This special bonus episode is being released in light of Juneteenth, an important holiday on many levels and we hope that this conversation helps our listeners wrestle through this very important and timely question.
Turmoil is in the streets. In major cities across the country, there is civil unrest. As if the world could not become any more divided, the perennial problem of race in America has once more crashed onto the national scene. As has so often been the case, people have divided into camps. Very little room, if any at all, has been made for middle ground. Allies for justice have risen from all corners of American life, but many have come under fire for merely putting on an act. And while these actions ought to be condemned, fear of being called a performative ally has paralyzed otherwise well meaning people from taking part in the collective cry for justice.
In this bonus episode, we ask, “What does performative activism look like?” Does performative justice hurt corrective efforts? What motivations for pursuing justice are legitimate? Should allies for justice, specifically racial justice, be a monolith? All this and more on this edition of Questions From The Pew.
RESOURCES:
Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times, by Soong-Chan Rah
Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity, by David W. Swanson