Pass The Mic

Latest Episodes:

Let's Talk About Trolls May 27, 2019

Show notes

Tyler Burns and Producer Beau York discuss how they individually and The Witness organizationally has wrestled with trolls.

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Issa Health Challenge May 15, 2019

Show notes

Bet you didn’t expect this...Jemar and Tyler get real about mental, spiritual, and physical health on this episode. The guys share some personal stories, Black history (of course), and come up with a health challenge live on air. If you’re serious about living a healthy lifestyle, join us! Use the hashtag #PTMWhole to let us know you’re participating!

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Interview: Van Jones May 08, 2019

Show notes

Van Jones joins Tyler to discuss Restorative Justice

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The Myth of Absent Black Fathers Apr 22, 2019

Show notes

“The real problem with the Black community is fatherlessness”. If you’ve ever heard that, this podcast is for you. Jemar and Tyler are back to confront the myth of absent Black fathers. This episode covers the history of the myth, how communities of color raise their kids, and a word of appreciation for their own fathers being present in their upbringing.

Note: An unedited version was released previously by mistake. The episode has been updated to the correct version. If you have any issues getting the correct episode be sure to email Producer@TheWitnessBCC.com

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“The Blood of Jesus is the Bridge, not my Back” with Ekemini Uwan Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

Are y’all ready? We have one of our great friends on the podcast today. Ekemini Uwan joins us to talk about her recent traumatic experiences at The Sparrow Conference and all of the things. We talked about anti-racism, secondary trauma, the power of speaking to our black kinsmen, and speaking the truth in love. Break your notepads out for this one. Ekemini drops some gems!

Read more about Ekemini’s experience at the Sparrow Conference in an article by our very own DeeDee Roe “Captive Audience: A Black Woman’s Reflection on the Sparrow Conference”: https://thewitnessbcc.com/captive-audience/

Read Ekemini’s open letter here “The Blood of Jesus is the Bridge, not my Back” by Ekemini Uwan: http://www.sistamatictheology.com/blog

Ekemini’s PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/ekeminiuwan

Truth’s Table’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TruthsTable

Follow Ekemini on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/sista_theology

Follow Ekemini on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/spottieottiedopealiciousangel/

Ekemini Uwan is a public theologian who received her Master of Divinity degree in 2016 from Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) in Philadelphia, PA. She is the co-host of Truth’s Table podcast alongside Michelle Higgins and Dr. Christina Edmondson. During her time at WTS, Ekemini won the 2015 Greene Prize in Apologetics Award. In 2018, Christianity Today named her among “10 New or Lesser-Known Female Theologians Worth Knowing.”

Her writings have been published in the Huffington Post Black Voices, Christianity Today, and The Witness: A Black Christian Collective to name a few. Her insights have been quoted by CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker among other publications.

“Evangelicals and the Loss of Prophetic Imagination” by Sharon Hodde Miller: https://mereorthodoxy.com/evangelicals-loss-prophetic-imagination/

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Abortion and the Black Community Apr 01, 2019

Show notes

“Why don’t you care about the abortion that’s happening in your own community?”
“You talk about lynching and slavery but abortion takes more black lives every day”

sigh If you’ve ever heard (or said) statements like these, this episode is for you. Jemar and Tyler are back to tackle the elephant in the room. Tune in for a candid conversation on the history of abortion views in the American church, the problems with the church’s approach to the conversation, and what a prophetic imagination ultimately looks like. This is not for the faint of heart (Y’all know how we do at Pass the Mic), but we hope it challenges you to move beyond the caricatures you’ve heard to a more consistent public witness.

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Pass The Remote: Into the Spider-Verse Mar 18, 2019

Show notes

Tyler and Beau breach the multiverse to find a theology of abundance in the Oscar Award Winning Spiderman: Into The Spider-Verse

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Is Black History Month Colonized? Mar 11, 2019

Show notes

Black History Month was wild, y’all. From blackface to KKK hoods to alleged hate crimes, every day was something new. But rather than questioning 2019 BHM, Jemar and Tyler question the premise itself. Is Black History Month still useful or is there a better way for us to remember our history? How do we protect our spaces from those who would remove the purpose of a celebration that means so much to our community? Listen in and let us know what you think!

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Footnotes: Green Book, Cohen, and Black History Month Mar 04, 2019

Show notes

In this episode Jemar talks the Oscars and the film Green Book, he views the political theater of Michael Cohen's testimony before a Congressional committee, and talks about how to celebrate Black History Month all year.

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The Story of Ann Atwater with Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove Mar 04, 2019

Show notes

Recently co-host Tyler Burns had the opportunity to watch the forthcoming film Best of Enemies starring Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell. The film chronicles the unlikely relationship between Civil Rights activist Ann Atwater and KKK leader C.P. Ellis. After watching the film, Tyler had mixed feelings about its framework and messaging. He decided to get to the bottom of Ann Atwater’s life by talking to someone who knew her personally. Following the controversial Best Picture Oscar win of the movie Green Book, we felt it would be helpful to have a deeper conversation about the framing of these stories.

Listen as we have a discussion with Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove about the real story of Ann Atwater. Jonathan is the Director of The School for Conversion, an education center that Ann Atwater devoted her time to as a freedom teacher, mentoring young activists on the principles of freedom organizing for change. You might have heard of Jonathan’s name in connection with the Reverend Dr. William Barber. He worked with Dr. Barber on the reclamation of Poor People’s Campaign, and co-authored a book with him called “The Third Reconstruction”. Jonathan’s most recent book is entitled “Reconstructing the Gospel: Finding Freedom from Slaveholder Religion”.

For more about our reaction to Green Book, check out Ally Henny’s reaction on our website: http://thewitnessbcc.com/did-green-book

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