Sacred Rights, Sacred Rites

Charlotte, NC

2024 Dates Coming Soon

 

Our Liberating Theologies’ Speaker Series features both emerging and established theologians who share their radical, culture-shifting theological interpretations and perspectives. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities of international communities-of-faith as a “new world order” emerges in the face of continued colonial, white supremacist legislation and violence.

Presented in partnership with Union Theological Seminary, this event is an extension of The Freedom Center for Social Justice’s “Do No Harm” initiative, which works with people of faith and the broader community in North Carolina to shift culture and narratives that cause harm through the interpretation of Holy Text and other religious writing.

Liberating Theologies captures the spirit of our work — it brings the community together to explore and discuss ideas that have the potential to change the ways people think, which in-turn changes the way people act and the way we relate to one another. It is about reawakening the radical activist in each of us and equipping people with perspectives that have the power to change minds, hearts, and policies. Liberating Theologies belongs to our Faith-Based Organizing body of work and provides an opportunity for people to question religious narratives and ideas that have been used to oppress people and to explore perspectives that affirm the dignity and humanity of all.

Sponsorship Opportunities: If you are a part of an organization that would like to make a bold statement about the importance of restorative justice for those in the LGBTQIA+ community who have been religiously ostracized, please consider becoming an event sponsor!

Meet our 2023 Speakers

  • Jé Exodus Hooper (they/them) is a multifaceted individual who has dedicated over eight years to the Ethical Culture and Congregational Humanist Movements, while also instructing performance theory at Ohio University School of Theater. They embody the role of arts and cultural community curator, clergy, and scholar. Dr. Hooper's activism intertwines with aesthetics, ethics, and community-based performance, positioning them as a neo-mannerist within the Humanist spectrum, aiming to expand our understanding beyond conventional boundaries. Their work delves into the margins, encouraging us to engage with wonder, transcending typical Humanist paradigms and embracing the complexities of self and the world.

    With a prolific body of work, Dr. Hooper's influence extends through various platforms, including articles like UU World Magazine's Spring 2022 edition and productions like the film "Humanitas: A Conscious Coloring of Kindness." Their exploration encompasses diverse topics such as queer identities, race, art, and organizational practices. Beyond academic confines, they thrive in digital spaces, artivism, and preaching stages, striving to create a space for all voices. Dr. Hooper's call to authenticity and their commitment to reimagining narratives underscore their mission to honor the inherent worth and dignity within every individual, shaping a narrative of unity and empathy.

  • The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (he/him) is the President and Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach; Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival; Bishop with The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries; Visiting Professor at Union Theological Seminary; and Senior Fellow at Auburn Seminary. For more than a quarter century, he has pastored the Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Since Rev. Dr. Barber began his ministry at Greenleaf 29 years ago, the church has sponsored efforts that have led to more than $12 million of community development, in addition to welcoming all into the body of Christ.

    He is the author of four books: We Are Called To Be A Movement; Revive Us Again: Vision and Action in Moral Organizing; The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and The Rise of a New Justice Movement; and Forward Together: A Moral Message For The Nation.

  • Rev. Angela Tyler-Williams (she/her) is Co-Director for Movement Building at SACReD (Spiritual Alliance of Communities for Reproductive Dignity). Angela is a queer pastor ordained by the Presbyterian Church (USA) into her call to engage people of faith to speak publicly and politically in support of reproductive health, rights, and justice along with LGBTQIA+ equality. Angela holds a Master of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The Center for American Progress named Angela as one of the 22 Faith Leaders to Watch in 2022. Angela learned about faith-based community organizing and building people power to create positive social change from the Industrial Areas Foundation.

    She finds life in experiencing music, listening to podcasts, exploring creation, and engaging in theological discussions that go off the beaten path. She and her wife Adelyn live with Mouse, the cat, in Washington D.C.

  • Roberto Che Espinoza, Ph.D. (he/him) has been described in a myriad of ways: a scholar-activist, scholar-leader, thought-leader, teacher, public theologian, ethicist, poet of moral reason, and word artist. Among these ways of describing Dr. Espinoza, they are also a visionary thinker who has spent two decades working in the borderlands of church, academy, and movements seeking to not only disrupt but dismantle supremacy culture by focusing his Ph.D. studies on new concepts of being and becoming, decolonizing knowledge production, and bridging with radical difference. Dr. Espinoza is the founder of the Activist Theology Project, a Nashville-based collaborative project that seeks to work with the dominant culture and produces curriculum at the intersection of scholarship and activism. Activist theology as a disciplinary off-shoot of liberation theology and movement has been incubating since 2008 with Dr. Espinoza and further developed throughout their doctoral program and engagement with movement leaders. Dr. Espinoza writes and creates both academic and other valuable resources, including digital resources. Dr. Espinoza is a non-binary transqueer Latinx who calls Nashville, Tenn. home. He is the author of Activist Theology, 2019, published by Fortress Press and the forthcoming book Becoming Bodied.

Take a look at Liberating Theologies 2023!