On Thursday, February 18, I attended a lecture by Rahiel Tesfamariam who is an African-American socialist activist, theologian and speaker. I appreciated the chance to listen to her lecture because I felt really good vibes about her belief in the power of black community, enthusiasm to push blacks to achieve more and her deep connection with God. So well-educated, such a young woman who is dedicated to bring a far-reaching change in her society, Ms. Tesfamariam really acted as a good role model. Her charismatic speech emotionally impressed me a lot. But more than that she was making several good points that are thought-provoking. I especially found her talk about modern churches critical:
-she expressed her distress in modern churches almost …show more content…
But now, blacks are going to prisons instead of churches and young, male blacks constitute most of the prison population in the USA. “Mass incarcerations like new Jim Crow” as she said.
-black women who were sanctifying and preserving chastity; but their generation is becoming stereotypes of hypersexuality through hip-hop images.
-church pastors delight themselves with materialism as same as rappers indulging in life opulence.
-churches are about transformation rather than social services agencies. But now churches are taking roles of the government to provide social services.
All she wants is a reprogramming of churches and making them a place for transformation and personal liberation for blacks’ community.
Why does she care about churches a lot? Because she believes in God. She exposed an inextricable connection between God and blacks: God abides in blackness – that is - killing a black means killing God. I find it an exciting aspect of blacks having a deep religious conviction. I do not know exactly why. I am assuming that blacks were sufferers because of slavery and God was their only salvation to endure torture and pain. So I understand blacks’ religiosity and theology of Ms. Tesfamariam who believes in two things, Jesus and
-she expressed her distress in modern churches almost …show more content…
But now, blacks are going to prisons instead of churches and young, male blacks constitute most of the prison population in the USA. “Mass incarcerations like new Jim Crow” as she said.
-black women who were sanctifying and preserving chastity; but their generation is becoming stereotypes of hypersexuality through hip-hop images.
-church pastors delight themselves with materialism as same as rappers indulging in life opulence.
-churches are about transformation rather than social services agencies. But now churches are taking roles of the government to provide social services.
All she wants is a reprogramming of churches and making them a place for transformation and personal liberation for blacks’ community.
Why does she care about churches a lot? Because she believes in God. She exposed an inextricable connection between God and blacks: God abides in blackness – that is - killing a black means killing God. I find it an exciting aspect of blacks having a deep religious conviction. I do not know exactly why. I am assuming that blacks were sufferers because of slavery and God was their only salvation to endure torture and pain. So I understand blacks’ religiosity and theology of Ms. Tesfamariam who believes in two things, Jesus and