Freedom Rising: Dismantling Fascism with Fierce Love

245 West 77th Street,New York NY 10024

28 April, 2023

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PRESENTED BY MIDDLE CHURCHALONG WITH OUR SPONSORS: THE MIDDLE PROJECT & FOCUS FOR HEALTH WITH SUPPORT FROM: AUBURN SEMINARY, DREW THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL & THE UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN-PERSON | NEW YORK CITY The time to act is now: When freedom rises, we all flourish. This spring, join some of the nation's most prophetic leaders to diagnose what's tearing the country apart, learn how to cultivate wholeness in the middle of oppressive systems, and build an agenda that will help all of us get free. Learn more and see a full schedule at freedomrising.org! CONFERENCE OUTLINEFriday, April 28: Uprooting Christian Fascism’s Lie The undemocratic takeover of our judicial system is just the tip of a movement that seeks to force a pluralistic country to conform to fundamentalist Christianity. It’s also based on fundamental lies: We live in abundance, not scarcity. People deserve autonomy over whether they create new life. The Earth is not a limitless resource for us to plunder. And we do not have to live by the vision of founders who named Indigenous siblings “savages,” treated women as property and legislated Black folks as ⅗ of a person. This day will unweave this tangled web to help us become a just nation—for the very first time. Saturday, April 29: Liberating Your Story Living within these damaging systems confines our moral imaginations. On the second day, we’ll hear from folks who help us dream more expansively about what we deserve. We’ll examine the ways that stories about race, class, gender and sexuality have conditioned us, and help each other write different stories—ones grounded in the love and freedom we’re meant to enjoy. We'll explore the centrality of rest and joy in activism, and how to cultivate community. Saturday, April 29: A Night at the Theatre New York City offers an unparalleled chance to see art that embodies the themes we explore in this year’s conference. Use the conference app to join a group going to one of three incredible shows: Parade, Fat Ham, or Bad Cinderella. Make new friends, and memories of a night in Manhattan that you won’t soon forget. Sunday, April 30: The Politics of Ubuntu The ancient wisdom of Ubuntu teaches us an essential truth: We become a person through other people. Or, as Dr. King would express it, all of us are “caught in an inescapable network of mutuality,” our destinies intertwined. What would a politics look like that honors these truths? How would it change the way we think about borders? The existence of policing? Our voting laws? On this day, we’ll host subject experts across a wide array of topics to help you dream about policy solutions that would help all people flourish. We will release a full conference schedule, as well as more details about the event location, in the weeks to come. CONFIRMED PRESENTERS (more to be announced soon):Uche Blackstock Erik Bottcher Bob Boisture LaTosha Brown Mark Charles Charlotte Clymer Kelly Brown Douglas Laura Flanders Nelba Marquez-Greene Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove Obery M. Hendricks Jr. Robert P. Jones Frederick T. Joseph Jacqui Lewis Talila Lewis Jocelyn Lieu J Mase III Kristin Du Mez Otis Moss III Svante Myrick Olayemi Olurin Natalie Renee Perkins Melissa Harris-Perry Benjamin Perry Achebe Powell Simran Jeet Singh Nadia Bolz-Weber SPONSORSHIP:For additional sponsorship opportunities, contact [email protected] COVID-19 POLICY:While no in-person event can eliminate the risk for infection, we will do everything in our power to keep attendees safe. Vaccinations are required for registration and will be checked upon arrival, and masks are required for all attendees when not eating or drinking. We are currently consulting with doctors and infectious disease experts to determine other conference guidelines, and we will share that information as soon as it is ready. OUR VALUES:We hold these truths... Love is a public ethic that demands a just society All bodies and genders are divine, and deserve safety Abortion is essential healthcare Racism is evil Our addiction to guns is killing us Living wages aren’t negotiable We are in a climate emergency This is not a Christian nation SCOTUS is not God