each other and all these things and life takes over. But we know each other. Which is good. So I’m so proud of you. I’m so proud of the work you’re doing.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:07:11
Oh same. Same, sis.

Latasha Morrison 1:08:01
Even her Bible studies. Y’all gotta check out her Bible studies. Her Bible studies are good. And I wanted you to know, one of my friends Andrea she has your book Mentor to Life.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:08:13
Yeah. Mentor for Life.

Latasha Morrison 1:08:14
She carries that book around. Every time I see Andrea, she has that book. That thing is weathered. It has all these little tabs in it.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:08:23
Yes!

Latasha Morrison 1:08:25
And she said, “This is the best book on mentorship that I’ve ever read.”

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:08:31
Praise God.

Latasha Morrison 1:08:32
And so let me tell you, if people don’t see it, God sees it. You know?

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:08:39
Thank you, sis.

Latasha Morrison 1:08:39
If people don’t see it, God sees it and God sees you.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:08:43
Praise God.

Latasha Morrison 1:08:44
And just know that you are seen. Okay? Even sometimes when we can’t say it, that you are seen. And your giftedness will make room for you.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:08:55
Amen! Thank you.

Latasha Morrison 1:08:55
Amen, amen, amen.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:08:58
I love you, sister.

Latasha Morrison 1:08:59
I’m glad to have you.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:09:00
I’m glad to be here.

Latasha Morrison 1:09:00
And we got to jump off this call so that we could go on another call. But hey, listen, community, support this work. Of course in our notes we’ll have all the information about the links and everything. But tell people how they can follow you and find you.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:09:24
You can follow me and find me at NatashaSRobinson.com. So S for my maiden name Sistrunk. And that’s where all my ministry work is located. You can find all my resources there. I relaunched my Sojourners Truth Podcast, you can locate that there. Yeah all the things are there. And social media, you can follow me on all the socials from there as well. And then the Voices of Lament project, you can follow VoicesOfLament.com. We have a merchandise store. We didn’t mention this. There’s some beautiful illustrations inside the book by Sho Baraka’s wife, Patreece Lewis. And so you can buy some of that artwork on several items. So there’s a merchandise store. There’s some interviews with our contributors. There’s a one page summary sheet with photos and bios of all of our contributors. And it’s just a lot of wonderful, great content there. And the book’s trailer is there as well. And then a nonprofit you can follow at LeadershipLinksInc.org.

Latasha Morrison 1:10:29
Yes. And they’re gonna want some of this artwork because it’s beautiful.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:10:32
It is phenomenal.

Latasha Morrison 1:10:34
I’m telling you. The book is powerful. I am not exaggerating. I may be even under stating it. And I’ve only had the book for like two days. So.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:10:49
The real physical copy. Yes. The pretty one.

Latasha Morrison 1:10:54
The pretty one. (laughter) So yeah, so I’m so grateful for you. And yes, so what I want…okay, hold on one second. Okay, so, what was I gonna say?

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:11:08
You were gonna onna tell the people to go out and buy the book. (laughter)

Latasha Morrison 1:11:13
So thank you guys for listening. And so what I would love for you guys to do is make sure you share this podcast, make sure you’re sharing the things that you’re learning from this community with your community. And I would love to hear back from you something that you learned from this podcast. Read Psalm 37, and what stands out to you and reading that through a new lens. So I would love to hear that back from you. You know, find me on social, you can put it at @bethebridge on social or @LatashaMorrison. So I would love to hear back from you, especially as you get this book and you read Psalm 37. Thank you so much.

Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 1:12:04
Thank you, sis!

Latasha Morrison 1:12:04
Have a beautiful week!

Narrator 1:12:09
Go to the donors table if you’d like to hear the unedited version of this podcast. Thanks for listening to the be the bridge podcast. To find out more about the Be the Bridge organization and or to become a bridge builder in your community, go to BeTheBridge.com Again, that’s BeTheBridge.com. If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, remember to rate and review it on this platform and share it with as many people as you possibly can. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Today’s show was edited, recorded, and produced by Travon Potts at Integrated Entertainment Studios in Metro Atlanta, Georgia. The host and executive producer is Latasha Morrison. Lauren C. Brown is the Senior Producer. And transcribed by Sarah Connatser. Please join us next time. This has been a Be the Bridge production.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai