In my conversations with both of these scholar-activists, I was inspired by their individual stories and connections to their important book. As a spiritual person that has challenged and engaged in interpretations of my own religious traditions within an equity and inclusion framework, I was really excited to learn how the Black women interviewed approached their advocacy work. For these individuals, there was not a specific catalyst or personal story to why they began advocating in their religious communities; it was from an intrinsic sense of responsibility in addressing an injustice, namely the lack of any formal response by their church communities to the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis.
“Black women have always been involved in the mobilization of their communities, and for these women it was the same. It wasn’t just personal, but for a broader community impact,” Dr. Harris said. While they worked within these religious hierarchies, the authors found that the women were more likely to lead from their spiritual connection to a higher power. “Regardless of social class, all the women we interviewed emphasized an upbringing to support and empower the community,” Dr. Mushtaq said.
Especially within a male-dominated religious hierarchy, these women were able to reimagine and reframe for their communities why and how working to address HIV/AIDS in their respective community is the embodiment of Christian ideologies. While many of the women interviewed talked about homophobia as a barrier, they approached their communities with a message of: “You might not like them [LGBTQ people]…but you can pray for them, and you’re Christian and this is what Jesus did.”
By focusing on the spirit of Jesus rather than on Church doctrine, these women were able to get buy-in from their communities, even if reluctantly at times. The interviewees also noted that many of their initiatives were quite simple yet complicated – from bringing up HIV topics during church services to hosting community groups and partnering with local LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS networks. Each of the women had to build relationships and address shame, fear and stigma within their communities to ensure successful engagement.