I am writing to you from the conference floor, during the breaks. I wanted to give you an accurate and current glimpse of the moment.

So, this past Sunday we heard Luke’s version of a scripture that’s often called the Beatitudes (a lengthier version is in Matthew; if you like comparative bible study, check out the beginning of Matthew chapter 5 and stack it up next to Luke’s version). Here in this passage, Jesus gives a series of counterintuitive, paradoxical statements...

Dr. Barbara Ransby is a historian, writer, and longtime political activist. She is a Professor of History; Gender and Women's Studies; and African American Studies and Director of Social Justice Initiative at the University of Illinois in Chicago. In her newest book, Making All Black Lives Matter: Reimagining Freedom in the 21st Century, she examines the BLM movement, discussing its roots and motivations, its politics and its future as part of what she calls a new Black Freedom movement.