The Attorney General’s push to remove or weaken elected city councils so the governor can appoint his own choices is not just a political move… it’s a power grab. And it’s one that hits at the heart of Orleans Parish. Our city council is supposed to represent us — the neighborhoods, the culture bearers, the elders, the workers, the families who’ve been here for generations. When you take away the right of the people to choose their own leadership, you’re not just changing policy… you’re changing the soul of a place.

And let’s be honest: this isn’t happening in every parish. It’s not happening in the cities that look a certain way or vote a certain way. It’s happening here — in New Orleans — a city where Black culture is not an accessory but the foundation. A city where the music, the food, the traditions, the language, the rhythm of daily life all come from Black hands, Black minds, Black history. A city that has always been loud, creative, rebellious, and unbothered by attempts to tame it.

That’s why people are outraged. Because we’ve seen this playbook before. Louisiana has a long history of trying to control Black political power, and every time progress is made, there’s a push to drag us backward. The governor and his allies may not use the language of Jim Crow, but the intention feels familiar… limit the voice of Black communities, centralize power in the hands of a few, and weaken the influence of a city that refuses to bow.

New Orleans has always been a place where Black people could breathe a little freer, even in the hardest times. Our ancestors created second lines, Mardi Gras Indian tribes, jazz, Creole cuisine, and countless traditions as acts of resistance and joy. They built community structures when the state refused to protect them. They elected leaders who understood the unique needs of this city. And now, to see the state government trying to override that legacy… it feels like an attack on everything we’ve fought to preserve.

People here aren’t fooled. They see the AG’s actions for what they are — oppressive, targeted, and rooted in a desire to control a city that has never been easy to control. Locals are talking about it in barbershops, at corner stores, at second lines, in church halls, on porches. The conversations are full of frustration, but also full of clarity. Folks know this isn’t about “efficiency” or “safety” or “better governance.” It’s about power. It’s about silencing a majority-Black city that refuses to fall in line.

And the pushback is growing. Community organizers, activists, elders, young people, business owners — they’re all stepping up. Meetings are happening across the city… petitions are circulating… rallies are forming… and people are calling for accountability. Some are even calling for the governor to be removed, arguing that any leader who tries to undermine democracy in his own state is unfit to lead. Whether that happens or not, the message is clear: New Orleans will not sit quietly while its political voice is threatened.

What makes this moment so powerful is that it’s not just political — it’s personal. For Black New Orleanians, this city is more than a place to live. It’s heritage. It’s memory. It’s identity. It’s the sound of brass bands rolling down the street… the smell of red beans on a Monday… the feeling of home that hits you the moment you cross the parish line. To have outsiders — even if they live in the same state — try to dictate how this city should be run feels like a violation.

And yet, even in the midst of all this, the spirit of New Orleans is holding strong. This city has survived hurricanes, corruption, neglect, and centuries of attempts to erase its Blackness. But every time, the people rise. They rebuild. They reclaim. They resist. That resilience is woven into the culture… into the music… into the way we gather and celebrate and mourn and fight.

The AG and the governor may believe they can reshape New Orleans to fit their vision, but they underestimate the power of a community that has never depended on the state to define its worth. They underestimate the pride of a people who know their history. They underestimate the fire of a city that refuses to be controlled.

New Orleans has always been a place where freedom lives in the streets, in the art, in the culture, in the people. And no political maneuver — no matter how strategic or forceful — can break that spirit.

The fight is far from over… but the people are awake, organized, and ready. And as long as the heart of this city beats with the rhythm of its Black culture, New Orleans will remain exactly what it has always been — unshakeable, unapologetic, and unwilling to bow to oppression.

Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James

May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.

Some of us will not give the title of sister, and it’s not biological, if we don’t know these things to be true. We will cut you off if you can’t truly be a sister to us. Even if expectations are extremely high, we feel that for the love we give, that is what we deserve, and it is what we will demand. The problem comes with the fact that many of us that will make the demand are not the sister that we expect. Some of us don’t reciprocate well. And in not doing so, we tend to harm the soul of the sister that gives us all the things that we claim we need. You see if the reciprocity was flowing like the river, then no sister would be sitting back feeling abandoned, left out, misunderstood, unheard, unseen, unsupported and questioning the loyalty of the women around her. We would not have sisters that are decaying on the inside because they’re unable to express what they’re going through to another woman that they call sister, because they don’t want their business in the street. Basically, confidence isn’t kept. This is so sad to see. It’s heartbreaking, even. Because while many of us are talking about the damning things that men do to us, that is all that we are willing to address; however, the one thing we do not wanna talk about amongst black women is the things we do to each other. Be the sister you expect.

This may sound really simple. Unfortunately, it’s not. Being there in the gap for somebody when they’re going through is a mental, and sometimes physical and emotional labor of love. When you’re going through your own challenges and struggles and you find the bandwidth to be there for another, you’re just hoping that what you’re going through is cared about. If you find that you are able to spill about your day to your sister circle… you’re able to tell them everything that’s going on with you, but you don’t listen to what’s going on with them that’s a problem. When you want them to stand by you, but you’re not allowing them to do so because all of your anger and frustration is taken out on them, yet they had better not express their feelings regarding your behavior because you’re going to play the victim…that’s not okay. If you are wrong in a situation, and they come to you in love about it because you brought the matter to them, and they told you the truth about yourself, but you decide that you’re going to again be angry at them…that’s not OK.

When you have that sister that answers you all the time and never leaves you hanging, but when they are going through a devastating challenge and they aren’t able to show up because they are down as in they mentally or physically find themselves incapacitated and communicate such, but you decide to berate them as weak and disloyal…that’s not okay. When you demand that time be made in the schedule of your sister’s for you and your family, but when they need you… you don’t prioritize them even if you could…it’s not reciprocity, and it’s just not OK. In these moments, we are taking, taking and taking while giving nothing to those that are giving us everything, and we yet have the audacity to play the victim when that sister gets tired of not being treated as a sister.

Sisters, it’s important that we love each other as we love ourselves. I can honestly say that I have been blessed to have some of the best sister support anyone could ask for. They held me down when I just thought my life was ending literally. Some of them have sat in the hospital with me. They sat in funerals with me. I make it my priority to be there for them and love on them. I also want them to know that they are so important to me that the show can stop for them. That I care for them. I want them to know they can trust me. Whatever they tell me, it’ll never leave me. I want to be the sister that they are to me, the reciprocity matters to me. That must be our desire for one another. We have the desire to love the women around us to the degree that they’re loving us.

If you have sisters that are not sisters to you, that are toxic, that are hurting you, it may be time to reevaluate those relationships because you deserve better. If you were the sister that has a sister in your life that is holding you down with everything she’s got and she’s in the challenges of life with you, and never allows you to go through alone…love that woman. Love on her and make sure that you are giving her the same. You see, the young girls of our community will learn how to be sisters to each other as they watch the older women. If they see us tearing each other down, not caring about each other, being disloyal and lying to end on each other, being more in competition with each other than in support of each other…that is what they will do to their friends and sisters circles. This is a vital part of our life, and it is vital to the growth of our community. Please be the sister you need.

Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James

May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.

Unfortunately, it even happens when someone passes away. We sit in the funeral and look at what a person wore, how they handle their grief, how they speak, and we critique it harshly. We leave the church headed into the repass whereby we sit again in judgment, and high critique of everything that we see around us. We look at parents with their children, and instead of praying for the ones that we see struggling, we judge their ability to be parents. I’m not talking about speaking up in areas of abuse or things that really need to be looked into. No, I mean what did the child eat? Did they have wrinkles in their shirts? Was their hair combed properly to your standard, but it’s not your child. We do this when we don’t know what that person is going through, and we are not offering any manner of assistance.

Many of us are willing to champion mental health causes and we appear to want mental health to be important and we speak on it. Unfortunately, that only applies publicly, because in private we are the enemies of the very thing we claim to support. When we go to church on Sunday we’re willing to judge the faith of others, and the Christianity of others. We will literally sit back and judge another person’s salvation like we have a heaven or hell to put them in. We want to tell you who’s born again and who’s not. This is based solely on what we see, regardless of whether they are new to the body of Christ or they’re veterans or somewhere in between, but we have something to say about it. The question is, can you live under the same microscope that you put others under, or do you exclude yourself?

May I suggest you examine your own walk with God before you judge anyone else’s. Yes, you fall short of the glory just like everyone else; you are not the exception. There are times when your presentation is not perfect, your words are hurtful, your actions are out of order, and your understanding of biblical principle is not perfect. This may be difficult for you to stomach especially if you are a part of clergy; some of you ministers do get this wrong also as surely as you’re human. Some of you have problems within your own households. There are too many of us having trouble managing our own families. Some of you can stand to love your spouse better. Some of you need to focus more on the rearing of your own children.

While your child may be having academic or behavior struggles, you’re busy judging another parents’ child. Before you sit high and mighty looking down on others, it may be time to really turn the mirror on yourself. If you’re questioning why your growth isn’t happening as you need it, and why there’s not adequate progress in your life, the answer may be that you aren’t watering your own garden. You aren’t tending to your own life.

Life is a challenge for each and every human being on the planet. If we took the time to focus on the things that we need to get done for ourselves and for our own families, pay attention to our own faith, and walk with God, we will find that we wouldn’t have much time to judge others. We would also find more empathy and care in our hearts where others are concerned. We would see more progress in our own lives.

The fruit of our labor will be seen in our children, our families, and our interactions with other people. When we examine our own walk it allows us to make the corrections that we need to make as we are then being accountable for our own actions, and this in itself would help usher in a different type of joy in our own life. Maybe we would actually have a shot at truly being happy versus some surface level form of happiness that never seems to stick around, because it’s not genuine. If you are busy tearing down others and judging their walk with God, how could you possibly be happy in your own life? Before telling the truth, do take care of yourself?

At the end of the day, if you believe in God, then you believe in the judgment that you would have to stand before Him one day. I promise you he’s not gonna ask you any questions about anyone else. He’s only gonna wanna know about your life, and how you lived it. So maybe you should start there. That would be an encouragement to others. If you want to affect the walk of someone else, allow yourself to be a light that shines. A lighthouse doesn’t have to speak, all that must do is shine.

Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James

May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.

Instead of telling America what it is he would like to do to move the country forward, he insists on telling us lies. Lies that can be fact checked easily. These aren’t even believable lies, they are blatant undeniable lies. He never knew what it meant to serve the people of the United States of America. He never understood what it meant to carry the responsibilities of the President of the United States or Commander in Chief of our armed forces. Not only does he not understand, but he also doesn’t want to understand. That may be the worst part of all of this, ironically. When Democrats and many Americans called for President Joe Biden to step down from the running for reelection they were questioning his mental sanity. They were questioning his physical health and his ability to cognitively lead this nation. Maybe he wasn’t the person they should have been questioning, they should have been looking at Donald Trump and his cognitive inability to lead a nation instead he was given the Republican nomination for President of the United States.

Trump advisors asked him to stop throwing insults at Vice President Kamala Harris and try to stick with policy. His response to that was to inform his team he felt he had the right to insult the Vice President of the United States of America. How could we not be surprised?  When he was President of the United States, he thought it was quite OK to endanger the life of his vice president. So how are we surprised that he’s willing and deciding to continue to insult the current Vice President. He cannot speak to policies because I wonder if he truly understands how those things work. It can be argued that he may have never sat down and looked at the state of the United States and what our people actually need, and maybe the only thing he can do is give insults, because he can’t tell us anything else. That in itself is an indictment against Donald Trump, and this isn’t anything that a pundit or. V.P. Kamala Harris, or a Republican naysayer is speaking to these are the traits, mannerisms and behaviors of Donald Trump that will undo him at his own hands. He is his own worst enemy in this election, and it is his to lose. He does not value the process at all, he feels that he could bend everything to his petulant will, and that’s not how this goes.

One of the most devastating things, in my humble opinion, that Trump has allowed was simply for himself to be in the running for president at all. He didn’t think about the people of the United States. He clearly doesn’t care about the reputation of the United States, and he’s willing to lie about this. He feels that the United States was better respected when he was president, but the truth is it was not. The United States was looked down on during his presidency and the leaders of other nations had mercy on the United States for the sake of its people. He embarrassed us every time we looked at the news, every time he gave a speech. It was quite heartbreaking and quite disappointing. There was no true leadership, there was no grace, there was no class. It was absolutely ugly. And here he is, embarrassing us yet again, running for president knowing that he is a convicted felon, and the criminal charges aren’t over. Doesn’t he have charges in the state of Georgia also? Yet he is running for president. How can he be tough on crime when he himself is a criminal? How can he ask Americans to be vigilant and obey the rule of law when he is a convicted felon? Why is there a double standard where he is concerned? There are many of our people that are not able to vote because they are convicted felons, and here this man is embarrassing us all running for president.

The Republican Party should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen on their watch. It looks like many Republicans are starting to come around to understand that he takes it a bit too far. He has truly gone too far. Maybe Americans are starting to be disgusted and tired of the Trump show. Maybe they are tired enough to vote against him yet again. Hopefully if he loses the election this November, we won’t have to see him in this light again. But please understand, should he lose, it will be his doing. Of course, he will blame many others should he lose. However, the fault will be his own. He destroyed himself. Donald Trump destroyed his own campaign with his own mouth with his own hands.

Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James

May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.

There are pro Palestinian activists that are berating African Americans for choosing to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris instead of Donald Trump. This is something I can’t seem to wrap my mind around because I don’t know why they feel Trump is a better option for their people, or our people. Unlike Vice President Kamala Harris, Donald Trump has served as president previous and did Palestinian stop dying? Under the Trump administration, were the lives of African Americans better protected? The answer to both of those questions is the same, No Palestinians still died, and African Americans were still targeted at a higher number. Since it seems that this group doesn’t understand what this election means for African Americans that live in the United States. It is time that we as a people step back and reevaluate our priorities. It’s time to make our community number one and our list of interests, as we ourselves must secure our ability to survive and thrive.

This isn’t just a position that we need to take overall as a nation, but we need to look internally at our family, internally at our communities, and we need to prioritize ourselves this November. I live in New Orleans, LA and there are so many different things happening in this city in regard to restructure, still rebuilding from Katrina, and the marginalization of the native African Americans that are from New Orleans. We find that it’s more difficult for us to rent property and own property. Our children are marginalized in school spaces. We are not prioritized at all, but our culture is at the foundation of the culture that feeds the tourism of the city. However, the people that decide to move to New Orleans that are not black are prioritized. Other POC’s are prioritized and now we are in a dead heat battle not only for the culture of our city, but for the ability to be able to live and thrive in the place that we are from. We can’t take on the fight of other groups right now. We literally have to be pro black, seriously. That may sound cruel to others only because they’re used to us prioritizing them. No this is not the oppression Olympics this is the United States and in the United States of America since 1776 for the US, and 1619 when it’s the British, Black people in this country have had to fight a horrendous battle not only for rights, but first and foremost for humanity to be acknowledged. If you’re not from the United States, I’m not gonna expect you to understand. Just know that our leaders, our civil rights leaders, fought for our rights, and they fought for yours as well. But right now, we must fight for our own.

It would not be wise to get on social media, or any other outlet and try to shame African Americans for voting in their best interest. No, many of us don’t completely agree with all of the policies of Vice President Kamala Harris. We don’t agree with all the positions of the Democratic Party congressionally. However, we know better than to try to survive under a Trump administration. We already know what that means for us because we have already survived such. Please don’t try to shame us into not fighting for our own children. The days of putting the liberation of others on par with, or ahead of ourselves has ended. Right now, many of us will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris because it is in our best interest and safety as Black people and as Americans to do so. And that’s what we will do. If you are offended by this, please check your anti blackness at the door as we will no longer tolerate it. This is not just on a national scale. But it is on a state level, on a local level.

Black people must now rise up and say we are no longer tolerating the anti-blackness, and we will speak to it not only from others outside of our community, but we will also speak to it from misguided African Americans within our own community. Grant it, the shop talk as we call it, is something we need to have amongst ourselves because some of our own people have gotten this twisted, not realizing that they are perpetuating and supporting their own demise. But that’s a conversation for another day. Our people must come first in 2024. It can be no other way, and as always, if we can help someone along the way we are always here to do so. But right now, Black America needs to be #1 to Black America.

Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James

May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.

Even if we are in a church that takes the time to actually teach us the Word of God and explain the concepts of dominion to us and our part in our life choices and decisions, some of us, even in an educated mind will refer to the idea that whatever is happening to us, God willed it and it’s his fault. Basically, if He didn’t want us to go through it, He would have never put us in that position or He would have delivered us from it ASAP. This is one of the most dangerous things that we could accept and choose to believe. It is false in many ways. As I sit back and even contemplate my own life choices and health challenges, I see my hands all over. That is what it means to be accountable. It is being able to own the parts of an issue that you helped create. However, too many of us can’t seem to do that. It is the one truth that we can’t seem to tell. So, it’s God’s fault.

Here’s the bottom line. Many of the challenges we face we had a hand in making, knowingly or unknowingly. When we go to bed about the matter, can we try to be honest? Example, some of us that are overweight, that don’t have a health issue that is causing weight gain, are not overweight because it’s God’s fault, or because God willed it. Some of us are overweight because we have bad eating habits, are inconsistent, and we will not exercise. Does that mean that our faith won’t carry us? Of course it can. But we have to be willing to do the work. You know that Scripture faith without works is dead. When we blame God for everything, it’s the work we’re avoiding. If we want to have better health or avoid certain medical problems later down the line, we have to take better care of ourselves, take better care of our body.

Sometimes taking accountability means cutting people off. Sometimes it means accepting that you’re not always the best person, you’re not always the kindest person. Does that make you evil? No. But does that mean you need to make changes? Yes. If we’re honest, every failed relationship isn’t because someone harmed us, cheated on us, or was toxic. Sometimes we’re the toxic person. We are the people who committed harm and hurt others. Can we tell the truth about it before God? Some of us are single because we won’t go out there and meet people. We think God is supposed to drop our husband on our doorstep. Some of us have unrealistic expectations of a mate, and though we don’t wanna be judged by the past that others have experienced, we judge others by the past that we have experienced.

So, there are men being judged by the behaviors of others, women being judged by the behaviors of others and not on their own merit as individuals. Yet we look up to God and say, well, Lord, you’re the reason that I’m single. You won’t send me my husband; you won’t send me my wife and you’re allowing me to be alone; the truth is we don’t want to be accountable for the part we play in being alone. We forget those passages in the Bible where God talks about not withholding any good thing from us. Some of us say that whatever God has for you, no one can interrupt. Whatever God has for you is for you, and nothing can stop that train. That’s not true. We can stop our own blessings. We can hinder our own progress, and when that happens, it’s not God’s fault.

You deserve to live your best life. We deserve to live healthy without sickness. If possible, we deserve to have healthy friend circles and people in our lives that will uplift us and support us. If having a mate and a companion is something you desire, you deserve that happiness. We must also work for that happiness. We can’t just look at ourselves and say I’m a good person. I have a good heart. I have good intentions. Knowing that, we often do things that are against those very statements and in complete objection to them. God will allow us to have people in our lives that will be able to minister to us in these areas. Are we willing to hear them? He will minister instruction. Are we willing to follow it? When we are not, it is not God’s fault. So many of us will say God will not leave nor forsake us, and that nothing is too hard for God. Those things are true, but the one thing God cannot do is bend your will. He can’t make you follow him. He can’t force you to obey him. He can’t even make you love him. So that means you have an active part to play in your deliverance, your salvation, and in your happiness and your peace.

God is with you but everything will not be his fault. He can only move on your behalf to the degree that you are going to allow him to do so and allowing him to do so does involve accountability. I finally understand what my grandmother was speaking of, and personally, I am choosing to get out of my way. I understand that some of the things that I want to see in my life are not present because I didn’t show up for myself. Not because God didn’t show up for me. To be honest with you, I think he’s been waiting for me to show up. He might be waiting for you too.

Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James

May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.

We, as Black Americans, have no true safe space…not even our church. The re-writing of history matters if we refuse to look around us from the past to current and move as though we have spaces that are reserved for us. Yes, we should be in constant prayer about this issue, and stepping outside every day, alone stepping into the sanctuary on Sunday, is an act of faith. With that being said, is packing a gun to church the answer?

This concern is not something our community has made up. We read about our churches being bombed during the Civil Rights Movement, and the truth is we don’t know how many houses of worship were violate during that time…but it’s definitely more than we’ve read about. When someone says that’s in the past we must answer with St Emanuel AME Church. We can’t forget this church shooting that was in June of 2017 where nine of our people were brutally killed and one injured in an Anti-Black racist attack. The prayer meeting was under attack.

The reality of our safety has us questioning how we defend ourselves from such atrocities. While sitting in a community function the subject of crime against the community came up, and many began explaining that they feel as though they should carry protection everywhere. While elders argued that a gun, nor a taser, has no place in church some agreed the discussion should be had. It was important to convey that carrying protection didn’t mean you don’t have faith, nor does it mean you don’t trust God. There are those that feel God favors, in part, the prepared. There are those that welcomed the virtual church service model because they didn’t have to leave their home and felt more protected. They felt they were able to digest the message without feeling internally startled every time the doors of the sanctuary opened. Just knowing that there are members of our community that feel they can’t come to service, and be amongst the fellowship of believers, because of anxiety bought on by the racism in this country against our people is heartbreaking.

Larger congregations are able to have security on the church grounds which is a blessing, because the crowds are so dense. However, that doesn’t guarantee safety because unfortunately we don’t know who has the gun until it surfaces and threatens everyone present. Smaller churches may not be able to afford such so there is no physical defense per se at all. There must be a conversation on how we can protect our church services so that they can be the safe space we need. It will have to be an all hands on deck, “prayer without works is dead” kind of gathering of the minds to protect this sacred space. I can’t say if I agree or disagree with carrying a gun to church.

My initial thought was this should not be needed in the house of worship, but I reminded myself that the country we live in does not respect our humanity…and that includes our spirituality. I don’t want to judge this matter as that is not productive, and that is something our church members should remember. We must deal with each other with the love of the Lord verses being offended by those that decided they need to protect themselves coming to church…especially those that carry the gun just about everywhere they go for the same reason. One can only wonder if we are really at a point there by we need our bible in one hand to user in peace, and a piece in had to secure said peace.

Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James

May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.

Her email address is; ChelleJ@ThyBlackMan.com.

Many of us pay our tithes and offerings online now as it is convenient, and we don’t have to wait until Sunday to get it done. There are just so many advancements, and they are making their way into our church as the younger generations assist in keeping us current. Even with the excitement I feel for the technological advances I see at church, there are times when I miss the pew. There are Sundays that I miss church as I knew it growing up…I realize I miss the atmosphere of that sanctuary. I tend to wonder if we will ever see it again.

With the upgrades of church and the buildings itself, and the rise of more mega churches are watching the pew disappear. If might not be something we pay close attention to, but there are situations that will remind you the environment has change…and you might even begin to wonder if all are still welcomed. Our children are now occupied by children’s church which is taking place in another part of the church…or in another building on the church campus. For many spaces, long gone are the days of Sunday school…then the children having to sit quietly and behave in the main sanctuary. The toddler stretched out on the pew sleep is a memory.

Now the main sanctuary looks like an auditorium…built to fit many more people with those uncomfortable size restricted chairs. If a person deals with weight issues, regardless of why…we don’t know them so let’s not judge, it may be difficult for them to feel comfortable coming to church. It’s simple, they can’t sit in the chairs. This might not seem like a huge deal if it’s not your struggle, but if you get injured you might get introduced to it…or it may be low key why some members of your family opt to just watch church online. I will never say this is the intention, but it does seem to draw a dividing line in many of our congregations.

We all know covid demanded we have space from each other and understandably so. However, the pews began disappearing well before covid. We were no longer next to each other in the same way. We no longer shared the space in the same way…and it made service feel a bit different. I never tended to call a classroom home. Yes, we make friends and have bonds in that space but it is not a space I would call home as in most classrooms I don’t tend to feel vulnerable. Do you?  Think about it. We do call church our “church home”, we have bonds with church members that make them family. When we are praising through a situation…and I mean an ugly crying you don’t care who sees you kind of praise you are vulnerable and at home. Others are praising with you, praying for you, and embracing. Church is personal in that way.

The pew felt more personal than what we experience now. There is more of an impersonal position in some congregations…and in many of those spaces the pew is gone. I once remember being in such a low space, and feeling so much better after an elder let me cry…she prayed for me and with me. My memory of her is she took a grandmotherly approach with me, and I spent most of the service sitting on the pew next to this elder as I rested my head on her shoulder. God knew I needed to just sit with her…and she did too. I wonder if there is a way to merge the joy, excitement and efficiency of technology, with the warmth and togetherness of the pew. I just know when I visit a church and see a pew…I feel just a little more at home and a bit closer to ancestors that kept me while in my church home.

Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James

May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.

Her email address is; ChelleJ@ThyBlackMan.com.

There is no societal ill that should not be addressed at church. It is where we go for guidance on how to live, and if there is evil in the fabric of our society or culture that needs to be address. How to speak against it, why we should stand against it, encouragement of one another as we face it, and healing when it breaks us are just a few things we should be able to receive at church. In addition, ways by which we can navigate everyday life in a manner pleasing to God should always be at the forefront of the lessons we receive. Unfortunately, some of us are sitting in congregations whereby race is not properly addressed…or not addressed at all.

For Black people church use to be the one place we could go, and sometimes the only place we could go, whereby we could discuss how we were going to continue to fight racism and still honor God. The biblical understanding that God doesn’t want us in shackles of any sort, and dispelling the lie that God sanctioned our slavery and inhumane treatment us to be the responsibility of the clergy. Unfortunately, too many of us are sitting in hush spaces. Our leadership wants us to feel comfortable, and race is not addressed. The country could be in racial upheaval and some of us are met with silence on Sunday morning. How can you help to spiritually lead a people that you won’t comfort and help direct in a very present time of trouble?

Have our leadership in all of their modern ways forgotten the teachings and sacrifices of their elders? Before you say we’re in a post racial society and addressing racism isn’t needed as yourself what you think you would need mentally and spiritually is George Floyd was your immediate family member. No one is saying that race should be weaponized and hatred should be taught in the sanctuary…we have enough of that. I’m saying we can’t be silent.

During the trump administration several Black Americans found themselves sitting in what had to feel like dangerous spaces as their white pastor’s passive aggressively agreed with the racial suffering of our people or dismissed it with silence. Before you try to tell yourself, you don’t want to judge anyone…we won’t that is for God to do. However, we will judge the silence and the damage it causes. Many were disappointed when they had to back away from church to assess what was not happening. The country is in uproar, there is protesting, and dead Black bodies in the street for no other reason than that they are Black, and church is silent, or dismissive. How uncomfortable and disheartening must it be to know the people you are worshiping amongst might not see people that look like you as human? Furthermore, they don’t seem to understand that it’s their dismissiveness that is inhumane. To think when you try to go to a counseling at church to speak about your feelings, they are met with you playing the race card, or “we don’t see race”. That is painful, it feels like betrayal, and it can be spiritually damaging.

We need our pastors to properly address race in the sanctuary. Some have anger so deeply rooted in them from the racial injustice they have witnessed and/or experienced that they find it hard to sit in church knowing that the spiritual need will not be met. They know the bible will be weaponized against their very person, and they feel as though no one will say anything. We do not live in a post racial society. Racism is still deeply rooted in this nation, and it is still the main undoing of our people. We need our spiritual leadership to continue to lead in this area. If you are sitting under leadership that will not address the evils of society you might need to reconsider where you worship.

Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James

May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.

Her email address is; ChelleJ@ThyBlackMan.com.

Women and men can be the victims of domestic violence and the truth is we really don’t know the numbers. What I mean when I say that is…if a group is silenced, we don’t have a gauge on the percentage of abuse. As it stands right now, per the numbers, women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence and the number is higher than we know as all do not speak out. With that acknowledged, we don’t have a gauge on victims that are men because it is not reported for the most part…and deemed unmanly if he does report. Children are the most silent number because they are not able to speak for themselves and their silence is often trained into them through fear. This is happening to some woman, child, and man everyday in this country. Yet our loudest uproar happens when we see it on the news. It is time for us to have the same outrage for our family members and neighbors.

Seeing the video of Cassie being abused by Sean Combs triggered me to my soul, and I couldn’t sleep. It hit me deeply because I remember when it was me. I felt he needed to rot underneath the jail for the crimes he has committed. Yes, I understand the statute of limitations, but I still felt anger that he needed to face criminal charges. So many online shared that sentiment, and applauded Cassie for being able to speak her truth in exposing a monster. My mind immediately when to the late Kim Porter, and I wondered what hell this woman lived through. It then dawned on me again this was being seen through the lens of the news…while someone that is typing online their anger in defense of Cassie is excusing abuse that is sitting right next to them. They might even be participating in domestic abuse themselves. See, the emphasis is on the violence…which is rooted in abuse. There are people living with domestic abuse every day and because no one has laid a hand on them physically, the hell they endure is dismissed. Within our community we have got to make a commitment to rooting out domestic abuse and the traumatic brokenness it gives birth too.

Too many of us are walking around verbally, mentally, and spiritually abusively and if a justification is made and excuse or pass is given. There is something wrong with this. Everyone needs to control their emotions, their mouth, and their hands. In this too many of us are not held accountable for our actions regarding abuse. The hardest space for me to live with is the trauma of domestic violence, and domestic abuse…at the hands of men and women that were supposed to love and protect me. As a community we must all take a strong stance in this fight…and not just abusive men, but abuse PEOPLE and that also means holding women accountable when they are the offender.

We can’t keep dismissing it by using men are more violent…or whatever reason we need to defend out mothers, aunts, sisters, and woman in community that we know are abusive. We can’t keep dismissing the abuse because it’s my son, my brother, my nephew when they are abusive and completely out of line. If we want this matter in our community to be taken seriously…we can’t just get angry for celebrities, we do not know. We can’t just get on social media and type the “right” argument with the “right” amount of indignation that allows us to have the “proper” image within the circle we’re in. We cannot heal our community if we do not stand against all forms of domestic abuse, because this trauma leads to abuse and violence within the community. Too many are abusive with others because that is what they have lived with all their life.

People that are abused abuse others or are vulnerable to being abused out of an unhealthy desire for love and validation. We can’t grow our people and nation build with a broken people…we must work towards healing. Being upset when seeing a celebrity abused is natural as it is on the news; the true activism and outcry is when that same indignation or worse is directed towards the abuse you can actually do something about.

Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James

May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.

Her email address is; ChelleJ@ThyBlackMan.com.