Podcast Archives - Above the Noise

33. Kendrick Glover: An Advocate, Pt.1

Grantley Martelly — Sun, 27 Mar 2022 03:31:07 +0000

Kendrick Glover is the founder of Glover Empowerment Mentoring (GEM) based in Kent, WA. Kendrick was born in Natchez, Mississippi and after some wandering years moved to Seattle to get away from further trouble. In Seattle, he found his calling to teach young people to find their path to their full potential. At GEM he is doing just that. With strong faith and determination, he and his team are making a big difference in the lives of hundreds of young people of color every year.
This two-part episode is challenging and inspiring and you will find it one that you will come back to and share with others trying to navigate where they fit and how they can make a difference.

#faith; #race; #reconciliation; #kendrickglover; #strongchildren
strongchildren.org
@abovethenoise24
@abovethenoise_gm
abovethenoise24@gmail.com

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32: Letter To My White Friends Still Struggling With Calls For Justice

Grantley Martelly — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 03:57:02 +0000

This letter to my white friends who are still struggling with calls for racial and social justice and who, at times, feel that they are being called racist simply because they are white. It has taken me many versions to come to this recording and it is intended to help clarify some of the terminology and challenges that they may be struggling with while encouraging dialogue to try to better understand the historic and institutional foundations behind the movement.
All white people are not racist because simply they are white. The racism that is being referred to is the institutional and power structures that continue to benefit one group above the other and that need to be dismantled. The concept of individual responsibility versus community complicity is explained in this episode.

#race, #racism, #priviledge, #faith, #reconciliation, #bible
abovethenoise24@gmail.com

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31: Ev Tustin – Voluntary Displacement Pt. 2

Grantley Martelly — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 03:11:12 +0000

We are concluding our conversation with Pastor Ev Tustin of Hillside Church in Kent, WA. He speaks of voluntary displacement – making room for a broader diversity of voices, and coming to grips with difficult realizations that challenge one’s version of the truth. He continues to point out ways that people of faith can engage the community in productive and mutually beneficial ways because in times of need people of faith need to collaborate to make a difference. All of God’s purposes are not antithetical to the same purposes of the people who are serving in the community. Pastor Ev concludes with strategies for people of faith to become people of reconciliation.

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30: Ev Tustin – Voluntary Displacement Pt. 1

Grantley Martelly — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 03:42:01 +0000

Can the church truly become a valued community partner providing a place for people to serve and be ready when a crisis arises? Is it possible to break through tradition and make room for diverse voices to have a place at the table? Pastor Ev Tustin of Hillside Church in Kent, WA is leading his congregation in the transformation of becoming a community partner and an inter-cultural, inter-racial, and inter-generational body that is relevant to, and represents the community where they are located. Listen carefully for how he defines and applies the term, voluntary displacement.

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29: Jerry Kester – Leading Through Crisis Pt.2

Grantley Martelly — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 04:31:05 +0000

We conclude our discussion with Jerry Kester, the District Superintendent of the Washington Pacific District of the Church of the Nazarene in Washington State. Jerry discusses the impact of social media on some people of faith, and the challenge of the political entering the ecclesiastical. He discusses why people are not as afraid of change as they are afraid of loss and that fear can cause a myriad of reactions.

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28: Jerry Kester – Leading Through Crisis

Grantley Martelly — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 19:51:29 +0000

We all face crises in life and we live in a world that seems to be caught in an epidemic of crises: personal; social; racial; political; COVID. Leaders, whether in faith or business, if they are to be successful, must lead people and organizations through crises with integrity, empathy, and hope. Jerry Kester is the District Superintendent, Washington Pacific District, Church of the Nazarene and he has experienced his share of personal tragedy and leads leaders to navigate their organizations and people through challenges in today’s environment where strong opinions aggravate the effects of the division that we face. Jerry believes that we don’t always have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand.

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27: Critical Race Theory 1

Grantley Martelly — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 19:53:09 +0000

Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become a political hot potato in recent years. But what does it mean and what does it actually teach? Many people’s only orientation to CRT has been the news media and political pundits determined to scare blocks of supporters to action in relative ignorance. This episode aims to give a brief introduction to the topic and to encourage the listener to take the time to become educated and not to be afraid to become conversant on the topic. Knowledge is the enemy of tyranny and religious intollerance.

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26: The Black Man Marie Married – Ryan Martelly, Pt 2

Grantley Martelly — Sat, 16 Oct 2021 20:06:14 +0000

My son Ryan and I conclude our stimulating conversation, as he discusses the direct impact of finding out that he and his wife were no longer welcome at her grandfather’s home, and the powerful emotions of seeing their story in print in the book, Still Time on Pye Pond, by Danielle Fontaine (episodes 24 and 24). He expresses his hope for reconciliation in the family and that his children may someday get to experience Pye Pond for themselves.

Reconciliation comes not only from hoping for a change but being willing to pursue repairing a relationship that has been broken. Ryan addresses this in a powerful and visionary episode.

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25: The Black Man Marie Married – Ryan Martelly, Pt 1

Grantley Martelly — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 20:07:17 +0000

In this episode, my son Ryan joins me to talk about his unique and multicultural life. Growing up as the son of a Barbadian father and Bengali (Bangladeshi) mother, he was surrounded by people from all walks of life, nationalities, ethnicities, and languages and was traveling to other countries at a young age. After meeting and marrying Marie, he was shocked to learn that her grandfather would not meet him because he was black and would also disown Marie, his granddaughter, as you heard from her mother, Danielle in My Daughter Married a Black Man (episodes 23 and 24). Ryan talks about his own struggle to come to grips with his identity and how he has learned to represent himself and others as he, many times, finds himself being one of the few persons of color in the room as a leader or when decisions are being made that can affect others.

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24: Danielle Fontaine – My Daughter Married a Black Man Pt. 2

Grantley Martelly — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 05:04:01 +0000

Danielle and I complete our conversation on the emotional struggle of the racial divide created in her family when her daughter married our son. Art can illustrate life and her book, “Still Time on Pye Pond”, tells her story in stunning images. Danielle also gives her suggestions for families struggling with similar situations and reminds us that there is still hope for reconciliation if we do not give up. She and her husband started the Brandon Fellowship for young artists to help young artists of color get a start in their careers.

Her works and book can be found on her website.

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