Pray With our Feet

In this special episode of Pray with our Feet podcast, Mom and I chat with Yaa Abbensetts-Dobson, Michele Evans and Dr. Shameka Poetry Thomas, about the latest issue of Spoken Black Girl Magazine (which focuses on the Black motherhood experience) while also uplifting Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17) founded by Black Mamas Matter Alliance. We dive into the urgent need for community care, creating safe spaces for Black mothers and their children, resisting the suffocation of our wombs by oppressive systems, and the vital need for rest, mindfulness and radical self care in the tradition of Audre Lorde and June Jordan; each of these practices is a sacred form of resistance, sustaining us in the ongoing work of collective liberation. We call our joy back to us, and remain rooted in our faith, despite the challenges. Purchase your copy of Spoken Black Girl (Motherhood issue), where you can read "Swan Song," by Michele Evans, "Our Wombs Cannot Breathe: Wellness Power for Facing the Harsh Reality of Black Maternal-Child Health Disparities in the United States, by Dr. Shameka Poetry Thomas PhD & Dr. Kyrah K. Brown PhD, "Mothering at the Intersection of Blackness and Neurodiversity" by Emelda De Coteau alongside an array of talented writers and artists. Stay Connected with the Writers: Yaa Abbensetts-Dobson, founder of Spoken Black Girl and author of Departure Story Michele Evans, author of Purl (a collection of poetry) Dr. Shameka Poetry Thomas, author of the forthcoming book entitled THE UGLY CRY: Essays and Meditations on Honesty, Anger, Grief, and Freedom. To be released Summer 2025. >>> Head over to our webiste to see full show notes (includes the authors bios & additonal links to their work) Help Us Spread the Word! If you enjoy the Pray with our Feet podcast, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, where you can subscribe to the show. You can also listen on Spotify, and on all major streaming platforms. BE in Community with Us: Find devotionals, blog posts, and shop in our online store. Head over to Instagram and Threads where the conversation continues between episodes. Enjoy our @PrayWithOurFeet IG Live series, Move it Forward Monday, uplifting conversations that spark change with activists, community leaders, artists and more. Special thank you to my husband Keston De Coteau, for podcast production; he is an award-winning videographer and photographer.

In this moment when all of our rights are under attack within the U.S., we are all fighting multiple battles simultaneously. But there is one area which unites us - health care; each of us needs it, and far too many people do not have access. I caught up with Kelly, an organizer with the Non-Violent Medicaid Army (NVMA) which is "a growing, politically independent force of the poor and dispossessed, united across identities, regions, races and issues, modeled after MLK's 'nonviolent army of the poor' from the first Poor People's Campaign of 1968." NVMA "is not a coalition or a campaign but a network of organizations and committees that understand healthcare to be a strategic front of struggle to unite the working class," and there are chapters across the country within Wyoming, Wisconsin, Texas, Indiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Maryland and Vermont. Throughout our time together, Kelly and I discuss her personal journey, and how liberation theology informs her activism, healthcare as a human right, the inequities within our healthcare system, and the need for collective action to address injustices while advocating for change.We also delved into the importance of community engagement and storytelling in pushing for healthcare rights, particularly through the NVMA; through #MedicaidMondays where they spotlight folks personal stories across their social media platforms (share your story by applying here), the impact of NVMA's National Call-In Days speaking up for Medicaid, along with the lessons they took away from last year's National Week of Action (September 21-28, 2024). Ultimately, Kelly and all the NVMA organizers remind us, through their daily work, that we belong to each other; and our voices are needed in the ongoing work of collective liberation. Monthly Saturday schools educate the community about Medicaid and healthcare rights. Sign up to attend Saturday, April 5, 1pm EST and watch the March 2025 session. Stay connected with NVMA on social media: Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. > Head to show notes for key episode takeaways, additional resources, and learn more about Kelly Smith who is on the national organizing team of the Nonviolent Medicaid Army and is co-coordinator of the New York Nonviolent Medicaid Army. She previously served as Tri-chair of the NYS Poor People's Campaign (NYSPPC), a role she held for several years. She is still involved with the Poor People's Campaign, mentoring leaders, working with the New York City Regional Committee and serving on the NYSPPC Coordinating Committee.

An artisanal miner carrries a sack of ore at Shabara artisnal mine near Kolwezi, DRC, on October 2022. Junior Kannah/ AFP via Getty Images The pain of our Congolese siblings powers our cell phones and electronic devices. "Approximately six million people have been killed since 1996, and more than six million people remain internally displaced in eastern DRC, " journalist Shola Lawal, writes in A Guide to the Decades Long Conflict in the DRC. Mom and I caught up with Maurice Carney, co-founder and Executive Director of Friends of the Congo (FOTC), a non-profit based in the Washington D.C., and founded in 2004; FOTC supports Congelese-led organizations working on the ground to end this genocide, and bring healing to the country. We discuss the impact of European and U.S. colonization and imperialism on the Congolese people, and the many forces preventing the country from thriving today (for example, multinational corporations, the World Bank, Western governments, local elites, etc.). Maurice also uplifts the mission of Friends of the Congo, multiple ways to take action, resources (films, books, etc. to educate yourself), and focuses on some of the biggest ways we can all help — using our platforms to raise awareness, encouraging people in our communities to speak up, and shifting our purchasing habits towards sustaining the greater good. For over twenty five years, Maurice Carney has advocated for the dignity and inclusion of Congolese civil society in all efforts towards peace, democracy, food sovereignty, and climate justice. Maurice provides consultation to political leaders in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Africa, the UN, as well as to international NGOs and funders. Resources & Ways to Take Action: Visit Friends of the Congo wesbite Take Action with FOTC Donate & Support FOTC Urgent Support Needed for Goma Fact Sheets on the Congo from FOTC The Congo from Leopold to Kabila: A People's History by Georges Nzongola-Ntalaj Climate Crisis and Congo Basandja: The Living Wisdom of the Congo Rainforest Stay Connected on Social Media: Friends of the Congo on YouTube @CongoFriends on Instagram Congo Friends on Facebook @CongoFriends on Twitter (X) Help Us Spread the Word! If you enjoy the Pray with our Feet podcast, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, where you can subscribe to the show. You can also listen on Spotify, and on all major streaming platforms. BE in Community with Us: Find devotionals, blog posts, and shop in our online store. Head over to Instagram and Threads where the conversation continues between episodes. Enjoy our @PrayWithOurFeet IG Live series, Move it Forward Monday, uplifting conversations that spark change with activists, community leaders, artists and more. Special thank you to my husband Keston De Coteau, for podcast production; he is an award-winning videographer and photographer.

As activists and folks of faith, particularly in these challenging times, we must simultaneously commit to inner revolution and collective liberation. Prioritizing healing from these oppressive systems is also "the work." bell hooks reminded us often: "Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion." Last year I sat down with Kimberly Brazwell, a two-time TEDx speaker, author, CEO and founder of KiMISTRY for our Move It Forward Monday IG Live series to discuss trauma-informed activism. And it feels like a powerful moment to revisit this conversation. We delved into healing as deeply connected to the work, softening around emotions instead of pushing past them, and guiding intentions to center for ourselves and others (grace, acceptance, and forgiveness). Kimberly worked with organizers in the wake of George Floyd's murder to create a healing container that still thrives today as they continue to build community. She calls us to remember: "We have to war for our wellness," and be intentional about calling these practices into our lives! One of her latest offerings (which is a series of books) -Jotnal Book (The Phoenix Edition), grounds us in this practice. Created by KiMISTRY, Jotnal Books offer trauma-informed approaches to reflection and restoration, and aids folks through processing emotions while passively teaching how to journal. The Phoenix Edition offers brief writing prompts, questionnaires, wellness information, activities and exercises to inspire its owner to think, feel and grow. This Jotnal edition also highlights inspirational quotes and vibrant original artwork highlighting lifecycle stages of the mythological phoenix character. Its design especially embraces challenges faced by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) women/femmes. KiMISTRY is a story strategy consulting firm, which specializes in the art of storytelling to address the unique intersection of justice and holistic wellness for a trauma-informed experiential application to human engagement. Kimberly Brazwell is also the creator of the Nine Asks and KiMISTRY Labs. Move it Forward Monday is a bi-monthly series @PrayWithOurFeet where we uplift conversations with folks working to make a difference in the world - activists, creatives, theologians / ministers and more.

As we honored Dr. King yesterday, we sit with the weight of this moment - stepping into another Trump presidency. Many of us remain committed to working towards a country rooted in collective liberation. In part two of our conversation, Mom and I chat with Yaa Abbensetts-Dobson, writer and author (Departure Story), editor, entrepreneur and founder of Spoken Black Girl, and host of The Healing Entrepreneur Podcast, and Avril Somerville, writer, poet, and author of A Journey Of Life On PURPOSE. Throughout both conversations (listen to part 1 here), we unpack building beloved community, why the church must divest from the false ideology of white supremacy, continually organizing for collective liberation, decolonizing, resisting the rise of global fascism, standing in active intersectional solidarity with all who are oppressed (because of race, disability, sexuality, gender, gender identity, etc.), the importance of soul work, and the many ways our faith in God, and creativity can propel us forward (Micah 6:8). Action Steps: - Check out Spoken Black Girl's Book Club which meets Saturday, Feb. 1, 1pm EST to discuss Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower. Sign up here. - Connect with the Poor People's Campaign in your state today! >>>> Learn more about Yaa and Avril by reading show notes on our website. Soul Care Resources: >>> Two FREE downloads guiding you through breath prayer and meditating on scripture - prepared by Mom and I. >>> Check out our past episode - When It Feels Heavy, Connect to the Power of Prayer and Meditation Help Us Spread the Word! If you enjoy the Pray with our Feet podcast, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, where you can subscribe to the show. You can also listen on Spotify, and on all major streaming platforms. BE in Community with Us: Find devotionals, blog posts, and shop in our online store. Head over to Instagram and Threads where the conversation continues between episodes. Enjoy our @PrayWithOurFeet IG Live series, Move it Forward Monday, uplifting conversations that spark change with activists, community leaders, artists and more. Special thank you to my husband Keston De Coteau, for podcast production; he is an award-winning videographer and photographer.