In May, our community of social justice leaders came together to break a taboo: talking about faith and social justice. How does faith or spirituality support your leadership? Are you excited to explore this question? Almost relieved that it is out in the open? Or do you have reservations about the role of faith in movements?
Listen in on the conversation between Purity Kagwiria (a great feminist and self-declared "good Christian"), Ellen Sprenger (whose favourite piece of music is Ave Maria) and special guest Nani Zulminarni (a Muslim feminist adventurer) as they explore their religious and spiritual backgrounds (how they have evolved and how they continue to have influence). Is it a fertile and resourceful place, a place of resistance and oppression, or both? And finally, is there a need for a more intentional embrace of faith and spirituality in our organizations and movements?
Listen to the 35-minute audio recording of the conversation’s highlights and read on for some key strategies you can experiment with to harness the wisdom and strength faith and spirituality lend in your own work.
Many attitudes toward faith tend to take an all or nothing approach, especially as it shows up in global movements. It can be difficult to be recognized as a person or faith and a social justice activist at the same time. In reality, such binaries are unhelpful, obscuring more nuanced and powerful learnings about human relationships … as well as how change happens (and who’s doing the changing).
There’s a role for everyone to recognize that there is no one universal truth; rather multiple truths that can co-exist. “How can we all be in the same space without feeling like we have to apologize for believing in something,” asks self-professed “great feminist and good Christian,” Purity Kagwiria, the Kenya-based Director of the With and For Girls Fund and Collective.
At the same time, many communities are reckoning with how to account for times when religious practices have caused deep harm and trauma, especially in the context of colonization — from residential Catholic schools that sought to erase Indigenous cultures in Canada to the suppression of the acceptance of queer and Two-Spirit people in many parts of the world. In the face of all that, is it possible to still connect with the resourceful and healing elements of religion and faith? Is it okay not to want to? How can amends be made?
Spring CEO Ellen Sprenger felt the sting of rejection as a queer woman in her own Catholic upbringing. Finding her way back in her own way through music (she has a playlist with 100 different versions of Ave Maria), she says, “Maybe if we become wiser can we live with these contradictions and complexities, and find our way back to the wisdom in each of our faith traditions.”
A common source of strength that social justice leaders of faith talked about can be termed contemplative practices — prayer, meditation, taking the time to reflect and consider one’s path.
“The way I’ve brought my faith into my leadership is knowing that I always have this anchoring that brings me so much focus and peace,” says Purity. “There will be a storm around me and somehow I will find it within me to stay calm.”
What is a reflective practice that feels resourceful for you? What allows you to extend grace and compassion to others? What codes, practices or higher powers do you connect to and how do they influence your outlook or decisions?
When Muslim feminist adventurer (as she calls herself!) Nani Zulminarni reflected on what God means to her, she shared that “too often, people put religion above God.” When this happens, institutions tend to put doctrine and the pursuit of power above people’s wellbeing and above unity. True leadership, on the other hand, means being in service of people, planet and, if you observe one, a higher power.
“Faith is always a journey,” says Indonesia-based Nani, and understanding the many ways in which people practice their faith can help you think comprehensively, accept vulnerabilities and weaknesses, as well as appreciate being a human being in a bigger ecosystem you alone cannot control. “Faith is a structure we can bring to our own leadership. It’s really about building community,” adds Purity.
What are the beliefs that bring structure or community to your own leadership? How can you devote your life to radical change and be at peace with the people around you who may see different paths toward change? In what ways can we tap into the wisdom of different traditions in ways that bring people of together?
“Stories of Impact: Women in Systems Change feat. Nani Zulminarni.” Ashoka Philippines. (15 minute watch)
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Nani Zulminarni is reversing the pattern of discrimination against women who head their households by educating and enabling them to generate resources to provide for their families and raise their position in the community. She also educates the public on the critical role these women can play in society. A gender and development specialist, popular educator, and activist, Nani’s passion is for community organizing and the economic and political empowerment of women. She founded PEKKA, the Women-Headed Households Empowerment Program, a network that supports about 20,000 rural widows and abandoned and divorced women into more than 800 savings and loan cooperatives in 495 villages in Indonesia. The program focuses on village-level capacity building and an alternative, collective model of microfinance, aimed at social and economic empowerment.
Leap of Leadership is Spring’s monthly online meetup for social justice changemakers around the world. Each month, we tackle cutting-edge topics through new tools, concrete practices and exchanges with peers. Learn more or sign up to join our monthly drop-in sessions and receive our monthly emails.