A Conversation on Holding the Tensions of Inauguration Day and MLK Day 2025

Find this episode and subscribe on:

In this conversation, Latasha Morrison, Jefferson Jones, and Sarah Connatser invite the Be the Bridge community to acknowledge their feelings and find ways to move onward together. They discuss their emotions around Inauguration Day and the complexities of this cultural moment. They talk about the ways different people can engage in this work in a healthy way. You’ll be reminded that bridge building is a lifestyle that requires innovation and collaboration across generations.

Join in the conversation on our social media pages on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to let us know your thoughts on this episode!

Listen Here

Host & Executive Producer – Latasha Morrison

Producer – Sarah Connatser

Links:

Ads:

Spotify for Podcasters [Record, edit, distribute your podcast. Download the Spotify for Podcasters app or go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.spotify.com/podcasters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get started]

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a Donor of Be the Bridge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop the Be the Bridge Online Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Be the Bridge:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Latasha Morrison:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Not all views expressed in this interview reflect the values and beliefs of Latasha Morrison or the Be the Bridge organization.

*this was transcribed by Spotify and has not been checked for errors

Part 1:

0:02

Welcome to the Be the Bridge podcast.

Be the Bridge exists to empower people and culture toward racial healing, equity, and reconciliation.

Latasha Morrison founded Be the Bridge in 2016 to foster needed dialogue and brave spaces and to give people the tools to pursue racial justice.

0:22

We provide resources and community to do just that, and this podcast is one of those resources.

You’ll hear interviews hosted by Latasha and our team, conversations about current events, and encouragement for your racial literacy journey.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and engaging in this important work.

0:43

Well, hello, Be the Bridge community, as we always say, be the Bridgers.

So we are so grateful for you being here today.

And I have two of my friends with me, Jefferson Jones and Sarah.

0:58

They are here and we’re going to have a little conversation.

Maybe some of the things that you’re thinking, maybe some of the things that your community, your Be the Bridge group, your church group, people you work with, some of these conversations.

And I just want to remind people that we we’ve curated the Be the Bridge space to be a outlet, to be a courageous space, to be a brave space for those who are navigating these treacherous waters of racial injustice.

1:29

And so that is what we do.

We help people to expand and improve their racial literacy, to understand the historical context that is very important to this conversation and to this work.

And so, and we’re going to continue to do that.

1:44

We’re going to continue to do that for you.

And so I know today may be a difficult day for for you, for others, and maybe it’s a exciting day for others, you know, and I know there’s a there’s a tension that we hold in that and understanding, but this work that we do is very political, OK.

2:04

And so policy impacts it because policy is what got us here to racial injustice in the 1st place.

And it’s going to take policy to unravel it.

So what we do is very political because politics are about people, but it it doesn’t have to be partisan, especially when we’re talking about the Imago Day and the dignity of all people, of our God’s children.

2:26

And so we are going to be here as an organization to remind us of that.

But I know we are tired.

I am tired.

You know, I am tired.

I was just talking to a friend.

I said I wish I could just put my head in the sand for the next few years and just just mind my own black business.

2:49

My goodness.

You know, but I know that that is not my call, you know, but there are things that we have to do and we’ll talk about to actually help us take care of us and our our family and our communities to center that.

3:08

And so we’ll talk about those things, but I was just talking with a friend and he said he does some of the same work that we do in a different state.

And he was just saying that, you know, I are you guys noticing the disengagement?

And we’re like, yes, like we’ve noticed the disengagement.

3:26

You know, a lot of people are off social media.

You know, I think some of that’s going to continue.

Some people are off not watching the news.

I think that’s going to continue, you know, in various ways.

But I do know I can only speak to the African American community, can’t speak to any other community.

3:47

But I do know us and I know we’ve been here before.

We we haven’t as a generation I’m Gen.

X, we haven’t necessarily experienced a lot of this.

Our parents have, you know, our grandparents have, but we haven’t experienced a lot of this.

4:06

What we’re what we’re saying.

And if you and if you you’re wondering why I’m talking in code, I’m not talking in code, but we do.

I’m talking about some of the rollback of civil rights that were awarded as as a part of repair during the 1960s civil rights movement.

4:21

And so there have been some major rollbacks and those are some of the things that we have been warning about because these are waters that many of us have never traded before.

But in this conversation, he was just saying, like, I feel people are disengaged, that people feel hopeless.

4:39

And I said, I, I believe that that people, there are people who feel hopeless, like this is beyond, we have no power.

But the moment you feel like you don’t have power, that’s when you lose power.

4:56

You know, and we do have power.

We do have power.

And you know, as I’m talking to the black community, we have buy in power and reminded of that, that just just to kind of before we get started, I want to remind us that there will be no Adidas if there was no brown face.

5:18

There will be no Nike if there was no brown face.

There would be Coca-Cola if they hadn’t diversified.

There would be no Walmart if they had not diversified, you know, so there.

And I can go on and on and on because everyone knows data puts it out there that diversity improves the bottom line.

5:43

But this is the thing.

There’s a lot of people who are in denial of that.

They’re going to mess around and find out, you know, And so I think we have to just remember, just remember that that we have power, you know, not just physical power.

5:59

We also have spiritual power, you know, and that’s one of the most important things to remember is the things that we’re talking about is the flourishing of all people.

We’re talking about unity, reconciliation, redemption, restoration.

6:18

All of those things are God things.

And so I think that we just need to be reminded of that.

So let’s just check in with our team who is here.

And as we embark on this day, and this is a newness.

6:34

Now, I know some of you who are listening, maybe you haven’t realized the reality of this.

You know, maybe you’ve checked out like a while ago, or maybe you don’t feel like you may feel like, oh, this you’re exaggerating, you know, of, of what’s to come.

And I do believe, let me tell you, I believe that God can transform hearts.

6:54

He can turn hearts and that’s the thing that we’re going to be praying towards.

Like I’m not praying for anyone to fail.

I’m not I’m praying for people to succeed at the things that are that’s going to bring about restoration and redemption.

7:11

That’s the thing, like I ain’t just praying for you to to to to win and to when it’s going to be oppressive to certain groups of people.

I’m not I’m not praying for that.

But when we’re talking about the flourishing of our people, transformation, those sort of things that I am playing towards.

7:28

But I want to check in with you guys cuz we only have a, a few minutes here with you.

But let’s take a deep breath before we check in.

Let’s just take a deep breath, breathe in, breathe out.

And those of you who are listening in your car, wherever you are, make sure you breathe in and breathe out.

7:51

And if you’re breathing, that means there’s something for you to do because you are alive.

You are alive.

And I think that’s important for us to remember.

There is always something, you know?

And the number one thing is prayer.

8:08

The number one thing, you know, that is where revelation is going to come from.

That’s where innovation comes from.

That’s where creativity comes from.

That’s where answers come from.

That’s where transformation begins.

And so that is something that we can do.

But how are you feeling, Jefferson?

8:24

How are you feeling?

I think you know, Tasha in this season and in this, this new year and in this moment is there’s a mixture of feelings.

And I think that we have to 1st we all, all of us, we have to be able to live in the complexity of our emotions that several can be present and active at the same time.

8:53

And so for me, even as I am excited about a fresh start, I am also reflecting over the end of last year.

Disappointed.

Disappointed because of the response and lack of response of those who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ and how some choose to claim his name.

9:18

But then when it comes to listening and standing for true justice, there seems to be a disconnect there.

Disappointed in the the lack of understanding and knowledge of believers when it comes to even political things.

9:35

There seems to be a great void and a bit of illiteracy.

Frustrated with the responses of people and just in this nation and the continual overlap of Jesus and this idea of America being a Christian nation.

9:56

And that’s not our focus today.

But just, you know, you asked me how I’m feeling.

Yeah.

Yeah, it’s a lot.

It’s a lot.

These things are very important because for Christians to not see that not being true, it shows that there’s been a lot of mis education and a lot of education left out.

10:15

Yeah.

And that seems to be a plague in this nation.

Yeah.

And yet, even in the midst of those things, I am determined.

And that I know you mentioned the call and you talked about calling and, you know, wishing you could bury your head somewhere.

And when you said that, it made me think of this phrase that I’m rooted, but not buried.

10:34

And I thought about being rooted my, my foundation, being in Christ, rooted in his love, rooted in the Kingdom of God, anchored in the Kingdom.

And just as a tree is rooted in the ground, a tree is rooted, but it’s not buried.

And in that I have a responsibility.

10:51

I have a, a Kingdom mandate that I can stop at the gas station to get gas and get a snack, but I can’t stay at the gas station.

We have to keep moving.

And so I’m determined and in, in another way, excited about the opportunity that we have at be the bridge and this mandate and vision to show up and to share this light and to be a, a, a space to encourage and educate and to bring harmony amongst people, right?

11:26

So that’s where I’m at right now.

That’s so good, so good.

We have Sarah here with Sarah.

How are you feeling?

I I resonate with feeling the tensions.

I hear my kids in the background and I feel I don’t know the right word.

11:48

But I struggle with them seeing what they see lifted up and hearing the things that they hear being lifted up that are not of God but are presented as being of God.

12:04

And I’m heartbroken and I’m tired and in all honesty, a lot of times feel lonely in this cultural climate because of and it goes back to that spiritual aspect because of the spiritual blindness around us people just.

12:23

Don’t.

They can’t get past, Oh, you’re being partisan when it’s no, no, I am being tuned in to my creator who put his image in my neighbor and my neighbor is being pushed down and mistreated.

12:42

And this isn’t this.

It’s just it’s just so wild how how we are here.

There are sometimes I feel hopeful because things aren’t hidden and the darkness is being exposed.

So I think God, God has to show up in that.

13:01

He has to use that.

But it is scary.

It’s tense.

It’s it’s hard.

Yeah.

That’s good.

I think exposure is key here, what we’re seeing.

I think Jefferson, you mentioned something, you know, I was just really thinking I was like, man, like you keep wondering like, how do we end up here?

13:23

Like how are some of the things that we are like doing the it’s like the anti Sermon on the Mount that we see that Christians are portraying because white Christian nationalism is Antichrist and it’s Antichrist because it doesn’t edify the dignity and everyone.

13:41

It lifts up white people in a form of supremacy, white Christian men as in a form of supremacy that is Antichrist.

And so, but so many people have fallen into this, you know, that you’re thinking about, I keep thinking about, OK, Lord, we have to not just swim downstream, but how do we go upstream?

14:03

And I think the upstream of people having bad dogma that births bad doctrine theology.

And that’s the thing.

And so where I see now is there’s an opportunity because this is that same theology that created the manifest dynasty.

14:22

This is that same theology that created the Atlantic slave trade.

This is that same theology that started the Holocaust.

This is the same theology that started apartheid.

This is the same theology we can just keep continue to go on and on and and when Christianity has gotten in bed with the empire, the destruction that has it has created.

14:47

And this is what we’re grieving, friends.

This is what we see.

You know, we are discerning the times as, as I say all the time, like the sons of Issachar, we are like discerning.

We can see it.

15:03

And if you’re attuned to the Spirit of God, you, you will see it.

You know, we saw on January the 6th, we saw the Christian symbols that were used to justify that.

And so I never thought we would be here after that.

15:19

So it shows me just the depravity of not just people, but our institutions, you know, our institutions as a church.

So what I’ve been looking at is like, Lord, show me the opportunity.

I’m also, Lord, keep my heart, you know, I don’t want my heart to turn into hate.

15:41

I don’t want my heart to be disconnected from God’s people.

And so that is something that I don’t feel that that is right.

But I want to remind those who are listening, originally when we first started Be the Bridge, we had a very broad kind of mission.

15:58

You know, right now our mission is to empower people and culture towards racial healing, racial equity and racial reconciliation.

But a part of my heart and even starting be the bridge has always been to bring glory to God.

16:14

I always felt like, OK, Jesus needs some new PR, which I know Jesus don’t really need us.

I know I’m like, I’m giving ourselves a little too much credit.

We get it, you know, and at the end of the day, we know, we know Jesus is the, is the bridge, you know, and that’s what we say and be the bridge that the gospel, the message of Jesus is that bridge, you know, because this is too much for any human being to carry.

16:40

So we don’t carry this, this burden, this yoke alone, but this, this sense of I want to be a credible witness for the glory of God.

And so my thing is like, how do I remain a credible witness?

16:57

And I was just looking up, you know, a witness is is able to be believed.

They are known as an observer, onlooker, eyewitness, a spectator, a viewer, a watcher, evidence, proof to give or to serve, evidence to testify.

17:14

That’s what a witness is.

And then, you know, we had, we see in Proverbs 2128, it says a false witness will be cut off, but a credible witness will be allowed to speak.

And then in Proverbs 12 and 17 through 20, it says a honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies.

17:35

The words of the reckless pierced like swords, but the tongue of the wise of the wise brings healing.

Truthful lips endure forever, but a lion tongue lasts only a moment.

Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, evil.

17:53

But those who promote peace have joy.

Those who promote peace have joy.

And I think this is a time for us we to reckon with.

We know what the fruit of the Spirit, the Bible is like the fruit of the Spirit.

18:09

And so we’re looking at something like when you talk about peace only comes through restoration and truthfulness.

We will not have peace if there if it’s built on lies, you know.

18:25

And so that is just something for us to to remember.

What, what when you guys are thinking about this, this work, and maybe Sarah, you or Jefferson can read like when we talk, when we’re talking to our community, Jefferson, you work with our college students and our youth.

18:43

And I know that some of them are just like, OK, what?

What in the world?

And I feel like we’ve let them down.

When I think about my mom and her generation, that the, the boomers, the late boomers, the younger boomers, I hate the fact that I feel like we let them down.

19:02

And this and this season of what the, the language that has been used to someone saying, you know, I do believe that the, I don’t believe that DEI is the complete answer.

And there’s a lot of holes and problems with DEI.

We were talking about that before.

19:19

For several years we’ve been talking about that because DEI benefits white women the most.

But when I do hear this anti DEI or anti woke type thing, it is translated to anti black, pretty much, yeah.

That’s, that’s, that’s exactly what it means.

19:36

And so when you, if you feel like, OK, why are people offended with that?

Because we’re offended because it’s like you detest our very existence.

You know, that’s anti blackness.

What what that is, especially when you start talking about attacking history and different things like that.

19:55

But when the work that we’re doing, we had this comment and maybe Sarah, you can read this or Jefferson, whichever one, we had a person to share that they can’t continue this work right now.

And we’ve been hearing this like across the board from lots of people.

20:13

And let’s talk about that.

Yeah, so we said what?

I’ll read our statement and then read what one of the responses was.

We said.

The past several weeks have brought up a range of emotions for many in our community.

People have wept together, lamented together, and share truth together as we held community talk back calls.

20:36

We’ve been honored to hear how you are processing current events in the questions you have.

We hold the things you share with care and compassion.

And then one person responded and said to continue in this work right now is a threat to my mental and emotional well-being.

20:52

We have said all that we can say about this issue to to both self-proclaimed allies as well as those on the opposite side and they still made the choice to elect who they elected.

I’m sitting this one out to protect my sanity for the next 4 years.

21:11

Sorry Tasha, I can’t anymore.

It’s real.

I was like, why are you saying sorry to me?

But you know, but I think about that real quick.

Get it?

I’m saying sorry to you because they’re part of the community and when you.

21:29

Yeah, I get it.

It’s complicated.

I mean, what are your, I mean, that’s real.

And I, I feel like who’s to tell you what you should do and what you shouldn’t do in that sense, I think everybody has to know their capacity and everybody has to know what they are mentally capable of doing.

21:51

Now we know that we’re going to have to make adjustments.

We, we, we’re making adjustments.

You know, there are pivots that people are having to make.

There are days that I have to convince myself where before I didn’t.

But I also have been reminded I’ve been looking at some old things on PBS and different things.

22:09

And I our history has been this one of ups and downs, you know, progress and the lack of progress.

Progress and then a taste of liberation and then you don’t have it anymore.

22:27

So I think about how many times, how many people came into office promising to bring change and that wasn’t, that did not happen.

I think about after the Civil War where there was this glimpse of hope, you know, and during Reconstruction, you know, people came into power because they realized like, oh, these people are not savages.

22:50

They’re smart, they’re intelligent.

They progressed and did all these things, even though we had our our boots on their neck in the sense of that.

And I think that is just something that that you’ve seen the back and forth, the back and forth over history.

23:08

I was hoping not to live through the some of the back and forth, but that is a real thing.

And I, and I think what I want to encourage our community to do, they’re going to be some of us that are going to be on the battleground.

23:26

They’re going to be some that are closer to the infighting than some.

You know, I think we all, we are all called to pray.

You know, we are all called to pray.

So I think that’s, that’s one thing.

23:42

I think we are all, we are all called to hold these tensions, you know, but some of us in this season are all called, are some are called to build, some will be called to protest, some will innovate during this time.

24:02

I think there are a lot of opportunities because when we look throughout history, what we see is in those times of transition or those those times of unrest, we’ve seen, you know, our community adapt.

24:20

Yeah, in ways that was very innovative.

You think about just.

I’m thinking about even the Harlem Renaissance and the things that came out.

I was thinking that the Harlem Renaissance and but I think about, you know, just from our suffering, how gospel music and Blues music and all of those things.

24:41

I mean, there’s some beauty that comes from the ashes.

And I think there are going to be some of us that are going to be building.

They’re going to be building our own tables because never before have we had the, the type of, you know, when we start talking about black GDP that that we didn’t have before, you know, the influencers, the those who influence and those with power, like all of those things.

25:07

And so I think that’s important for us to remember that, you know, everyone is not going to be called to be a part of this, this next season in a, in a certain way.

And some may be not just on the sidelines sitting, but creating.

25:23

And I think that’s, you know, writing, inventing, telling our stories.

I think that’s key.

What?

What are you thinking, Sarah?

Yeah.

It makes me think of how we talk about bridge building not being a movement, but a lifestyle.

And like a movement would be something where we’re all kind of going forward in the same way.

25:43

But a lifestyle lends itself to people being part of it in the ways that they are able, in the ways that they are talented and gifted in their networks and their specific localized communities.

Yeah.

That that’s kind of what I was thinking as you were talking was just that lifestyle aspect.

26:03

What about you just?

Yeah, I just, I love that.

I love how you, you know, highlighted the ability of people to innovate in the in the midst of injustice.

And I think about now and I think about my sons.

26:19

I think about college students, other young adults and their voice and their creativity and the presence they have in in the digital world and running alongside of them.

I think that this season there’s an opportunity for those who are willing to embrace the young in a different way, leaning on the strength, the the wisdom of the old, leaning on the youth and vitality of the young.

26:50

And I always, I, I like to play with the idea and we know that it wouldn’t have happened.

But what if King David or David, the young David had a healthy Saul?

What could they have done if, if Saul was healthy?

But we knew that wasn’t a part of the plan, but just hypothetically thinking what what could have happened?

27:10

Yeah.

What would it look like for a senior citizens and, you know, middle-aged people to humble themselves in such a way that they lean into youth and the youthfulness of youth.

27:27

And for and I and I think there’s more of a responsibility for older people to show up with a greater level of humility and open hand because it it should be the adults who have the emotional intelligence to open up to younger people because they’re not as developed.

27:45

But that’s a whole another conversation.

But yeah, I’m just thinking about the the combination of the old and the young coming together and using their strengths to to build and to progress.

Yeah.

And I know with that, we’re going to be doing some Talkback lives online and then also in person.

28:05

I know our community, we’ve been hosting conversations and discussions in the community, just bringing people together to have dialogue, to have respite to, to reset.

And I know that has been healing for a lot of people because people are going to need that, you know, people are going to need that.

28:24

And I think about so many times, like I know there are a lot of organizations that are out doing some incredible things.

And I’m also mindful that if we didn’t have these, I think about, you know, just our, our story in our history, if we didn’t have the N double ACP or our Snick or, you know, or, you know, the SCLC, you know, all these different things that were, you would say, these justice agents for, for our community that if we didn’t have those things.

28:52

And so I think about that now over the history of be the Bridge and all the things that we’ve done over the last eight years, if we weren’t here, you know, there are a lot of people who wouldn’t have understood what we’re talking about now if they hadn’t started engaging or reading, you know, a book, be the Bridge book or hadn’t been a part of a be the Bridge community.

29:15

You know, they may not understand what’s happening now.

And so I think we’ve helped lay a lot of groundwork to contextualize and what this moment right here is.

And so a, a part of me this year have felt like, you know, it’s just even working.

29:33

Does this even matter?

You know, and I, I would, I would say now, like I see for such a time as this, you know, but it is going to be hard.

And so those of you who are on the sidelines, if you want to put your head in the sand, you can put your head in the sand, But, you know, become a monthly donor, you know, to help us do the work to help us stay on the battlefield.

29:55

So, you know, to, to, to, to give us water, to give us supplies so that we have the tools and resources we need in order to do that work.

You know, there’s there’s some of you where you’re going to make a stand with your dollar like you’re going to is where you shop what you do.

30:12

Those things matter.

But in this season we have, we have to have leaders and I think we have some incredible.

I don’t think leadership is going to be like it was 70 years ago with one person or one group.

30:28

I think leadership is going to be disseminated, which is, you know, which is different, you know, and I think we all have a role, but even if your role is sitting out, a part of that role is helping to equip the people that are holding the line, you know?

30:46

And so that’s something that I would encourage people to remember and to think about.

And as we begin to kind of close out, there’s a lot of things that are taking place.

You know, I know we’re going to have some links to Doctor King’s non violence principles.

31:02

And I was even thinking like, there’s never been a time before that.

We have the incredible books by phenomenal authors of people who have given us marching orders, who have given us understanding.

There are so many books out there.

31:19

There are so many people online that are instructing this, given history lessons, all of those things.

We have an entire Academy of resources and information for those who want to continue to educate yourself because that’s what we’re going to need during this season.

31:38

And so I think there’s going to be prayer movements like never before.

I think we’re going to see people come to to faith in Christ like never before.

I think I think they’re going to there is going to be good that comes from the the ashes.

31:54

And some people say, well, why are you calling this ashes?

I’m calling this ashes because it is not a a movement of of peace and reconciliation and unity.

It is one of indifference.

It is one of an indifference breeds hate.

32:14

Hate reads violence and so is one of violence.

And so that that is the fruit that we’ve seen.

That is the fruit that we’ve seen in in prior years and even in conversation where American is pitted against American where America are pitted against our our allies.

32:37

And I, and I want you to think about this.

The God of Christianity is not an American guy.

That Christianity.

It’s global.

It’s about the nations and the tribes.

Thanks for listening to the Be the Bridge Podcast.

32:54

To find out more about Be the Bridge and what we offer, visit bethebridge.com.

Partner with us in this work at bethebridge.com/give, Connect with us on social media, and remember, you are not alone in your pursuit of righteousness and justice.

33:11

Latasha Morrison is the executive producer, Sarah Knatzer is the producer, and transcripts are done by a wonderful team of volunteers.

Thanks for listening.

Part 2:

0:02

Welcome to the Be the Bridge podcast.

Be the Bridge exists to empower people and culture toward racial healing, equity, and reconciliation.

Latasha Morrison founded Be the Bridge in 2016 to foster needed dialogue and brave spaces and to give people the tools to pursue racial justice.

0:22

We provide resources and community to do just that, and this podcast is one of those resources.

You’ll hear interviews hosted by Latasha and our team, conversations about current events, and encouragement for your racial literacy journey.

Thank you for listening, subscribing and engaging in this important work.

0:43

And I, and I want you to think about this.

The God of Christianity is not an American guy that Christianity is.

Global.

It’s about the nations.

And the tribes.

1:00

Revelation 79.

It’s about the.

Nations and the tribes and the nations and the tribes look different culturally.

They speak different.

Jesus didn’t speak.

English and he.

Was not white and so we need to.

1:15

Remember that and most.

Of church and.

Yeah, and.

America is not.

The Apple.

Of God.

‘S eye because.

What does that say about Brazil?

What does that say about Germany?

What’s what does that say about Russia?

1:31

What does that say about Ukraine?

What does that say about Iraq?

What does that say about Palestine?

What does that say about Lebanon?

God’s people.

Are in these places too.

Come on.

You know we.

Serve a God that loves.

The entire.

World for God.

1:47

So.

Loved the world.

Of America gave.

Exactly no.

Gods.

Will love the world that he gave, and I think that’s important for us to remember.

So anything.

Any.

Speech, Any talk that goes contrary to that Any.

2:04

Speech that goes.

Contrary to John 316.

Anything that goes.

Contrary to us loving our neighbor that you know, so a lot of things that that Jesus didn’t talk about that you know, we have questions about and we got a whole list of things we want to ask him about.

But one thing he did talk about was how do we treat our neighbor?

2:23

Come on, the foreigner, the widower and the orphan.

The.

Least of these.

Yes.

We.

Serve a God that is all about equity.

And we see that through the parable, the parables.

We serve a equitable God, so.

2:39

If we don’t like equity on this side.

How in the world, I mean, what are we thinking?

So this, so you know my my prayers against this false Christianity that has prepped some up, that has told them that they are supreme and that God is not supreme because the only supremacy that we should be looking forward to is God’s.

3:06

Supremacy, you know.

You know, you make me think that when we don’t have a hermeneutic of Jesus, yes, of the Bible, we will always mishandle, misinterpret and abuse the word of God.

3:23

Yeah, and then in turn end up mistreating and harming people.

Yeah, yeah.

And I heard, I think it was a, someone in Congress said, well, you know, if you want to know what I’m about, read the Bible.

It’s contrary.

Yeah, that’s.

I don’t know.

3:38

No, it’s no.

First of all, you can’t read the Bible literally #1.

OK.

There is a ancient Eastern context that the Bible is written in context, so you can’t read that literally.

And the first of all, there’s so much ignorance in that statement because I should be able to look at your life and see the fruit you know, and see Jesus and your actions.

4:03

Should lined up with.

The actions that I see in Jesus and one of the things that we know, the characteristics that we see about Christ is that he is one of empathy and that’s not toxic.

Compassion.

Let me repeat.

Say it again.

4:19

Anybody.

That’s trying to distort the word of God and say empathy is toxic.

That’s so weird.

Question their.

Doctrine and their.

Theology.

That’s so weird to me.

That is just weird and that compassion, like even now, like I have compassion for.

4:38

Those that will be.

Because of my faith in Jesus, my compassion is also to pray that you are transformed, that your mind is renewed and that you become more and more like Christ daily and that you humble yourselves and you don’t set yourself on top of a hill, you know, and, and so compassion beckons me to pray, you know.

5:05

And so I think that’s important for us to remember doing this season.

We just wanted to come on here today and say that we are here.

That we.

Will be.

Here that we.

Are going to continue to do this good work of restoration of reconciliation of repair with that we are here because God has placed us here and we’re going to continue to.

5:29

Go with those.

Who want to go and I know that looks that looks different, but we are going to be credible witness and we know that a credible witness is going to be anchored in truth, come on and truth telling.

5:45

And so we’re going to tell the truth while we’re here.

Like it is.

Yeah, yeah.

I think, Sarah, you had something and and I think.

You had a.

Couple things, Jefferson.

Yeah, one of the main things I was thinking of that you talked about earlier too, was the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes.

6:03

So I keep thinking about that.

And so I pulled it up in the First Nations version, because it really is.

Remind us.

So.

Contrary to what we see, but in Matthew 5 when Creator sets free saw this great crowd, he went back up into the mountainside and sat down to teach the people.

6:23

His followers came to him there.

So he took a deep breath, opened his mouth, share his wisdom with them and teach them how to see Creator’s good Rd.

Creator’s blessing rests on the poor, the ones with broken spirits.

The good road from above is theirs to walk.

6:40

Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who walk a Trail of Tears, for He will wipe the tears from their eyes and comfort them.

Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who walk softly and in a humble manner.

The earth, land, and sky will welcome them and always be their home.

6:58

Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who hunger and thirst for wrongs to be made right.

They will eat and drink until they are full.

Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who are merciful and kind to others.

Their kindness will find its way back to them full circle.

7:18

Creator’s blessing rests on the pure of heart.

They are the ones who will see the Great Spirit.

Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who make peace.

It will be said of them, they are the children of the Great Spirit.

Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who are haunted down and mistreated for doing what is right, for they are walking the good road from above.

7:44

Others will lie about you, speak against you, and look down on you with scorn and contempt, all because you walk the road with me.

This is a sign that Creator’s blessing is resting on you.

So let your hearts be glad and jump for joy, for you will be honored in the spirit world above.

8:05

You are like the prophets of old who were same way by your ancestors.

And then he goes into the next section.

But I just feel like this is kind of a blessing for all of us.

As you walk the good Rd. with me.

8:21

You are the salt of the earth, bringing cleansing and healing to all.

But I, I see that as our picture kind of like Jefferson talked about the roots earlier and and you talked about our work, like so much of our work so far has been planting the seeds and letting people get rooted in.

8:40

And so now some of those seeds, you know, it’s.

So.

Good scattered around as Jesus says too, but others are are making shade and and and being the trees and the you know, there’s so many different trees.

8:57

There’s fruit trees, there’s shade trees, there’s I don’t know what else trees that turn into.

Nut trees.

You know, whatever.

Wall all the trees, but they all, they all have different purposes.

9:15

They create shade, they create covering, they’re made into shelters, but all all of us working together can can bring that cleansing and healing.

But it is hard.

And we want to walk alongside the community to not just continue to bring awareness, but to help others be activated in this work to help them to so many people want to know what to do.

9:39

And that looks different for different people.

But I think that’s always a big question.

What can we do?

What, what are the what, what can we do in this time?

Yeah.

Jefferson, what are what are your thoughts about leading people sharing, sharing how they can get involved or be part of stepping into a bridge building lifestyle?

10:00

Yeah, I think, you know, when it comes to in this season of just leading and being present to really show other people the way it is about it comes back to that lifestyle and just thinking about like, if it’s not, it’s not.

10:18

If it’s not a part of your lifestyle, you can’t demonstrate that or lead other people in that way.

So I think it is, I think it’s a really good time for people to look inward and just look in the mirror just to assess where you are and just come to grips and be real about that.

10:36

And then lock in with other people who are bridge builders who are doing the work.

And even like that post the the person was so vulnerable.

And.

Real and did not hide how they felt and the world can see that.

10:53

And so I think we got to be first be look inward, be honest with yourself.

But in that, you know, if you’re called to this work, you know, step up and do it.

And as you bring other people along, don’t judge them where they are, but just walk alongside them in that journey.

11:12

You know, the last thing that I was thinking about, and I think Tasha has something to it’s crazy.

She’s my twin.

But we we both saw something in Martin Luther King’s last book.

And he wrote this the year before he was assassinated.

It was at least published and put out in the book title is so fitting is where do we go from here?

11:33

Chaos or community.

And I’m going to read this and then I’m going to pass the mic.

It says after 348 years, racial injustice is still the Negro’s burden and America’s shame and y’all, it’s 2025 and it’s still hits.

11:51

I’m going to keep going.

Yet for his own inner health, in all outer functioning, the Negro is called upon to be a resourceful, as productive and as responsible as those who have not known such oppression and exploitation.

12:07

This is the Negro’s dilemma.

He who starts behind in a race must forever remain behind or run faster than the man in front.

What a dilemma.

It is a call to do the impossible.

It is enough.

It is enough to cause the Negro to give up in despair.

12:24

And yet there are times when life demands the perpetual doing of the impossible.

The life of our slave forebearers, forebears is eternal testimony to the ability of men to achieve the impossible.

So too, we must embark upon this difficult, trying and sometimes bewildering course with a dynamic will.

12:46

We must transform our minus into a plus and move on aggressively through the storms of injustice and the jostling winds of daily handicaps toward the beaconing lights of fulfillment.

Our dilemma is serious and our handicaps are real.

13:06

But equally real is the power of a creative will and its ability to give us the courage to go on in spite of.

Amen.

13:23

What I love about that speech is so significant to the civil rights movement.

It was written in 1967.

It addresses like the the future challenges, but it also highlights the past accomplishments and the achievements that were made.

13:42

It gives a vision for the future of America, but it also emphasizes one of the things that this like different in this speech, it really talks about not just equality, equality and and unity and peace and justice, but it talks about economic justice.

14:00

It talks about equity.

And he, you know, and then basically, you know, so he’s addressing poverty, He’s addressing racism.

Not now and then he’s not talking about just poverty of black and brown people, but he’s talking about poverty even as it relates to white.

14:16

People because.

I would say poor white people have been taken advantage of and a lot of this greed also.

And so may you have eyes to hear and to see during this time.

May you have eyes to hear and see and, and where do you go from here?

14:34

I, I was just going to read.

I like this part that kind of fires you up and you know, like, you know, he a Baptist preacher.

So at the end he’s like, and, and this is the thing that I was talking about with the other leader, like he said, how do we activate people?

Like, how do we, you know, you know, empower people with hope And, you know, because when you feel despair or when and when there’s chaos and when you feel hopeless, that’s when the enemy ends, you know, And so we have to fuel people with hope during the season.

15:06

And that’s what he was doing.

Martin Luther King was trying to empower people with hope.

And then he was, he uses this word.

He said may we have a divine dissatisfaction and I love, may we have a divine dissatisfaction, divine dissatisfaction.

15:26

And I think that is so key, you know, and so may we have a divine dissatisfaction because we have to understand who we are powered by.

That’s key, you know, and we have to understand the one who gives power, the one who holds burden, the one who who, who is in ultimately in control and not spiritual bypassing.

15:48

This is the thing because listen, a lot of people don’t have the privilege to spiritual bypass, you know, and you know, we, we need to know how we going to make it over.

We need to know that this is going to be hard and what we’re facing is not going to be easy.

16:04

But I, I would say we need to set our face to the one who gives us breath.

Amen.

And remember that, you know, and, and, and I think this is a time where we cry out in the wilderness.

This is a time when we cry out to God to give us wisdom and to, to protect us and to, to defend us.

16:25

You know, and one of the things when he talks about divine dissatisfaction, then he goes on to say, and I want to read this just to kind of, you know, sometimes we need some of that old Baptist preaching to kind of pump us up.

He says let us, let us be just let us be dissatisfied.

16:44

And to the.

Tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the bantering Rams of the forces of justice.

Words, he said.

Let us be dissatisfied into those who live on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of a daily security.

17:07

Let us be dissatisfied into the slums until the slums are cast into the junk heaps of history and every family will live in decent in a sanitary hall.

Let us be dissatisfied into the dark.

Yesterdays of segregated and disenfranchised schools will be transformed into bright tomorrow’s of quality and equitable integrated education, he said.

17:30

Let us be dissatisfied into integration is not seen as a problem, but as a opportunity to participate in the beauty.

Of that.

Diversity and belonging let us be dissatisfied until men and women, however black or brown they may be, will be judged on the basis of the content of their.

17:52

Character and not.

On the basis of the color of their skin, let us be dissatisfied, he said.

Let us be dissatisfied until every state Capitol will be housed by a governor who will do justly, who will love mercy, and who will walk humbly with our God.

18:10

Let it be so.

Amen.

Let it.

Let us dissatisfied until from every City Hall justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Let us be dissatisfied until the day when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and every man will sit under his own vine and big tree, and none shall be afraid.

18:30

And then the last one, he says, let us be dissatisfied until we recognize that out of one.

But God made us all to dwell upon the face of the earth.

And he said, let us be dissatisfied until that one day, until that day when nobody will shout white power, our DEI must die or make signs that will say tearing down of other people, but everyone will talk about God’s power and the only supremacy is God’s supremacy.

19:01

And at the end he kind of closes and some of those, like some of those dissatisfied, I threw those in there, you know, just, you know, I added my own little twist, but he closes with this and I want to close with this.

This is you’re hearing this on Martin Luther King Day.

19:17

This is the speech where.

Do you go?

Where do we go from here?

That from chaos to community in Martin Luther King talks about the beloved community.

So I want you to think about what that means.

You know the beloved community and he taught he he quotes James Weldon Johnson and you know him, he wrote the national black anthem.

19:41

And this is because we needed our own anthem in a sense, because we we felt disillusioned with the anthem that we’ve that we have that wasn’t representative of everyone in A.

And it says stoning the road.

19:57

We tried bither the chastity rod felt in the days when hope unborn had died.

Yet with a steady beat have not our weary feet come to the place for which our fathers side.

We have come over a way that with tears have been watered.

20:14

We have come treading the paths through the blood of the slaughter.

Out from the gloomy past till now we stand at last where the bright gleam.

And our bright star is cast.

And if you know that song, we have come.

20:32

I, I’m not going to sing it for you, but you know, these are some marching orders that were given.

Let us be dissatisfied and let us not go grow weary and well doing.

And ’cause we have done, we have accomplished so much.

20:52

And that is why we are seeing the backlash and the rage today because what we are doing this work of justice is good.

Holy work has been working and God will always have the the last say.

21:11

And you know, and I and just to to remind people, the people chose solve, you know, I mean, Samuel anointed him, but you know, some reluctance, you know, you know, the people also chose Barabbas and a lot of the people didn’t choose Jesus.

21:32

And Judas chose the money.

And and Judas chose the money.

You know.

And so I just want us to remember that in this.

But we pray for restoration, we pray for transformation, and we pray that God will RIP the hearts of his people and remind them of his word.

21:54

Amen.

OK, so happy Martin Luther King Day.

Remember what this day is about.

Thanks for listening to the Be the Bridge podcast.

To find out more about Be the Bridge and what we offer, visit bethebridge.com.

22:13

Partner with us in this work at bethebridge.com/give, connect with us on social media, and remember you are not alone in your pursuit of righteousness and justice.

Latasha Morrison is the executive producer, Sarah Knatzer is the producer, and transcripts are done by a wonderful team of volunteers.

22:32

Thanks for listening.