Pass The Mic

Pick up you're copy of How To Fight Racism at HowToFightRacism.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PTM MINIS Heading your way over the next few days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And also, our favorite episode(s) of the year! Every year, we recap our favorite “cultural artifacts”. These can be books, albums, people, movies, TV shows, events….ANYTHING that got us through the year. There’s only one catch: these items do NOT have to come out this year. They just have to be consumed this year. Creating this list helps us to commemorate how we’ve grown and what has helped us get through. This year, since 2020 has been a mess, we have to give our Top 10. Join Jemar and Tyler for the second half of their lists. What’s on your 2020 list?? Tweet us @thewitnessbcc or @_PassTheMic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And also, our favorite episode(s) of the year! Every year, we recap our favorite “cultural artifacts”. These can be books, albums, people, movies, TV shows, events….ANYTHING that got us through the year. There’s only one catch: these items do NOT have to come out this year. They just have to be consumed this year. Creating this list helps us to commemorate how we’ve grown and what has helped us get through. This year, since 2020 has been a mess, we have to give our Top 10. Join Jemar and Tyler for the first half of their lists. What’s on your 2020 list?? Tweet us @thewitnessbcc or @_PassTheMic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Surprise! We have a special episode for you today! Our guest is the Executive Director of The Witness Foundation: The Rev. Dr. Shannon Polk! Shannon is a theologian, speaker, philanthropist, and a lawyer. She speaks about the intersection of race and gender and is a leading voice in the space of Black Philanthropy. Today, she joins our host Tyler Burns to talk about The Witness Foundation and Black Philanthropy. For those who are unaware, The Witness Foundation seeks to correct patterns of racial injustice that have deprived Black Christians and communities of material resources by identifying promising Black Christian leaders to be part of a two-year fellowship. They receive $50,000 per year of the fellowship as it makes their work for racial justice more effective.Of course, we encourage you to give to the “Will You Be a Witness?” Campaign at thewitnessinc.com and apply to the Witness Foundation Fellowship at thewitnessfoundation.co! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 So, you know we had to interview Mr. Blue Check Verified right? Our “guest” today is the man who made it all happen! Jemar Tisby, the CEO of The Witness Inc is on today to talk about his new book How to Fight Racism. After the incredible success of his book The Color of Compromise, we are excited to talk about his call for the church to pursue a courageous Christianity. How to Fight Racism is a handbook for pursuing racial justice with hands-on suggestions bolstered by real-world examples of change. Tisby offers an array of actionable items to confront racism in our relationships and in everyday life through a simple framework--the A.R.C. Of Racial Justice--that helps readers consistently interrogate their own actions and maintain a consistent posture of anti-racist action. This book is for anyone who believes it is time to stop compromising with racism and courageously confront it.The book releases on January 5 so don’t forget to pre-order!https://www.amazon.com/How-Fight-Racism-Courageous-Christianity/dp/0310104777/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=30TJMJHB52NCU&dchild=1&keywords=how+to+fight+racism+jemar+tisby&qid=1607956280&sprefix=how+to+fight%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFRSzVRSFlMN01NSVEmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA2ODI1NzQyUjJNMkxLVFpaQUkmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDQ5MTAzM1BRU09NREhPMTFIQSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is no stranger to many of you! The Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley, PhD is a New Testament scholar and an Anglican Priest. He is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. He has also appeared in outlets such as Christianity Today, Washington Post, and of course, The Witness: BCC. He is also the host of the Disrupters Podcast and functions as a Canon Theologian for his diocese.Our topic today is his new book Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope. The book looks at the tradition of African American biblical interpretation and argues that the Bible rightly understood and read from a decidedly black perspective can speak a word of hope to African Americans in the United States.This is a conversation that you don’t want to miss!******************************Finally, we don’t want to miss the opportunity to invite you to give to The Witness BCC for our “Will You Be a Witness?” Fundraising Campaign!The Witness BCC exists to encourage, educate, and empower Black Christians to be free in our souls and bodies. We have accomplished much in our 10 years of existence, but we are just getting started! We have 4 goals for 2021:-Hire More Staff-Hire Columnists & Writers-Double our Podcast Suite-Create Communities of RefreshingThese are LOFTY goals, but whatever vision God gives ought to be more than you can accomplish by yourself. That’s why we need YOUR help.Visit: thewitnessinc.com today to partner with us by designating your gift for “The Witness BCC” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a special episode for y’all today! Netflix just recently released a Black Gospel choir special called “Voices of Fire” executive produced by Grammy-winning recording artist Pharrell Williams. Pharrell’s uncle Bishop Ezekiel Williams along with a host of Gospel Music legends set out on a 6-part journey to build the world’s most inspiring Gospel Choir. What follows is a host of moving stories and beautiful music. The Witness BCC Vice President and Host of the Combing the Roots podcast Ally Henny joins us today. She interviews Voice of Fire Choirmaster Patrick Riddick and sticks around afterward to discuss the show with PTM host and Witness BCC President Tyler Burns. Hope y’all enjoy this conversation!******************************Finally, we don’t want to miss the opportunity to invite you to give to The Witness BCC for our “Will You Be a Witness?” Fundraising Campaign!The Witness BCC exists to encourage, educate, and empower Black Christians to be free in our souls and bodies. We have accomplished much in our 10 years of existence, but we are just getting started! We have 4 goals for 2021:-Hire More Staff-Hire Columnists & Writers-Double our Podcast Suite-Create Communities of RefreshingThese are LOFTY goals, but whatever vision God gives ought to be more than you can accomplish by yourself. That’s why we need YOUR help.Visit: thewitnessinc.com today and designate your gift for “The Witness BCC”! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a special guest we have on the podcast today! If you are familiar with the conversation about reconciliation and justice in the church, you won’t get very far without hearing the name, the Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter Mcneil. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil is a dynamic speaker, author, professor and reconciliation thought leader. Her mission is to inspire, equip and empower the next generation of Christian leaders to be practitioners of reconciliation. Dr. Brenda is an international trailblazer, leading individuals, communities, and organizations to biblical reconciliation. She was featured as one of the 50 most influential women to watch by Christianity Today in 2012. She is the author of Roadmap to Reconciliation 2.0, A Credible Witness: Reflections on Power, Evangelism and Race (2008), and The Heart of Racial Justice: How Soul Change Leads to Social Change (2005), coauthored with Rick Richardson. Her newest book Becoming Brave: Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now is available August 2020.Becoming Brave offers a distinctly Christian framework for addressing systemic injustice. It challenges Christians to be everyday activists who become brave enough to break the silence and work with others to dismantle systems of injustice and inequality.Looking through the lens of the biblical narrative of Esther, McNeil challenges Christian reconcilers to recognize the particular pain in our world so they can work together to repair what is broken while maintaining a deep hope in God’s ongoing work for justice. This book provides education and prophetic inspiration for every person who wants to take reconciliation seriously. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a year this week has been! After 4 stressful days of waiting and wondering, we finally have a result in the presidential election. Former Vice President Joe Biden is now the President-Elect of the United States, and Senator Kamala Harris is the first woman, Black woman, and woman of South Asian descent to secure the Vice Presidency. Jemar and Tyler are back to talk about the emotions that we’re all feeling, a few words on control, and what to do moving forward. And just in case you missed the last week…catch up belowRead about this news on our website: https://thewitnessbcc.com/the-witness-bcc-expands-to-form-the-witness-inc/----The Witness is expanding! We love to see it! Introducing: The Witness Incorporated (The Witness, Inc)The Witness: A Black Christian Collective is expanding to form The Witness Incorporated as a launching pad for multiple new endeavors. The newly minted philanthropic division is The Witness Foundation, which fills the gap of equipping Black Christian leaders to make a greater social impact. Each will have direction under Mr. Blue Check Verified himself, Jemar Tisby, who founded and led the collective for nearly a decade!Jemar Tisby, author of The Color of Compromise will serve as CEO of The Witness Inc., the parent company that will house both the foundation and the Black Christian Collective.The Witness Black Christian Collective is excited to announce that Tyler Burns will assume the role of President of the Collective. Burns, a Florida-based pastor and co-host of the Pass the Mic podcast, has served as Vice President of the Collective since its launch in 2017. His appointment as president of the Collective is the beginning of a new era in the history of The Witness.As President of The Witness BCC, Tyler hopes to continue the organization’s long tradition of amplifying the diverse voices of Black Christians. He hopes that The Witness BCC will continue to engage its core audience by encouraging, educating, and empowering Black Christians to be stewards of the Black prophetic tradition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices