Alethea Lamberson

Episode 2 of Season 3 just dropped! In previous seasons we’ve done “state of our country” series, but for this season we wanted to approach it from a different perspective than before. In this episode, we focus on helping our listeners understand what is happening in our bodies when we are activated and triggered. We discuss the Central Nervous System and disrupting or completing the stress cycle, along with understanding the importance of regulating and embodiment as we engage in justice work for the long haul. In the episode show notes you will find a worksheet that we put together which you can go through after listening to the episode. We hope the reflection questions are helpful as you process. Please rate and review on Apple and Spotify!

Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong? What emotions did that stir within you? How has that experience shaped who you are today? A sense of belonging is essential to our humanity. It fosters connection, vulnerability, empathy, and inclusion—beautiful facets of our relationships with one another. Throughout my spiritual journey, I’ve held onto the belief that God created everything with intention, and that the disruption caused by the fall fractured the shalom (peace) that was meant for us. This disruption is often perpetuated by systems, beliefs, individuals, and powers that exclude certain people from feeling a sense of belonging—a sense of shalom—often masked by or driven by political agendas or religious expressions, such as Christian Nationalism and Zionism in the U.S. Since I was seven, I’ve been acutely aware of exclusion (I even found a journal from that time). It broke my heart to see individuals marginalized because of their developmental differences, gender expression, sexual orientation, or skin color, among other forms of bullying I witnessed. Throughout my life, I’ve strived to create spaces of belonging—whether in faith communities, academic settings, government, friendships, or as a counselor. I cannot stand by when people are dehumanized or oppressed; I am committed to dismantling the systems that perpetuate exclusion. I know this stance can upset many, but I embrace it as part of the fight for justice. I am dedicated to ensuring that everyone belongs, especially those who have historically been marginalized. In these tumultuous times, the pursuit of justice is more critical than ever, and I’m here to heal in the process. That’s the vision behind my podcast. This season is tailored for those eager to chase justice and practice healing in today’s chaotic world. I invite you—regardless of your racial background or political affiliation—to join this journey with us as we explore the intersection of psychology, history, spirituality, mental health, DEI, and justice while reflecting on the current administration. Follow our Instagram page @therolldownpodcast to hear from myself and my cohost @leath14!

“Emma Tautolo, that’s our pastor!” (Aaron Pierre melody IYKYK!) Last Sunday I had the honor of watching one of my best friends become officially ordained as a pastor at @belovedsouthphoenix, and she preached one of the most honest and authentic sermons on suffering I have ever heard. Emma has been pastoring long before getting the title, and also having this officially happen was significant and deserving. If people ever ask me, “who’s your pastor?” I will forever say, “EMMA TAUTOLO!” I may not live in Phoenix but she is my pastor 😂 I have never been more proud of you, Emma! And what a special week it’s been because today is her BIRTHDAY 🥳 Emma, as I watch you walk through the hardest season of your life, I have been so encouraged at your fight to embrace and receive the good and the joy that’s come your way at the same time. I hope you know just how much you’re loved 🖤 Happy Birthday to my homie and pastor!

The president of MSNBC choosing to cancel @thereidout is just another act of cowardice by those in the media giving in to the fear-mongering of this administration. @joyannreid has always been a truth teller and can never truly be canceled. Please join the thousands of us tonight who will be tuning in to her last show at 7pm EST and then #TVoff 😤 #WeNeedJoy

Time for my annual end of the year post 🏒 🫣😂

Highlight of 2024: watching my best friend and sister get her number retired 🥹 There’s much to be said about Maya’s illustrious career… 2x NCAA Champion, 2x Naismith College POY, 2x AP POY, 4x WNBA Champion, WNBA ROY, WNBA MVP & Finals MVP, 3x All Star Game MVP, 6x All Star, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist… (there’s more to the list) One of my favorite things about the ceremony were all of the stories people shared about Maya and who she is off the court. I loved seeing her get her flowers and that folks were reminded that she’s one of the greatest to ever play the game. The best part of it all? Jonathan sitting right next to Maya taking it all in in person for the first time 😭😭😭 #23 in the rafters, completing the celebration and enshrinement of the greatest starting 5! 🐐

#SonyaMassey

Happy Book Launch Day to my dear friend @euszynski 🥳 this book is a labor of love in the midst of a fear-mongering culture war that has gripped parts of the body of Christ over the last few years. While the CRT boogeyman has been weaponized in many spaces, most who are shouting from the rooftops about how diabolical it is don’t even really know what it is. With a PhD in American Culture Studies, Ed details some of the necessary history of Marxism and Critical Theory to help us understand where Critical Race Theory came from. Ed also unpacks how those of us who follow Jesus have a lot to learn from this as we need to know where this came from and why it was even needed. If you’re looking for a resource to help you better understand and want to be equipped for this conversation, this book is a must read.

With all of the nonsense surrounding the WNBA recently, I wanted to share some highlights from over the last year where I got to meet some legends! Each of these women have contributed so much to the game of basketball, laying a foundation and paving the way for the moment we’re now witnessing. They are HOFers, WNBA champions, All Stars, MVPs, and Olympic gold medalists (just to name a few). I think about 10 year old Alethea being glued to the TV to watch Cynthia Cooper and the Houston Comets, and seeing Cheryl Miller on the sidelines leading the Phoenix Mercury. From there I got to watch Taj McWilliams-Franklin come into the league. Then Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, and Maya Moore Irons. I feel so grateful for what I’ve been able to witness over all of these years. Thank you to each of you for all of the excellence you’ve brought to the game. From Sylvia Fowles’ jersey retirement game to the Women’s Final Four to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the last year has been a dream 🤩 little Alethea and adult Alethea are still in awe. Oh, and watching one of your best friends get inducted into the WBB HOF was one of the greatest moments of my life 🖤 so proud!

Claudette Colvin (1935- ) Claudette Colvin is a civil rights activist and her arrest after refusing to give up her seat on a bus was one of the initial sparks needed for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which happened nine months later. On March 2, 1955, the 15 year-old Colvin and her friends were riding the bus home. The driver ordered them to give up their seats to white passengers and while her friends obliged, Colvin refused to move, stating that it was her constitutional right to sit there having paid her bus fare. Her refusal to move was a direct violation of Montgomery’s segregation laws and she was arrested. The NAACP considered using Colvin’s case to challenge the bus segregation laws, but they decided against it because of her age and the fact that she was pregnant. This didn’t stop Colvin from moving forward to challenge the segregation laws. Not long after the Montgomery Bus Boycott kicked off nine months after Colvin was arrested, she was one of four plaintiffs named in the Browder v. Gayle case, a lawsuit that was filed on their behalf to argue that Montgomery’s segregated bus system was unconstitutional. A district court ruled that they had been treated unconstitutionally, and the case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld the district court’s decision and stated that bus segregation was a violation of the 14th Amendment and was unconstitutional. Colvin (along with the three other women) is a significant reason why bus segregation was deemed unconstitutional, although she doesn’t get the credit and acknowledgement she deserves. When reflecting on why she didn’t get up she said, “I felt like Sojourner Truth was pushing down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman was pushing down on the other—saying, ‘Sit down girl!’ I was glued to my seat.”

Ella Baker (1903-1986) Ella Baker was a civil rights activist who was essential in the creation and launch of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). She studied at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, graduating in 1927 as the class valedictorian. After graduation she moved to NYC and in 1930 she joined the Young Negroes Cooperative League, whose purpose was to develop Black economic power through collective planning. In 1940 she joined the NAACP, first working as a field secretary and then served as director of branches from 1943 to 1946. Inspired by the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, Baker co-founded the organization In Friendship to raise money to fight against Jim Crow laws in the Deep South. In 1957, she moved to Atlanta to help organize the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) which Dr. King served as President and Baker as executive secretary. Through her work with the SCLC she ran a voter registration campaign called the Crusade for Citizenship. On February 1, 1960, four Black students from North Carolina A&T did a sit-in at Woolworth’s lunch counter after being denied service. Baker was inspired by the young activists and wanted to assist them in their efforts in the Movement, so she organized the founding conference of SNCC at Shaw University. While Dr. King wanted SNCC to be a student wing of the SCLC, Baker encouraged the students to start an organization of their own; in her opinion, “the young people were the hope of any movement…they were the people who kept the spirit going.” SNCC members joined with activists from the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to organize the 1961 Freedom Rides. In 1964 SNCC helped create Freedom Summer, an effort to focus national attention on Mississippi’s racism and to register Black voters. With Baker’s guidance and encouragement, SNCC became one of the foremost advocates for human rights in the country.

Shirley Sherrod (1948- ) Shirley Sherrod is an activist and currently serves as Executive Director of the Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, Inc., and as Vice President for Development for New Communities, Inc. Her activist journey began when she was 17 after her father was shot and killed by a white farmer in an alleged dispute over livestock. The man who murdered her father was given no charges by an all-white grand jury and this became a turning point in her life, making the decision to stay in the South and fight for racial justice. Sherrod became an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s (SNCC) Southwest Georgia Project, where she met her husband, Charles. Between 1969 and 1985, the two of them devoted much of their time to establishing, leading, and sustaining New Communities, Inc., the country’s first community land trust. She also went to work for the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, helping Black farmers keep their land. Sherrod helped to launch several cooperatives and co-founded the Rural Black Women’s Initiative. In 1985, the Sherrod’s were unable to secure a USDA loan, losing the 5,700 acre land they had for New Communities, Inc. They became part of a civil suit that was filed against the USDA and in 2009, the chief arbitrator ruled that the USDA had discriminated against New Communities by denying a loan to the operation and extending more favorable terms to white farmers. New Communities received a $12.8 million settlement, including $330,000 to Sherrod and her husband for “mental anguish”. In 2011, she was inducted by the National Association of Cooperatives into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. Her plaque reads, in part: “She has worked tirelessly to eradicate the historical race, class, cultural, religious, and gender barriers experienced by southern rural black women. Sherrod’s efforts have been courageous, innovative, and effective. For four decades, she has remained steadfast in her commitment to help poor people overcome the income inequalities that have persisted for generations.“