Delivered on August 17, 2022 to SC Senate Medical Affairs Committee Good morning! I am the Reverend Merianna Harrelson. I am the Pastor of Garden of Grace United Church of Christ on Atlas Road in Southeast Columbia. I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you all this morning on this crucial issue involving my own …
I was trained as a teacher to have short-range plans, long-range plans, and a five-year career plan. None of those plans included being called into ministry, going back to school and starting a whole new profession. Sometimes, I am stopped in my tracks when someone asks, “How did you end up here?” because I didn’t …
I’ve tampered my passions. Stuffing down the fire within me that calls for all people fed, all people housed, all people safe, all people educated. That same fire that calls out systemic oppression and injustice. I’ve tried to put a lid on the sparks that drive me to want to make things better and more …
I’ve tempered my words. Carefully choosing and precisely picking words that aren’t too challenging or courageous for a woman. I’ve bitten my tongue, holding back the very words I knew needed to be spoken in order to not be called outspoken. I smiled and nodded even when I knew the person who was speaking was …
A few days ago, Dr. Christena Cleveland posted this: Perfection is a white patriarchal tool designed to prevent us from true intimacy – with ourselves, others, and the Divine. Dr. Christena Cleveland Yes! Perfectionism is a hustle. A hustle designed to make us doubt our self-worth and spend all of our energy in a useless …
Currently in our country 1 in 7 kids are living with food insecurity not sure if or when they will have access to food. Recent reports indicate that this now true for 1 in 7 adults after a year of living in a global pandemic and economic crisis. Even in the midst of this pandemic …
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the phrase “being negative won’t help” or “just think positively.” There is a thread that runs through our culture ad our society, especially for women, that urges us to “stay positive” and “to smile more.” This is especially prevalent in conservative communities and depicted in the Lego …
The American beauty industry is a 49.2 billion dollar industry and is estimated to be a 438.38 by 2026. Women in the US spend between $3,000 and $4,000/ year on cosmetics. The beauty industry was interrupted during the pandemic as women all over the country stopped wearing makeup. I’m giving up the beauty hustle. As …
The pandemic revealed so much about how much so many of us were doing every day by grinding everything suddenly and unexpectedly to a halt. Childcare and schools were closed. Businesses were divided into essential and nonessential and we all were trying to create workspaces and school desks at home. As all of these changes …
While watching the debate, I was overwhelmed with the optics of three old white men debating the future of our country. For years, I have been the voice in worship planning that asks the question, “But does it look like we welcome and affirm women?” when the platform or worship participants are only males. Nothing …
