While claiming a Christian and pro-life worldview, Kanye West—who is now known as Ye—has steeped himself in scandal over blatant anti-Black and antisemitic remarks. In October, he donned a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt with an image of Pope St. John Paul II on the front. Missing from his highly controversial remarks and actions has been any recognition of the harm done to Jews and Black people. That is an important omission, according to Binta Niambi Brown, a talent manager in the music and entertainment industry, the founder Omalilly Projects and a member of the board of directors of America Media.
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On this week’s episode of “The Gloria Purvis Podcast,” Binta speaks with Gloria about the cognitive dissonance that people can experience when a beloved and influential artist speaks and acts immorally. At times, Christians in the United States can have an anemic understanding of human dignity, they argue, on the one hand praising Ye for promoting the dignity of the unborn, while ignoring his anti-Black and antisemitic rhetoric. They also discuss the importance of holding pop cultural figures with large platforms accountable.
Finally, Gloria and Binta discuss why music is a profound form of spiritual expression and offer a word of encouragement to Black Catholics in the United States who have considered leaving the church.