Rev. Dr. Fatimah S. Salleh & Margaret Olsen Hemming
SUN, OCT 9, 2022 | 7:30-9:00 pm MST
Reading the Book of Mormon for messages about social justice issues reveals new depths to the text and gives additional purpose to our call to administer to “the least of these.”
IN-PERSON GATHERING AND VIA ZOOM:
Home of Ed and Kristen Iversen
3582 Oak Rim Way Salt Lake City, UT 84109
Or your home via Zoom.
BUT—may I encourage those of you who can to share real time and real space with people who are seen, felt, and heard in a non-digital way? To come and be present physically. Science is continuing to confirm the singular and communal benefits of sharing our hearts in a tactile, personal way.
It may be advisable to bring a light folding chair. Thank you.
If there is no parking to be found near the home you can also park in the “park & ride” lot on the NW corner of 3900 South and Wasatch Blvd. Oak Rim Way is just east of the intersection on the north side.
Thanks to Kristen and Ed Iversen for sharing their home again with us. And thanks to Jana Spangler for continuing to host us via Zoom. Below is some helpful info for being part of a Zoom convo. I will also note below the Zoom address so that you can connect. If you are not on my email list then either join at the bottom of this site’s home page or text or call me at 801-695-5036.
THE CONVERSATION:
Although the Book of Mormon has been studied devotionally, literarily, and as an archeological record, it has never been seriously examined through the lens of liberation and womanist theology. Authors Fatimah Salleh and Margaret Olsen Hemming have written two volumes of a three volume series intended to empower readers to understand the text as a book that speaks to issues of racism, sexism, immigration, refugees, violence, social conflict, and economic inequality. The Book of Mormon for the Least of These offers an unflinching examination of some of the difficult and troubling sections of the Book of Mormon, while also advocating for a compassionate reading of scripture.
The authors will walk the group through some of the most difficult passages of the Book of Mormon, taking questions from the group about what the group struggles with most deeply and offering innovative tools for engaging with the text.
Join us in speaking with the authors of the first book studying the whole of the Book of Mormon written by women and written for those who in our society in most need of liberation.
“Fatimah and Margaret have produced another superb volume of mind-expanding, soul-stretching, love-enhancing, and action-inspiring reading of Restoration scripture. For the Least of These has become one of my go-to Book of Mormon commentaries.”
– Patrick Mason
ABOUT FATIMAH:
Fatimah was born in Brooklyn, NY to a Puerto-Rican and Malaysian mother and an African-American father. Dr. Salleh re-ceived her PhD in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also earned a master’s degree from Syracuse University in Public Communication and a Master in Divinity from Duke University. She launched A Certain Work in 2018 in an effort to provide racial equity consultation and training for organizations and churches. In 2021, she launched Salleh Ministries Inc., a religious non-profit, to fo-cus on wellness and well-being for clergy and activists. She is married to Eric Sorensen and they are the parents of four children.
ABOUT MARGARET:
Margaret is an independent scholar, author, and editor. The former editor in chief of Exponent II, she is the art editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and sits on the advisory board for the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts. She earned a master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University. She and her husband Patrick Hemming are parents and foster parents in North Carolina.
EXPLORE BEFORE WE MEET:
- Order the book beforehand here. Or buy it the night of. (I did check local independent bookstores and I couldn’t find it.)
- Great interview with Fatimah and Margaret on Beyond the Block podcast.
- Watch the conversation with Fatimah at ThinkAgain-FaithAgain from two years ago.
- Click on the Zoom link above.
- When you are connected you will either be waiting in a lobby and will let be in shortly or you will immediately be able to see other participants. Please make sure that you muted and that your video is on if you choose to have it on. (Love to see and hear you live, but we’ll take curious lurkers also.)
- If you can’t hear the host, me, or others, find your settings and make sure you have a working microphone and speaker selected. Also, make sure you have your volume up.
ZOOM ETIQUETTE:
- Please mute your microphone before entering and when you are not speaking so noises are not heard by everyone else.
- Rather than have the whole group watch you try to get your camera or screen positioned, or play with funky green screen backgrounds, feel free to get that figured out prior to when we meet.
- Resist the urge to multitask—be with us fully if at all possible. But we’ll be grateful for whatever presence you are able to offer. Just knowing you are there is nice.
- If you are going to multitask, or wander around a lot, please turn off your video and make sure you are muted. No one wants to be distracted by you eating or using the loo.
- If you are having difficulty with the technology, don’t hold up the meeting by distracting other participants for solutions. Try Googling your problem. I do that with most of life’s problems.
- Speaking of distractions—just as when we used to meet in person in the good old days, let’s be cautious about using the chat for side conversations that may distract others. You can always ask for people’s contact info and continue your conversation—I’d love that to happen. Or, let me know, and I’ll do my darndest to give you a chance to share to the group.
- Please share air time and follow the guidelines under “Intentions” on this website.
