Thread by @JJRodV

I read a lot on social movement, religion, and leftism and I’m struck at the whiteness of this literature. By whiteness I mean both that “religion” is understood in white Protestant terms (the “religious” has to fit into white Protestantism) and that it centers on white people.

I read these books thinking about Caribbean Santerxs building mutual aid, about Black/Latinx Muslims creating social service programs, about the Black Radical Tradition and Islam, about Puerto Rican Christians fighting for a socialist society, and I see.....none of this.

Instead what I see is that “Leftism” is related to white leftists (often white intellectual leftists tbh), religion is equated to Churches and Protestant adjacent understandings of faith, and to diversify there is the necessary sprinkle of MLK in 1968.

My work has been to discuss religion and social movements and leftism/progressivism and to be honest, 99% of the time I never even mention white people. Not because white folks haven’t contributed to these topics, but because there is *so much* mimoritized folks have done.

So I’m honestly shocked when these volumes center on white people, religion, and social movements. Because there is so much else to analyze.

The role of Buddhism among the Combahee River Collective, Islam and Black Radical Tradition, Santeria among Caribeñxs engaging mutual aid, Latinx Christians occupying Churches. I could go on because there is *so much.* But the literature doesn’t highlight this.

And I don’t know if scholars just haven’t been trained to think about anything other than white people and white Protestants (I know this is a whole convo in #AmRel) or if it’s because minoritized communities bend all white normative methods or if folks just don’t know.

It’s a whole ass convo to have though tbh. Because my goodness...