1. I hate the title of this video. Out of everything she spoke of, this is what the media focuses on. Ugh.
2. Context: The basis of Amber Rose’s Slut Walk was to empower women, to offer a space for healing and necessary discussion on the issues of gender inequality, slut-shaming, victim shaming/blaming, and much more.
[Brief background of slutwalks: Formed in Toronto after a police officer told a rape victim that maybe she would not have been raped if she was not “dressed like a slut”, hence the term “slut-shaming”. The titles of such walks have since been changed and do not use the term “slut” in their titles.]
3. This speaks to the double standard women still face. A man can be as sexually open and indulgent as he wants, and not be shamed for it. Still women are expected to be virginal and covered up, sexy, but not too sexy, and cannot OWN their sexuality and personhood.
4. I’m sure you’re looking at Amber and you have a lot of things to say/made a few judgements. A life changing perspective I learned from my time in Eastern University’s MA in Urban Studies program is to always ask “What is God ALREADY doing here (here = a community, person, event, etc. etc.)?” as opposed to believing “here” is functioning in some sort of Godless state (and thus we need to act as a savior and bring in goodness, justice, etc. etc.) Hence, the question I have is What are the ways in which God is working in and through Amber Rose’s life already?
5. In light of the above, another thought is perhaps God gave Amber Rose the idea for “Amber’s Rose’s Slutwalk”. I mean, we have no idea what their relationship is at the moment. No, its not in the conventional sense of how we may think God operates, but I sure wouldn’t put it past Him. Here is Amber seeking justice not only for herself, but for countless other women. In addition,
6. look at just a few things that transpired during the event:
Forgiveness. What an example of forgiveness Amber was! She could have said “F*** Kanye and Wiz. Those nukkas ain’t sh*”, but she didn’t. She forgave them and admonished those listening to her to forgive them as well, not harbor anger and un-forgiveness. Classic God teachings all up in that.
Healing. It is apparent Amber and countless other women have been deeply hurt by the verbal violence of slut-shaming, victim-blaming, etc. The space she created yesterday undoubtedly provided healing for not only herself, but for women (and men too) by giving them a platform to discuss and process their lived experiences, relate to other people with similar stories, and express themselves freely and safely.
Love. Of self and others. It takes a great deal of self-awareness, courage, and bravery to be so transparent, but also understand that one’s transparency is often tied to another’s healing. Amber did just that.
7. No, this was not the Amber Rose Crusade to win souls for Jesus, but from my experience with Jesus personally and through stories in the Bible, he often provided a space for healing, self-expression, etc BEFORE admonishing folks to follow him. Just saying. Maybe this is His beckoning?
8. Still, I know comments will surface around what Amber does, says, and believes because they are contrary to the “respectable, wholesome” image we are taught women should have. Folks are having a hard time calling her a feminist, but, guess what? We need to understand that we do not get to dictate who is “respectable” enough to be whatever. If you cannot see the HUMAN that is Amber, then check yourself. Just because she may live her life differently than yours, does not mean she is not worthy of having her voice & lived experiences heard, respected and used to fight for the equality of women.
Now for those who might say “Look at how she dresses. She posts twerking videos on Instagram-she does not respect herself!”. No, no. YOU do not respect HER. She is empowered by owning her sexuality and her body in a world that constantly scrutinizes and polices it. Own the fact that YOU do not respect her and her choices and do not project it as her not respecting herself. You do not agree with how she lives her life and that is okay, but SHE gets to dictate how she respects and honors herself within her current belief system.
9. I’m excited to see how Amber grows from this as a woman, entrepreneur, public speaker, and in relationship with God. I may not agree with everything she promotes, but I respect her stance, her desire to empower women, and most importantly her as a person.
10. I wonder what God might tell her to do next. ;)
By now, most of ya’ll are aware of the mass shooting that occurred at Umpqua Community College (UCC) in Roseburg, Oregon on the morning of October 1st, 2015. 10 people from the ages of 18 to 67 were killed, including the gun man, 26 year old Christopher Harper-Mercer. With 380 Americans killed in 294 mass shootings in 2015 alone, folks from my next door neighbor to our president are simply tired of events like this occurring. Gun violence and the lack of strict gun laws have become the topic of conversation-this time with with a even stronger public plea for our elected officials to actually do something to mitigate these issues. As I scroll through the news feeds of my various social media accounts, there’s another conversation taking place primarily amongst some of my fellow Christian folk.
See, many of the reports on the UCC shooting state that Harper-Mercer asked his victims what their religion was before shooting them. If the person stated they were a Christian, they were reportedly shot in the head. If the answer was another religion, victims were shot some place else. Apparently, this has prompted some Christians to pose the question “At the risk of being killed, if you were in that situation and the gunman asked what your religion was or if you were a Christian, would you tell him?” As a result, the hashtag YesImAChristian and various Memes have surfaced all declaring “YES! I am a Christian!”. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, has been credited for making the hashtag go viral after posting the hashtag in support for the victims and their families. This reminds me of the phenomena around the story of Cassie Bernall, who during the 1999 Columbine High School mass shooting, was asked if she believed in God. After answering “Yes”, Cassie was reportedly shot and killed. This sparked a similar movement with people urging others to follow Cassie’s example and stand firm in their belief in God even if it meant death. I’m all for this. Stand firm. Take your stance. Be resolved. My question, though, is..”now what?”
After posting that meme, using the ImAChristian hashtag, now what? Now everyone and their grandpa knows you are a Christian. You have publicly shown “support” for the victims and their families. You also have made a public declaration to fight for justice, love unconditionally, walk in humility, feed the hungry, etc. etc. etc. because that is what Christianity entails. It is more than attending service on Sunday, posting a hashtag, getting that solo for the church concert, or showing up to Bible study on Wednesday night. So, in light of the the UCC tragedy, how are you living this out? Are you fighting for stricter gun laws? Are you praying against the stigmas of mental illness that may have stopped the shooter from seeking help (if he indeed dealt with a mental illness)? Will you write letters to your elected officials about the need for some sort of gun control in our country? Hold gun buy back drives in your neighborhood? When the shock of the UCC shooting wears off, what will you be doing? What can be done so we are not mourning 10 more lives? I could ask more questions, but I won’t.
Now, yes there is some shade in this post, but I am no way bashing anyone for posting a meme or using the hashtag, especially if it was in true support of the victims and their families. I am also happy you are boldly proclaiming your faith (now, just don’t get upset if someone with different beliefs does something similar. Im just saying). Yes, I am a Christian as well, but I more so want to challenge you, me (believe me this is hitting home as I write this), us, we on how we are living this Christian life out. We need not to declare we are representatives of someone (Jesus) who literally disrupted the social, economic, and spiritual climates of his time through action if we are not willing to do the same. If you declare you are a Christian, then prepare to have your actions back it up.
So, yes you are a Christian, now what?
We were wired for this. No matter what life, society, your friend, your woman, your man has said. It is a need we were programmed with. It is a need that was not and still is not being met. It has turned into a deficit and whether you are conscious of it or not, it is screaming for attention (and some of us are attempting to meet this need through different ways, but we will touch on that at a later time). This plagues men of all ethnicities, nationalities, and economic classes for as long as history has existed. Know this. Accept this. You are not alone.
Again, you are not weird. You need it (a long, warm hug, to simply lay your head on your homie's shoulder, etc.). The boy in you needs it. The man you are needs it-and that is okay. It is okay.
Believe that.
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