Last weekend, people started reaching out to me because they were afraid, and they didn’t want to stay that way. They didn’t want to rage or burn things down; they wanted to find a way to contribute to their community, to help others overcome fear. So with the help of a PHENOMENALLY gifted intern, theContinue reading “Could your church help your community find hope in the wake of the election?”
Category Archives: Gender
¡Ya basta! Fasting to end Rape on the Night Shift
I’m in my second day of a five day fast with night janitors for a cause most people don’t even realize is a cause: many immigrant women cleaning buildings across our country live in fear of sexual assault by predatory managers who know they are working alone and need to keep their jobs. It’s stuffContinue reading “¡Ya basta! Fasting to end Rape on the Night Shift”
“I enjoy being a girl”
or “How Patriarchy unintentionally saved me” (feel free to listen to this song in the background for inspiration.) There are a few guys in my circles of radical clergy with a certain public following. I love their tweets and facebook posts because they’re sometimes funny and sometimes biting, and they’re almost always so certain. Which,Continue reading ““I enjoy being a girl””
Tentative everyday feminism: Chinese food edition
Scenario: I was sick. I ordered Chinese food. The next morning, half of it was missing. What I was brave enough to say: I know this should go without saying, but please do not eat my food. Thank you. Once he responded, “Sorry for the inconvenience,” and I said, “It wasn’t an inconvenience so muchContinue reading “Tentative everyday feminism: Chinese food edition”
Christmas values – Day 9: Gloria in Excelsis Deo!
“Why do you think churches led by people of color are thriving while a lot of White liberal churches are dying?” asked a student at a class where I was on a panel of people of color representing the racial/ethnic ministries of our denomination. The person who asked is a friend of mine whom IContinue reading “Christmas values – Day 9: Gloria in Excelsis Deo!”
The Single Rev by Choice – For a Season
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FIDELIA’S SISTERS ON DECEMBER 9, 2014: http://youngclergywomen.org/single-rev-choice/ You know the poem about how people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime? Singleness sometimes feels like it has come into my life (unbidden) for a lifetime, but I’m choosing it for this season. God and I have had wordsContinue reading “The Single Rev by Choice – For a Season”
Homelessness, the woman on my patio and the Woman at the Well
Sermon preached at First Christian Church of Palo Alto, August 10, 2014. Text: John 4:5-15 (with references to later verses), the story of the Woman at the Well Preamble to the sermon: I am known in some circles for preaching a really up-on-your-feet, clap and shout amen kind of sermon. I think that was whyContinue reading “Homelessness, the woman on my patio and the Woman at the Well”
“That’s why I don’t watch the news,” #notallmen and the global protection of rape culture
He was for real the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. I had opened up my home to a couple of people coming to Oakland for a conference for activists. We totally bonded over finding a space to create our own identities rather than the identities the world tried to impose on us. He told meContinue reading ““That’s why I don’t watch the news,” #notallmen and the global protection of rape culture”
To the guy who told me to “loose weight” before he would “make out on the porch swing” with me
Dear “Nice Guy” (Your name choice; I’m glad irony is not dead on craigslist): I received your response to my craigslist ad last night (posted below), responding to my ad, in which I sought a “nerdy radical with great race analysis.” I assumed this title would draw people who had an interest in politics and alsoContinue reading “To the guy who told me to “loose weight” before he would “make out on the porch swing” with me”
“Many men have loved Ella.” The silence-shame binary; can clergy move past it?
This new year I got to hang out with one of my best friends. He’s known to be a wee bit judgmental (said the pot of the kettle). I mentioned a friend of mine/acquaintance of his in passing, a friend who is active in the church and not particularly quiet about her active sexual history.Continue reading ““Many men have loved Ella.” The silence-shame binary; can clergy move past it?”
Sandhya Rani Jha 