Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Places at the Table: SisterReach Faith and the Need for Intentional Presence between Faith and RJ Communities

TAMAR'S SISTERS
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Places at the Table
SisterReach Faith and the Need for Intentional Presence between Faith and RJ Communities

A young woman who has been sexually assaulted—drowning in shame and pain—prays for comfort and guidance to a God she firmly believes is punishing her for not behaving like a lady. A young man bound for college finds out that the one time on prom night was enough to impregnate his date even though his friends assured him that she couldn’t get pregnant the first time. He wishes that he had known the truth and—spinning in confusion about what this means for his life—he picks up his bible. The mother, already working two jobs and barely staying afloat, hums a hymn through her tears as she considers how she can make enough money to afford to feed another baby. The same gendered couple who have been fighting for the right to adopt or utilize fertility services in order to have a child wrestle with whether or not to seek guidance from their pastor whose silence about their marriage feels like quiet acquiescence to social pressure rather than full acceptance of their love for one another.

                I could go on and on naming situations that bring Reproductive Justice issues into conversation with real people and their faith. We at SisterReach believe wholeheartedly that women and girls of color, poor and rural women deserve the same access and opportunities afforded to all of our neighbors. We believe that part of that access to opportunity includes the ability to be self-determining about our own bodies and reproduction. With sadness, we acknowledge that of the many places in which our bodily autonomy is challenged and our needs subjugated some of our faith communities have become the most oppressive.

As faith communities struggle to remain relevant in a culture that increasingly recognizes their complicity in the oppression of people throughout history, now is the moment to consider the ways in which we approach (or refuse to approach) the real needs of those who are most faithful in our communities. Now is the moment to decide how we will minister to the lives of the people who have been the backbone of our faith communities since the beginning and who often keep them afloat now: women of faith. We must recognize that God created them in God’s image and intends to bless their WHOLE lives—even their reproductive lives.

 If we are to continue to be relevant, we have to stop evil practices that call out the “sin” of a woman’s sexual activity while normalizing male sexual aggression. We have to recognize that narratives of personal responsibility aimed at women like firing squad weapons to intimidate them into respectability has not worked and, in a climate like today’s, will only serve to distance us from those we serve. If we are to be relevant in the lives of our people, we will have to START with the lives of our people—told from their own perspectives—rather than with “preachable,” yet oversimplified messages about complicated situations.

Rates of unexpected pregnancy, STIs, domestic and sexual violence, poverty, incarceration and much more are high in our communities and our church members are not immune. Many of us know that “the way we’ve always done it,” is toxic in the midst of crisis, yet hold on to a theology that either ignores these issues or silences and stigmatizes those who are called to address them.  In many cases, we are hurting the very people we are called to liberate. By refusing to acknowledge the impact of systemic racism, classism and heteropatriarchy on the lives of our congregations, we refuse to see them. And if we don’t SEE them, we cannot SERVE them and are therefore missing out on our call.

In movement spaces, we are careful to uplift and center the lived experiences of people who have been marginalized by shaming narratives, systems of oppression and domination. We encourage our own AND our opponents to listen to the voices of those who have been silenced and whose very bodies have been vilified because we believe that no one can tell a story from the intersection better than the person standing right in it. Faith itself is a cornerstone of the lived experiences of many—inseparable from the rest of their lives—and therefore MUST be part of the conversation.

                Many of us in movement spaces have been so hurt by the insensitivities and sometimes downright hatefulness of “church folk,” that we have abandoned all attempts to reach people of faith for the sake of the movement.  Truly hearing the stories of the women at the margins MUST include hearing the ways that their faith informs every facet of their lives for good or ill. Certainly, we must acknowledge the ways in which faith spaces have traditionally silenced the needs of women or shamed us for even having needs, but we also must be committed to learning to speak these truths in ways that call out the oppression inside these communities without belittling the experiences or intelligence of women who rely on their faith as a resource for every situation. This, too, is justice.

                The table is a symbol of coming together in many cultural contexts. Joining one another at the table is an intentional act that implies at least enough good will to be present with one another. SisterReach Faith invites all of us to the table. We may never agree whole heartedly on every detail, but if you are willing to wrestle together with others who want to do the work of improving the lives of women and girls of color, poor and rural women, we invite you to the table. Together, we believe we can create a message of love and liberation that connects the lives of women inside and outside of faith communities—encouraging wholeness, flourishing and justice!

WELCOME TO SISTERREACH FAITH!!


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