Kristin Jordan, aka KRJ, is a poet and activist in the Harlem community, where she has started an independent publishing company that focuses on Black and Latino literary activists. She is a member of DSA and is the Social Justice Chair for United Methodist Women at Salem Church, as well as being an active Buddhist. KRJ shares with us her years of experience in the Black Lives Matter and police accountability movements, and what opportunities and challenges she sees in the current wave of activism. She also talks about how her Christian and Buddhist practices complement each other, and about attending an event to support women candidates, only to discover that the candidate that should come forward was her! Now, KRJ is aiming to take her activism to City Hall as a candidate for New York City Council. Enjoy this conversation, and for more information check out https://kristinforharlem.com/

Imaan Javeed Podcast Notes Our latest episode of “Heart of a Heartless World” features an interview with Imaan Javeed, a writer and medical student, discussing the relationship between Islam and socialism. “There are so many different statements in the Quran and in the Hadith that clearly point to the goal of the society being to provide for the needs of everyone, and discussing how can we create a more just society. The Quran itself says, ‘Work towards justice, even if it means justice against yourself.’ So any step we take towards a more socialist society is taking a step towards that goal of being able to provide for everyone's needs. And it's just really clear as day.” “Another connection between Islam and socialism is that they are both ‘dirty words’ that are smeared by the media and the establishment . . . Much like socialism, Islam has this targeted misinformation campaign against it launched by powerful people. Education and teaching people what Islam is actually about and what socialism is actually about is an important way to fight back.” To read a recent Religious Socialism article profiling other Muslim socialists: https://www.religioussocialism.org/reducing_wealth_preserving_communal_goods_islam_socialism To learn more about Islam, Imaan Javeed suggests the following resources: · Human Rights in Islam and Common Misconceptions, https://islamhouse.com/en/books/50418/ · The Yaqeen Institute. https://yaqeeninstitute.org/research/ · Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, http://ispu.org

Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón on the Latinx community, sexuality, and the churches In this episode of the RS podcast, Heart in a Heartless World, our guest Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón is a medical anthropologist who trains African-American and Latinx activists to prevent HIV and AIDS in their communities. He is of Puerto Rican descent, an expert in Latino gay and bisexual culture and HIV, and is a Christian and socialist. He speaks to our host Elisa Batista on how all of his identities form his desire for a more humanitarian and just world. To follow Dr. Rivera Colón's work, go to the "Karl Marx Ate My Field Notes" podcast, the "Militant Tenderness" YouTube channel, and/or his Facebook page. Karl Marx Ate My Field Notes podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/karl…es/id1477005233 Miltant Tenderness www.youtube.com/channel/UCIRJLMgB-Q-eGAZIAnDW5lg Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón Facebook www.facebook.com/edgar.riveracolon

Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón sobre la comunidad latinx, la sexualidad, y las iglesias En este capítulo del podcast RS, <> o Un corazón en un mundo sin corazón, nuestro invitado Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón es un antropólogo médico quien entrena a activistas afroamericanos y latinos en métodos de indagación para prevenir al VIH y SIDA en sus comunidades. Él es de raices puertorriqueñas, un experto en la cultura latina gay y bisexual y el VIH, y un cristiano y socialista. Él platica con nuestra locutora Elisa Batista como todos sus identidades forman su deseo para un mundo más humanitario y justo. Pueden seguir al Dr. Rivera Colón en su podcast Karl Marx Ate My Field Notes, por su canal de YouTube Miltant Tenderness y/o su página de Facebook. Karl Marx Ate My Field Notes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/karl-marx-ate-my-field-notes/id1477005233 Miltant Tenderness https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIRJLMgB-Q-eGAZIAnDW5lg Dr. Edgar Rivera Colón Facebook https://www.facebook.com/edgar.riveracolon

In this episode of the RS podcast, Heart in a Heartless World,, our guest is Colleen Shaddox, a devout Roman Catholic, a committed socialist, and a veteran healthcare journalist. Shaddox’s articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, and many other outlets. Along with her co-author Joanne Goldblum, Shaddox just completed a book on the everyday lives of persons living in poverty and the broken policies that cause their suffering. Shaddox is interviewed in this episode by the Religion and Socialism Working Group member Fran Quigley. They discuss the connection between Catholicism and socialism, what socialism has to say about the COVID-19 pandemic and access to healthcare, what progressive Christians should be doing in response to reactionary Christianity, and Colleen’s interesting paths to Roman Catholicism, socialism, and writing about healthcare. “It’s Matthew 25, right?” Shaddox says. “You're supposed to feed the hungry and care for the sick, and we don't do that under capitalism.” Some of Colleen Shaddox’s healthcare journalism can be found here, and her book can be pre-ordered here. Look on our website for more about DSA’s Religion and Socialism Working Group.

Jay Forth is a graduate from Duke Divinity, a director of homeless outreach at a nonprofit in DC, previously he was the executive director of Festival Center, a faith-based space for organizing. In this wide-ranging conversation, Sarah talks with Jay about a paper he published linking the book, The Making of the Indebted Man: An Essay on the Neoliberal Condition by Maurizio Lazzarato and Jonathan Edwards’s sermon on sinners in the hands of an angry God. He also shares what it was like to grow up with black Jamaican immigrant parents, tenant organizing, and why queerness should not be just an identity, seamlessly connecting threads from racism to queerness to capitalism to the gospel.

Maxine Phillips leads DSA’s religion and socialism working group nationally. She is a retired executive editor of Dissent, former DSA national director, and current volunteer editor of "Democratic Left." She has been part of DSA since the late 70's and oversaw the Religion & Socialism print newsletter for decades, which included articles from Cornel West, Arthur Waskow, and Dorothy Sollee. This interview captures lots of her insights on the differences between each generation of DSA, and reflections on the parallels and differences between church and socialist spaces.

Daniel Soyer is professor at Fordham and a scholar of American Jewish history. He is a co-editor, along with Irena Klepfisz, of The Stars Bear Witness: The Jewish Labor Bund 1897 - 2017. Our interview with him is the second of a two-part series on the Jewish Labor Bund; it covers the origins and operations of the Bund in Eastern Europe, American Bundist history, as well as how Jewish immigrant communities formed the backbone of socialist political activity in NYC and throughout America. Our music is “Made and Broken” by Hugel. Support us on https://www.patreon.com/religioussocialismpodcast

Today, April 19th, is the 76th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It was the largest single revolt by Jews during WWII and it was mostly organized by the Bund, a secular Jewish socialist movement. Irena Klepfisz was born in the Warsaw Ghetto and fled with her mother to the United States when she was eight. She is now a noted poet, writer, Yiddish translator, anti-occupation activist, known for her work in lesbian, feminist and Jewish spaces. This personal interview touches on Irena's childhood, the "zeitgeist" of American Jewish bundist life, coming out in the 1970's, her activism against Israel's occupation, and how she makes sense of the contemporary resurgence of interest in Yiddish. Part 2 of this interview series will feature Daniel Soyer, who will provide a historical and academic perspective on the Jewish Labor Bund.

How do we fight the demonic principalities behind climate change? Shay O’Reilly is an organizer for renewable energy in NYC, a DSA member, a Lutheran, and a graduate of UnionTheological Seminary. We chat with him on why he believes in demonic powers (see: white supremacy), why fighting climate change necessarily means fighting for socialism, how he got into environmental issues through anti-poverty work, as well as his experience of converting to Christianity shortly after coming out as trans and gay. Yes, it’s a packed episode! Follow him on Twitter @shaygabriel