What the Civil Rights Movement Still Has to Teach Us - Rachel Harding on Spirit & Strategy

What the Civil Rights Movement Still Has to Teach Us - Rachel Harding on Spirit & Strategy

Author: Institute of Religion Politics and Culture, Amanda Henderson, Iliff School of Theology May 16, 2025 Duration: 36:55
In this stirring episode of Complexified, we sit down with scholar, poet and community elder Rachel Harding to remember what the Civil Rights Movement was really made of — not just legal wins, but music, food, family and radical hope. Raised among icons and everyday visionaries, Rachel offers a vision for change that begins not in courts, but in kitchens. This is a story about memory and movement, but also about presence — the kind of deep connection to people, place and purpose that makes liberation feel not just possible, but near. If you’re longing for a different way to be human in the chaos, this one’s for you. GUEST: Rachel Elizabeth Harding is a native of Georgia and a writer, historian and poet. Rachel is a specialist in religions of the Afro-Atlantic diaspora and studies the relationship between religion, creativity and social justice activism in cross-cultural perspective. A Cave Canem Fellow, she holds an MFA in creative writing from Brown University and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Colorado Boulder. She's the author of A Refuge in Thunder: Candomblé and Alternative Spaces of Blackness (Indiana University Press, 2000) as well as numerous poems and essays. Rachel’s second book, Remnants: A Memoir of Spirit, Activism and Mothering (Duke University Press, 2015), combines her own writings with those of her mother, Rosemarie Freeney Harding, on the role of compassion and spirituality in African American social justice organizing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Complexified is a conversation that starts from a simple, uncomfortable truth: the forces of faith and power are woven into the fabric of our everyday existence, from kitchen tables to courtrooms. Hosted by Amanda Henderson of the Iliff School of Theology and presented by the Institute of Religion Politics and Culture, this podcast deliberately steps into the tangled intersections where belief systems meet policy, cultural norms, and social strife. We move beyond superficial debates to examine how these deep structures actually function, why certain problems feel so immovable, and where the possibilities for genuine movement might lie. Each episode is an effort to untangle a specific, knotty issue, listening for the underlying narratives and historical currents that often go unspoken. The goal isn't to provide easy answers but to foster a more nuanced comprehension, the kind required for meaningful engagement rather than repeated conflict. Tuning into this podcast means joining a rigorous yet accessible exploration of our shared life, acknowledging the complexity so often glossed over in public discourse. It’s an invitation to think more deeply about the roots of our divisions and the potential pathways forward, grounded in the conviction that clearer understanding is a necessary first step toward any durable change.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 97

Complexified
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