10: Disrupting the Convenient Church Narrative (Andre Henry)

I will never forget hearing Andre share the truth of his lived experience as a black man in Pasadena, CA in the summer of 2016. The truth has a way of binding us together in freedom. It was a gift to speak with him on the podcast this week.

Andre Henry has a passion for making the invisible visible. In the summer of 2016, he began lugging a solid granite boulder
around Los Angeles to show the weight of systemic racism on the black psyche. Months later, he walked around dressed for a
funeral with the names of the victims of state violence written on his jacket; and in response to the police involved death of his mentally ill neighbor, J.R. Thomas, Andre founded an activist collective called “Something Disruptive” dedicated to creative,
nonviolent direct action.

Together, “Something Disruptive” convened a group of community leaders, students, clergy, and civilians from around Los Angeles County for a year-long vigil in protest of police brutality in the wake of J.R. Thomas’ death at the doors of the Pasadena Police
Station called “A Subversive Liturgy.” Through this year-long action, the group raised financial support for J.R.’s family and local Black Lives Matter activists, as well as mobilized support for the Black Lives Matter Pasadena Freedom School serving the youth of Northwest Pasadena.

Andre is a student of nonviolent struggle and social change, including studying leadership in nonviolent movements for social change through the Harvard Kennedy School. He specializes in using digital media to educate and mobilize audiences for racial justice and social progress. He has served as managing editor at RELEVANT Media Group and is currently a contributing editor for The Sider Center for Peace and Justice in Philadelphia, a Content Expert for the Fuller Leadership Platform, and a Research Assistant for the Innovation for Vocation Project. He has also earned theology degrees from both Southeastern University and Fuller Seminary.

To connect with Andre:

Humans of NY story and subject unknown.

"You are brilliant, and the earth is hiring." From the Commencement Address by Paul Hawken to the Class of 2009, University of Portland, May 3, 2009.

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