The Protagonistas

Latest Episodes:

[RECAP] Writing a New Story Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

In this recap episode, Kat highlights some of the key points in her conversation with Bianca Mabute-Louie.

Check out the Chasing Justice podcast's episode on Anti-Asian Racism with Kathy Khang, Jazzy Johnson, and Barnabas Lin (part 1).

Anti-Asian Racism (and writing a new story) Mar 02, 2021

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Kat chats with Asian American researcher, educator, consultant, and zine-creator Bianca Mabute-Louie about her spiritual upbringing, creativity in justice work, her PhD focus, and ultimately: anti-Asian racism...and how we can imagine a new future together.

Bianca conducts research, creates resources, and facilitates workshops to support individuals and organizations in their pursuit of racial justice. As a daughter of Cantonese immigrants, Bianca is especially dedicated to helping Asian Americans embrace their racial/ethnic identities, understand their place in racial politics, and hold their stake in racial justice movements. She is pursuing her PhD in Sociology at Rice University, and her forthcoming scholarship centers Asian Americans in the national discourse on race, religion, and politics.

Follow Bianca on Twitter and Instagram: @beyonkz

Visit her website to sign up for her newsletter: biancaml.com

[RECAP] A Practical God Feb 23, 2021

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In this recap episode, Kat highlights some of the key points in her conversation with Dr. Quanny Ard. Included is a clip from an earlier conversation with Marlena Graves.

On Black Maternal Discrimination (and a Practical God) Feb 16, 2021

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In this episode Kat chats with Dr. Quantrilla Ard about her spirituality and faith, and the importance of believing in a practical God. This practical God is what led her to receive her PhD which centers research on Maternal Discrimination Stress and Negative Birth Outcomes among Black women and their babies.

Dr. Quanny breaks down her journey toward discovering this information and the "why" behind it (including the horribly racist history of gynecology, the Tuskegee Experiment and other failures within the system)--which is necessary information in our fight for a more just and equitable world.

If you’re someone who’s interested in research and hard facts surrounding the ways racism and discrimination affects different systems in place then this episode is definitely for you.

Follow Quanny on

Twitter: @qyard08

Instagram: @quannyboo

And her website: https://www.thephdmamma.com/about-me/

[RECAP] On Naming and the Power of Place Feb 09, 2021

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In this recap episode, Kat highlights some of the key points in her conversation with Morgan Lee. Included in a clip from an earlier conversation with Tamisha Tyler.

On Naming and the Power of Place Feb 02, 2021

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Welcome to the Protagonistas 2.0!

In this episode, Kat chats with Morgan Pomaika’i Lee. Morgan is Christianity Today’s global media manager and the cohost of their podcast, Quick to Listen.

In this episode, Morgan and Kat talk about the power of naming, as well as being a mixed race person, and how social location matters.

If you’re someone who is interested in getting more into the nuance of broad terms like “Latinx” or “Asian American” or “person of color” even then I think this conversation will be interesting to you as Morgan and I talk a lot about how these sort of terms both help and hurt the cause of justice.

Follow Morgan on Twitter at @mepaynl

Read her article on being a mixed-race Christian here.

Also, JOIN The Protagonista’s PATREON COMMUNITY!

On Recentering Power Oct 28, 2020

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In the last interview episode of 2020 Kat chats with author, speaker, pastor (and so much more) Sandra Van Opstal! Kat and Sandra chat about Sandra’s upbringing: being the daughter of immigrants and how that has influenced the way she teaches and leads others in navigating their place in the world. Kat and Sandra also chat about recentering power and why we specifically need to center historically vulnerable women. Sandra also shares about how her experiences in different denominations and within different communities has led her to believe that it’s our uniqueness and our differences that give us an opportunity to sharpen one another—and we must be willing to interrogate that within ourselves and each other so that we don’t end up with idolatrous theologies and perspectives.

Anti-Racism as Spiritual Formation (Ally Henny Pt. 2) Sep 30, 2020

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In this second part of the conversation, Ally and Kat chat about pentecostalism, gender and the expectations of women in the church: how racism and sexism are so intertwined that it’s oftentimes hard to pick to the two apart, and how women of color are often seen as suspect just for existing. They also talk about anti-racist work and spiritual formation—how social justice and personal transformation go together despite how many might try and pin the two against each other. With this, they engage with Paul and his commentary on Christian identity: when it comes to issues of race, what sort of things did Paul speak to and how can we read his text in such a way that informs our current reality? Kat and Ally also chat about holding our beliefs with an open hand, being willing to learn from other denominations and expressions of faith. When reflecting on her seminary experience, Ally said that she was there to learn, not to prove what she already thought she knew to be true. Imagine if we all had this mentality when it came to theology? Lastly, they chat about how dominant culture wants to stick our communities in monolithic, non-nuanced space or ways of thinking and being. Society often talks about the Black community or the Latinx community in stereotypical ways—ways that erase our nuanced experiences, often leading to the dehumanizing of folks—even by progressives. Many folks pity us and our communities, glossing over our rich histories and cultures. “Don’t have pity on us,” Ally says. “just treat us right.”

Dreams & Our Ancestors (Ally Henny Pt. 1) Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

Discussion questions:

What are some ways the Divine has communicated with you, whether through dreams or visions?

What are some things you have learned from the faith of your ancestors?

What does the “cloud of witnesses” mean to you?

Cultural Identity, Liminality & Folklore Jul 31, 2020

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Follow Michelle on Twitter: @drmichellereyes

Instagram: @michelleamireyes