Rethinking Faith & Community with Candice Marie Benbow

Candice Marie Benbow is a theologian, essayist and creative who situates her work at the intersections of beauty, faith, feminism and culture. Her work gives voice to the shared experiences of healing and journeying toward wholeness.

In May 2016, following the release of Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade, Candice created the #LemonadeSyllabus hashtag and social media campaign. With contributions from over 70 Black women, Candice released the syllabus as a free downloadable resource of over 250 works centered around the lives of Black women.

She is also Founder of Zion Hill Media Group, a media boutique that produces messages of hope and healing across various platforms. Zion Hill’s flagship projects include a women’s lifestyle site, online courses and educational projects, and progressive faith based content.

In addition to her own blog, Candice’s words can be found at ESSENCE Magazine, Glamour Magazine, VICE, Shondaland and MadameNoire. Catch up with Candice on Instagram and Twitter.

Episode Questions:
• What things, projects, or outlets have been meaningful to you when you've experienced grief?
• Have you ever intentionally or unintentionally created something to work out your grief, pain, or anger? What is it? How did its creation impact you? How did its creation impact others?
• If you felt you had the freedom to talk to God, the universe, and/or the ancestors with authenticity and no filters, what would you say? What, if anything, stops or complicates you speaking this freely?
• What makes a group of people "community" for you? What do they give you? What do you give them? What sorts of things do you share?
• How can you tangibly lend support to those who you consider to be your community?

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A special thank you to our Collaborators on Patreon:
Ahren Samuels
Anne Shaneen
Anne Tomkinson
Beth DeWet
Donna Lynn
Janet Elsbach
Jason DeMeo
John Tomkinson
Michaela Doelman
Mike McHargue
Rebecca Williamson
Regina-Wink Swinford
Samantha Ham
Samuel Muthiah
Scott Unger
Stephen Matlock
Michael Kinman
Ryan Ku-Borden

Music: Supa Dred II (Wake Up) & It Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Andre Henry