
Why IT Matters Podcast with Leroy Barber
By Leroy Barber
Leroy (Former host of the SITUP Podcast) is the Co-Founder of the Voices Project and Adjunct professor at Multnomah University and Executive Director of Neighborhood Economics. Rev. Barber has served on the boards of The Simple Way, Missio Alliance, The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), and the Former Board Chair of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA).

Why IT Matters Podcast with Leroy BarberApr 02, 2020

S.I.T.U.P. LIVE: Pre-Juneteenth Show
Join Leroy Barber as he talks about celebrating Juneteenth and much more.

Episode 67:Meet Dea Jenkins
Dea Jenkins is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, Director of Inbreak, and founder of Dea Studios. Through a series of life twists, including deciding not to pursue a career as a professional track runner, Dea “accidentally” discovered an interest and a talent for art-making.
As she discovered the world of painting, drawing, and graphic design, she ultimately chose to pursue an undergraduate degree in filmmaking from The Art Institute of Houston. Filmmaking taught her the value of producing. As a producer, she discovered that she could create spaces to share her own work, but also generate opportunities for other creative minds to journey with her on these projects.
In 2017, Dea moved to Pasadena, California to pursue a dual masters degree in Theology and Intercultural Studies with an emphasis in Theology and the Arts. Post-graduation, she is currently engaging questions on spirituality, collective consciousness, and social healing through multiple mediums.

Episode 66: Meet Carl Amouzou
Join Host Leroy Barber and producer Andru Morgan for another road trip to the 2022 Inhabit Conference in Seattle Wa. On this Episode meet Carl Amouzou of FŌS

S.I.T.U.P. LIVE: Buffalo, Brittney Griner, and Anti-Blackness
Join host Leroy Barber and producer Andru Morgan as they talk anti-blackness and other issues of the world.

S.I.T.U.P Podcast Bonus Episode
Join host Rev. Leroy Barber as he preaches a very special message.

S.I.T.U.P Podcast: Super Bowl Live Show
Join Leroy Barber and producer ANDRU Morgan as they talk Super Bowl beyond football.

S.I.T.U.P. PODCAST LIVE: Black History Month at Third Eye Books
Third Eye Books Accessories & Gifts LLC was founded in 2019 in Portland Oregon by Michelle Lewis and Charles Hannah. Our vision is to be the number one supplier of African Centered books, accessories and gifts in the Portland Metro Area. We believe our products can be used as a tool to motivate, inspire, restore or enhance a persons cultural pride and to bring forth happiness and healing into the hearts of our customers.
When you shop at Third Eye Books Accessories & Gifts LLC. You are purchasing from a business that not only sells quality products, but one that strives for excellent customer service. In addition, we value and appreciate all the ways that our products and services can be used to uplift and improve the mind, body and soul of our customers.
As a proud 100% Black owned and operated business. We believe in practicing cooperative economics by giving back to the community and supporting community based organizations that uplift and empower Portland residents.

S.I.T.U.P. PODCAST LIVE: MLK Day 2022
Join Leroy Barber as he reflects on the life and teachings of MLK.

Episode 60: Live from CCDA: Meet Mayra
Mayra grew up in East Los Angeles, and currently lives in Pasadena, CA. She serves on the pastoral staff of Lake Avenue Church, a large congregation that has been at the same location for over 120 years. She has spent the past 18 years leading in her local community and casting vision for Kingdom-neighbor-loving. Her love for the local and global church fuels her speaking and teaching focus on issues related to leadership, race/ethnicity, gender, faith, justice, and the Church. Mayra spends lots of time mentoring and learning from younger leaders in her church and community. She serves on various local and national boards and is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). She is married to Chris and they have four children ranging in age from 7 to 29. Besides Jesus, Mayra loves her community, the challenging and sacred call of pursuing justice….and….shoes.

Episode 59: Live from CCDA: Meet Dominique Gilliard
Dominique DuBois Gilliard is the Director of Racial Righteousness and Reconciliation for the Love Mercy Do Justice(LMDJ) initiative of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). He is the author of Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice that Restores, which won the 2018 Book of the Year Award for InterVarsity Press. Gilliard also serves on the board of directors for the Christian Community Development Association and Evangelicals for Justice. In 2015, he was selected as one of the ECC’s “40 Under 40” leaders to watch, and the Huffington Post named him one of the “Black Christian Leaders Changing the World.”
An ordained minister, Gilliard has served in pastoral ministry in Atlanta, Chicago, and Oakland. He was executive pastor of New Hope Covenant Church in Oakland, California and also served in Oakland as the associate pastor of Convergence Covenant Church. He was also a campus minister at North Park University and the racial righteousness director for ECC’s ministry initiatives in the Pacific Southwest Conference.
Gilliard earned a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in history from East Tennessee State University, with an emphasis on race, gender, and class in the United States. He also earned an MDiv from North Park Seminary, where he served as an adjunct professor teaching Christian ethics, theology, and reconciliation.

Episode 58: Live From George Fox University: Meet D'Metri Mattocks
Join host Leroy Barber for the kick off of an all new season of the SITUP Podcast. This season Leroy will be taking SITUP to another level by asking each person about Sports, Innovation, Theology, the Ugly and what Public discourse they have been having. Episode one of the new season Leroy kick things off with D'Metri Mattocks the Director of Intercultural Life at George Fox University. This young black leader from Atlanta is making headlines and bringing fresh innovative biblical ideas to the GF campus.

SITUP Live: May 22nd 2021
This week we talk NBA Playoffs, Landnrights, vaccine lottery, black-owned businesses and Leroy talks about Ronald Green in I'm Angry

SITUP LIVE: I AM ANGRY
Join Leroy Barber as he talks about the latest going on in America!

Vote The Greater Good Tour: Meet The Activist Theology Project (Tennessee)
Join Leroy Barber as he welcomes back Dr. Robyn and first-time guest Rev. Anna of the Active Theology Project. The Activist Theology Project is a collaborative team passionate about our commitment to the ethics and politics of en conjunto (togetherness). We are public theologians, justice advocates, and strategy-minded people situated in the hybrid space of the church, social change, and the academy. We are a multiplicity of humans who have engaged one another to bridge radical differences.

Vote The Greater Good Tour: Meet Melvin Bray (SW ATL)
The SITUP Podcast is proud to have Melvin Bray back to talk SW ATL with us!
Melvin Bray (melvinbray.com) is an Emmy® award-winning storyteller, social entrepreneur, and author who lives and gardens with his wife, three kids, and two dogs in southwest Atlanta, GA. Melvin is a student of how societal myths aid or block desired political outcomes. As such, he authored BETTER: Waking Up to Who We Could Be to demonstrate how our sacred narratives can either promote or subvert a beloved community. He is also coordinating author of The Stories in Which We Find Ourselves, online reimaginings of the biblical narrative that make faith something children and youth have reason to care about. As a social entrepreneur, Melvin works to help communities of goodwill find better stories and scripts–better ways of thinking and doing–that move them toward equity, diversity, and inclusion (collabyrinthconsulting.com).

Vote The Greater Good Tour: Meet Kiyomi Rollins (SW ATL)
Co-Founder of The Good Hair Store. Kiyomi Rollins is dedicated to loving on every coil while empowering the natural hair and skincare community to embrace the goodness of their kinks and skin.
From its humble beginnings at a mall kiosk back in 2008 and a handful of locations since, The Good Hair Shop has grown exponentially while still keeping its heart. From the moment you walk into the shop, your natural hair and skin are celebrated and loved upon. Every kink, coil, loc, teeny-weeny afro, or bald head is cherished because here, “everybody has good hair.” We are a missioned-principled company that believes in educating and empowering our customers about exceptional hair and skincare that is also environmentally sustainable. Our shop is a safe place, a sacred space, and a judgment-free zone. The Afrocentric artwork on the walls, the music playing in the background, and the images we play on the screen all work in sync to make you feel as cared for as your skin and curls will.

Vote The Greater Good Tour: Meet The Youth of Releigh North Carolina
Join Leroy Barber and the SitUp Podast crew as they talk with three Releigh youth about voting the greater good.

Vote The Greater Good Tour: Meet The People of Durham
Join Leroy Barber in Durham North Carolina as he talks with four college student about voting the greater good.

Vote The Greater Good Tour: Meet Gino Hayes (Canton)
Meet Pastor Geno Hayes of Canton!

Vote The Greater Good Tour: Meet JT Huffer-Corn and Tonya Rogers (Canton)
While doing our event in Canton Ohio we got the chance to meet Tonya Rogers and JT Huffer-Corn. The two community organizers have done some pretty inovative things to help drive out the vote in Stark County Ohio.

Vote The Greater Good Tour: Meet Pastor Santes Beatty (Detroit)
Pastor Santes Beatty serves as the Lead Pastor for Mosaic Midtown Church in Detroit, MI, and as the Multiethnic Multiplication Catalyst for the Wesleyan Church. He has a passion for seeing healthy, gospel-centered, multiethnic ministries grow as disciples make disciples and churches multiply themselves until there is a transforming presence in every zip code.

Vote The Greater Good Tour: Meet Pastor Phil Jackson (Chicago)
Pastor Phil Jackson has served God full-time on the front lines of urban youth ministry for over 30 years. Phil has served in North Lawndale since 1994 as a youth pastor and was associate Pastor of Lawndale Community Christian Church until 2017. In 2003, Pastor Phil started The House Covenant Church, a Christ-centered, hip-hop worship service.

Vote The Greater Good Tour: Meet Michelle Ferrigno Warren (Denver)
Michelle Ferrigno Warren has committed her life to her community and advancing equity and democratic participation across the country. She is a nationally recognized leader, advocate, author. For over a decade, she has championed critical issues including immigration, mass incarceration and education. She is both a policy expert and knows how to build diverse coalitions that get things done.
In her role as the Advocacy & Strategic Engagement Director for Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), Michelle has spoken to thousands, traveled the world and been interviewed by national and international media. In her role as a consultant with the D.C. based National Immigration Forum, she has worked to build consensus among diverse stakeholders. Her advocacy and coalition work is a national model for non-profits and exactly what Colorado needs in an elected official.

Episode 45: Meet Minister Onleilove Alston
For more info on Onleilove and her book please go to https://propheticwhirlwind.com
This episode features spoke word piece Nailed Hands by Amena Brown Owen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBi7MQNl14A&list=PLsg8KOmNODyn72qsCBSMdWRNv5kaQbHQX
Minister Onleilove (pronounced Onlylove) Chika Alston, Founder of Prophetic Whirlwind was born and raised in East New York, Brooklyn. Onleilove is also a community organizer, speaker, and writer.
Having experienced poverty and homelessness, she has developed a compassion for people fueled by her passion for justice and knows that the gospel is truly “good news to the poor.” Even in the midst of difficulties at 10-years old her spiritual journey started with feeling led to pray and read the Psalms morning, noon and night. At 14-years old she walked into a Brooklyn congregation and accepted Yahshua as her redeemer. After her life changing experience with Yahshua she began to want to take the Good News to her community.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Human Development with a minor in African-American studies from Penn State University, she completed a year of service with AmeriCorps Public Allies New York. In 2011, she received her Master of Divinity and Master of Social Work degrees from Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University School of Social Work, respectively.
For over a decade Onleilove worked as a faith-rooted community organizer and advocate. In 2018 she founded Her Wisdom Consulting where she consults non-profits, NGOs and companies on Women’s Leadership, faith based organizing, diversity and inclusion. Her writing has been featured in Sojourners Magazine, Huff Post Religion, The Black Commentator and NPR’s On Being blog, as well as in other print and online publications. Onleilove served as the second executive director at PICO-Faith in New York, where she led a multiracial and multifaith organizing federation of 70+ congregations representing 80,000 New Yorkers who are working to Build the Beloved City-where all of The Creator’s children can live in dignity. She has completed the Women’s Campaign School at Yale, The Collegeville Institute Fellowship and the FPWA Faith and Justice Fellows Program. Onleilove writes and lectures on the implicit bias of colorism and its impact on African-American women; having developed A Women’s Theology of Liberation and Live Free W.O.M.B. (Women Organizing Out of Mass Incarceration and Brutality) for the Faith in Action Network. In 2016 Onleilove testified before the United Nations Working Group for People of African Descent on Mass Incarceration’s Impact on Black Women & Girls.

Episode 44: Meet Presidential Candidate Mark Charles
Join Leroy Barber and the SitUP Podcast Crew as the hit the road to NYC to talk with presidential candidate Mark Charles.

Episode 43: Meet the Parish Collective Canada
Join the SITUP crew as they head north to Toronto Canada to meet with some of the most innovative people making a difference in neighborhood.

Episode 42: Meet Velynn Brown!
Its been a long time but we good things come to those who wait and Velynn Brown is well worth the wait! Join Leroy and the SITUP crew for a closer look at the work of equity and inclusion.
As a native Northeast Oregonian Velynn understands the discomfort, disparities and complexities of growing up as a Black woman in one of the whitest cities in the nation. Despite the challenges she has also experienced and witnessed true healing and real change in hearts and institutions that chose to dismantle racist pride, permanence and privilege. As a mother of three and mentor to many she does all she can to secure the dignity, safety and hope to the next generation. Please join us as we meet Velynn Brown!
For more info:
https://www.faithandequity.org/
This episode contains the spoken word poem Girlfriend's Poem by Amena Brown

Episode 41: Bread For The Resistance Live
Join host Leroy Barber for a live listen in of Donna Baber reading from and talking about her book Bread for The Resistance.
Donna Barber is cofounder of The Voices Project, an organization that influences culture through training and promoting leaders of color. She is also the director of Champions Academy, an initiative of the Portland Leadership Foundation that provides culturally responsive leadership development for student athletes. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, Leroy, and their children.

Episode 40: The Harriett Movie Talk
From her escape from slavery through the dangerous missions she led to liberate hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad, the story of heroic abolitionist Harriet Tubman is told in this 2019 movie. Join Leroy and a predominantly white group of Portlanders as they have an open and honest talk about their feeling, challenges and the takeaways they got from this movie.
Support the SIT UP Podcast and buy a SITUP T-Shirt: www.sgbtees.com

Episode 39: The SOCAP Recap
The week host Leroy Barber recaps his time at SOCAP 19. SOCAP (Social Capital Markets) is in the vanguard of the emerging global impact economy convening ideas and capital to catalyze world change. During his time at SOCAP Leroy had very brief sit down with one of the founding members of SOCAP Rosa Lee Harden.
Rosa Lee was the Executive Producer of SOCAP throughout the growth of the conference from 600 people in 2008 to more than 3,100 in 2017. She is a successful serial entrepreneur and for 25 years was an owner and publisher of newspapers, magazines, and trade journals, accomplishing turnarounds and launching successful startups that became the top publications in their markets. In 1996 she left the business world to become an Episcopal priest serving Holy Innocents in San Francisco for nearly 13 years. Having one foot in the faith world and one foot in entrepreneurship has been a great place from which to grow the conference at the intersection of money and meaning.
This episode also features A spoken word performance from Amena Brown titled Betting It All

Episode 38: Meet Pastor Rudy!

Sitting Up Against The Patriarchy
What Up Folks! Welcome to season two of the S.I.T. U.P. Podcast with host Leroy Barber! This season promises to bring 20 exciting yet thought-provoking episodes surrounding the theme of sports, innovation, theology, ugliness (injustice), and (you) public discourse. Kicking off the second season Leroy issues a firm challenge to all men to do their part in upending the patriarchal system that dominates our culture. You don't want to miss this one. Let's begin!
This episode contains the poem 'For The Women' written and performed by Amena Brown for more information on Amena Brown and this poem:
This episode contains a reference to Author Bell Hooks and the book The Will to Change:
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Will-to-Change/bell-hooks/9780743480338
What do you think about today's show? Please leave me a message at the link below:

Summer Bonus Episode: The Jay-Z NFL deal
Join Leroy Barber and producer Andru Morgan as they talk the NFL and Jay-Z deal.

Episode 35: Meet Josè Humpherys
José Humphreys is a native New Yorker, social worker, consultant and minister with over 16 years of nonprofit experience. In this capacity he has organized neighborhood groups and faith leaders around social justice issues. José has also served as a consultant to many organizations providing technical assistance and training around culture building, organizational development, transformative dialogue and emotionally intelligent leadership. Together with his wife, Mayra, and a group of others, José began Metro Hope Covenant Church, a multi-ethnic church that meets in Harlem’s historic National Black Theater. Metro Hope is part of a larger church movement with a heart for the city, drawing artists, young families and professionals from Greater Harlem and the metro area. As a communicator, José has received the call to write, facilitate, teach and train. José graduated with a Master of Social Work from the Hunter College School of Social Work where he received the Reva Fine Holtzman award for outstanding field research and practice. He also holds a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary. José resides in East Harlem with his wife Mayra and eight year-old son, Javier.

Episode 34: Meet Raquel Polanco
Although its summertime Leroy Barber
and the SITUP Podcast
crew is still working hard to bring you even more heat! Raquel Polanco
is a brilliant artist that has a strong sense of culture that you will hear come alive the interview with producer Andru Morgan
. Also be sure to check out the spoken-word piece “Corn, Cactus, Turtle” after the interview. Let's begin...

Episode 33: Meet Melvin Bray
Melvin Bray (melvinbray.com) is an Emmy® award-winning storyteller, social entrepreneur, and author who lives with his wife, three kids and two dogs in southwest Atlanta, GA. He is an active participant in vanguard networks seeking more beautiful, more just, more virtue-filled ways of showing up in the world. He is author of the soon to be bestselling BETTER: Waking Up to Who We Could Be, co-editor of Faith Forward, Vol 1 and Vol 2 (Copper House, 2013, 2015), which explore ways children’s and youth ministry can make the dream of beloved community possible, and he is coordinating author of The Stories in which We Find Ourselves, online reimaginings of the biblical narrative that make faith something children and youth have reason to care about. As a social entrepreneur, Melvin works to help communities of goodwill find better stories and scripts–better ways of thinking and doing–that move them toward equity, diversity and inclusion (collabyrinthconsulting.com).
https://anchor.fm/situppodcast/message

Episode 32: The Live Summer Kick off Show
Join Leroy Barber and producer Andru Morgan as the kick off the Situp Podcast Summer with a few questions on summertime as well as a in depth discussion on the NBA Finals!

Episode 31: Leroy listens to the future of the church!
Join Leroy as he sits down with four young leaders at CCOYM and talk the future of the church and much more!

Episode 30: Leroy gets grilled
Join us for this very special edition of the SIT UP Podcast! As you know we interview a lot of dynamic leaders and today is no exception to the rule. SIT UP's very own Leroy Barber gets grilled by long time supporter and friend of the podcast Jess Bielman. Jess is a coworker of Leroy that is not scared to ask the tough questions and get great answers. On this episode Jess goes down the line and talks Sports, Innovation, Theology, the Ugly of injustice and even Public discourse with Leroy. Trust us you don't want to miss this special extended 2 part conversation with Jess and Leroy.

Episode 29: Meet Dr.Randy Woodley
Dr. Woodley addresses a variety of issues concerning American culture, faith, justice, race, our relationship with the earth and Indigenous realities. His expertise has been sought in national venues as diverse as Time Magazine, Christianity Today, The Huffington Post and Planet Drum: A Voice for Bioregional, Sustainability, Education and Culture. Dr. Woodley currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Faith and Culture and Director of Intercultural and Indigenous Studies at George Fox University/Portland Seminary. Some of his books include:
The Harmony Tree: A Story of Healing and Community (Friesen, 2016) Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision(Eerdmans, 2012) Living in Color: Embracing God’s Passion for Ethnic Diversity(Intervarsity, 2004).For more info please check for him at:
His website:
https://randywoodley.com/randy-woodley.html
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/randywoodley7
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/randywoodley7
Podcast:

Episode 28: Meet Rev. Shalom R. Agtarap
Shalom is an ordained United Methodist Elder currently supporting the innovative work of church planters. She has facilitated work in churches working to become more multicultural and multiethnic; better representatives of their neighborhoods. Using community organizing as a framework, she offers a more organic, relationship-based way of equipping disciples and transforming neighborhoods.
Shalom’s formation as a Christ follower includes her time with the Upper Room's Two-Year Academy for Spiritual Formation #29 and continues to serve in leadership as Worship Leader with Academy #40 in Danville, California.
She is local to the Seattle area as a graduate of the University of Washington and received her Master of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C..
She drinks deeply from the well of guided meditation and spiritual reading but is usually found listening to a podcast on race and politics or gospel music. Or both.

Episode 27: Meet Tom Wuest
Tom has been writing songs and planting gardens with faith communities for the past twenty years. His songs engage the biblical narrative and grow out of contexts of longing, vulnerability and hope. He lives with his wife, Karen, and their two sons, Isaiah and Arbutus, in the woodlands of Appalachia, where they grow the Eucharist elements, receive many pilgrims and are seeking to build community with neighbors along their gravel lane.

Episode 26: A Q&A with New Community Church Kansas City
This week we have the pleasure to share with you a Q&A session with Leroy and a group of passionate believers that want to make a difference in their community. This is one you don't want to miss! Let's Begin...

Episode 25: Meet Tim Soerens
What is church to you? What does church in the neighborhood look like? Whats ABCD or assets based community development? What is social capital? All of these questions and much more will be explored on this episode with guest Tim Soerens of the Parish Collective!
Tim Soerens is an author, speaker, social entrepreneur, and co-founding director of the Parish Collective. As co-director of the Parish Collective he convenes ministry leaders, teaches, and consults with organizations seeking human flourishing in particular neighborhoods while also working collaboratively across the city. He is the co-author of The New Parish: How Neighborhood Churches are Transforming Mission, Discipleship, and Community.
He is also the co-founding producer of the annual Inhabit Conference and New Parish Conference UK and co-designer and instructor at the Leadership in the New Parish certificate at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology.
As social entrepreneur he is a founding adviser of Impact Hub-Seattle, an innovative co-working space for change makers in both non-profit and business sectors. He also is the curator for place-based innovation for Social Capital Markets the world’s largest gathering of socially motivated investors and entrepreneurs. Most recently, he co-founded Neighborhood Economics, a new venture bringing together pioneering entrepreneurs, ministry leaders, and investors to pursue holistic renewal at the neighborhood level.
Tim earned a B.A. in Rhetorical Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Masters of Divinity from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. He lives in the South Park neighborhood of Seattle with his wife Maria-Jose and their son Lukas.
For More info: https://parishcollective.org

Episode 24: Meet the Answers
What do you think about church planting? What does planting in community look like? What neighborhood connections and partnerships can be made with a church plant? Who funds a church plant and how do you go about getting funding? We explore all of these questions and more with Darryl and Stephanie Answer of New Community Church Kansas City.
New Community Church began as a Bible study in the home of Darryl & Stephanie Answer. After a year of gathering in their home they moved to Hope Leadership Academy in 2016. With this move New Community has experienced growth, and in 2017 became a church plant of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). New Community Church desires to be a tangible display of God’s love in neighborhoods, a connector of community assets, and a catalyst for justice and reconciliation. For more info: https://www.newcommunitykc.church

Episode 23: John Tramel
John Tramel has over 19 years of social work experience in the areas of community organizing, community development, mental health, domestic violence, and social justice education, organizing, and activism. He has spent years focused on creating and sustaining social service support for families in the education and child welfare arenas. John is a founding member of SURJ KC. He is committed to racial justice work because he believes that white people have a responsibility to deconstruct the ways the system of white supremacy has influenced all of us, and start taking action to address it in ourselves and our communities.

Episode 22: Joe Kim
Meet Joe Kim of Bothell UMC, on this weeks episode Joe shares his experience as a leader of color leading a predominately white church. Lets Begin...
Rev. Joseph D Kim (pastorjoe@bothellumc.org) has served as Lead Pastor of Bothell United Methodist Church since April 2018. He has served in ministry as Associate Pastor of Bothell United Methodist and as Minister to Young People at Salem United Methodist Church in Harlem, New York. Before entering parish ministry, Joe was the Director of Children’s Rights Advocacy at the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., where he focused on policy and advocacy efforts to combat human trafficking and promote equal education opportunities for all children. He has also served as Director for Community Care at Spark12; Senior Associate for Membership Development and Services for the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations,; and Program and Administrative Assistant at the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church, United Nations Office. He has traveled around the world as a speaker, workshop leader and facilitator, encouraging people of faith to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.
He has studied at the University of Michigan (B.A. in English and Political Science 2007), Princeton Theological Seminary, and Claremont School of Theology (M.Div. 2017).
Joe is the husband to an incredibly talented artist and justice-seeker, Joann; best friend to their beautiful children, Asher and Ember; and walking companion to their dog, Leigh. Joe loves being outdoors and traveling and enjoys all things music and sports.

Episode 21: Amena Brown
Amena Brown and Matt Owen aka DJ Opdiggy, of Atlanta make up Sol Graffiti the duo that gave the SITUP Podcast its theme music "Let's Begin". Join Leroy and the sit up crew live from Boise Idaho as we catch up with Amena and talk books, music, life and love.
Amena Brown is a poet, speaker, author, and event host. Named one of Rejuvenate Magazine’s Top 40 under 40 Changemakers, Amena is the author of five spoken word albums and two non-fiction books: Breaking Old Rhythms and her latest release How to Fix a Broken Record. She has performed and spoken at events across the nation such as Creativity World Forum, IF Gathering, and Chick-fil-A Leadercast, as well as touring with Gungor, Ann Voskamp and the Voices Project Historically Black College and University Tour.
Amena is the host of three podcasts: HER With Amena Brown, the limited edition How to Fix a Broken Record podcast about her book of the same name, and Here for the Donuts.

Episode 20: Dr.Robyn Henderson-Espinoza
Join us this week on the SITUP Podcast as we talk with Queer Activist, Latinx Scholar and Public Theologian Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, PhD. Dr. Robyn will help us take a much deeper look into the recent vote within the United Methodist Church and explore its intersectionality to gain a better understanding. This is a cant miss episode so please share with a friend. For more information on Dr. Robyn check out: https://irobyn.com https://www.facebook.com/drirobyn https://twitter.com/activistheology https://soundcloud.com/irobyn

Episode 19: Lets Talk LGBTQIA rights with Andrea Sawyer-Kirksey
Join host Leroy Barber for an eye opening discussion on LGBTIA rights with Andrea Sawyer-Kirksey. Andra, is a longtime friend of Leroy and strong leader of color in the several communities shares her personal journey with the SITUP Podcast.

Episode 18: Celebrating Black Pastors with Pastah J ...
Join Leroy Barber as The S.I.T. U.P. Podcast celebrates Black History month by taking a look at black Pastors and what it means to be a black pastor today. Our guest today is Pastah J, Jonathan Brooks of Chicago's Canaan Community Church. Pastah J is also a hip-hop artist and the author of Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods.

Episode 17: NFL Settles with Reid and Kaepernick

Episode 16: Meet Al Hsu
Join Host Leroy Barber as he officially brings all of the interviews from the Voices Tampa conference to a close. We saved the best for last with Author Al Hsu a Senior Editor at Inter Varsity Press.

Episode 15: Meet David Bailey
Join Host Leroy Barber as he has an in-depth talk with David Bailey. For more on David Bailey:

Episode 14: Real Talk with Ryan
Join Host Leroy Barber and Producer Andru Morgan live from Tampa as they talk real talk with Ryan Polonio of Kindred. Ryan a governing elder with the Tampa Underground sits down and shares his wisdom on toxic masculinity, micro-churches, and being bi-vocational.

Episode 13: Meet Leader of Color Sunia Gibbs
Join Host Leroy Barber and Producer Andru Morgan live from Tampa as they talk innovation with Sunia Gibbs. Sunia is an artist of many talents which she uses in the most innovative ways to rethink how church can be done.
For more on Sunia and her many different gifts:

Episode 12: Minority Leadership Director Melyssa Cordero
Join Host Leroy Barber as we bring to a close our series of innovator interviews with the Tampa Underground staff. Melyssa is a great innovator and has helped cultivate an excellent and inclusive environment with the Tampa Underground.

Episode 11: Charlene Does Hair...
Can you touch a women of colors hair? What is your type? What role does hair play in innovation and in the Church? Join Host Leroy Barber and Producer Andru Morgan as they continue talking with innovators in Tampa. This time they talk hair with Charlene a Latinx hair stylist that uses her gift to help men and women in South Asia regain their life.

Episode 10: Brianna Wilkerson Of The Tampa Underground
Join Host Leroy Barber and Producer Andru Morgan as they continue their series of interviews on innovations. On this episode they speak with Managing Director of The Tampa Underground Brianna Wilkerson. Brianna has a history working in accounting but also has a very innovative story to tell about becoming a wellness coach.

Episode 9: Mentor and Coach FULEI NGANGMUTA PASSLEY
What is a Micro-Church? How does a Micro-Church work? What is a mentor? Do we black girls need more mentorship? If so what does that look like? Well today on the SITUP podcast Host Leroy Barber and producer Andru Morgan speak with Fulei Ngangmuta Passley to help answer some of those questions.
Fulei is a coach for the Tampa Underground Network, who specializes in helping leaders start new ministry ideas. Her creative coaching strategies stimulate you to examine the things that matter most from new angles.

Episode 8 : Farming with Jenise Carr
Continuing our discussions live from the Tampa Underground, host Leroy Barber and producer Andru Morgan get out of their comfort zone and talk farming. Where does your food come from? Do you live in a food desert and if so what can you do about it? Well Jenise Carr has some great answers to those questions and much more on this episode of the SITUP Podcast!

Episode 7: Coaching with Keisha
Join host Leroy Barber and producer Andru Morgan for part 2 of the SITUP Podcast series on innovation. On this episode the SITUP team sits down with Keisha Polonio an amazing innovator working with the Tampa Underground.
Keisha is the Associate Director and Coaching Director for the Tampa Underground Network. As a certified leadership coach, she invests in the lives of leaders who have kingdom dreams. She provides them with the tools necessary to accomplish their goals within their ministries and their personal lives. For the past ten years, she has committed herself to coaching and continues to serve anyone who longs to do the thing God has called them too.

Episode 6: Lucas Pulley of The Tampa Underground Network
Join host Leroy Barber and producer Andru Morgan for the next few episodes as they take a visit to the Tampa Underground Network. This series of interviews will spotlight innovative men and women who are creating micro-churches and empowering those who are called to plant churches with the visions God has given them. The Tampa Underground truly is a place to find innovative ideas, a deep diverse leadership community, and fearless pursuit of Jesus and His cause.
First up Lucas Pulley the Director of the Tampa Underground Network. Lucas describes the Underground as a place that exist to inspire, engage, connect and empower missional people, churches and networks.

Bonus Episode: The Truth Behind The Indigenous People March
Welcome to a very special bonus addition of the SITUP Podcast. Our brother and friend Mark Charles will join us today to share with us the events of the Indigenous People March in Washington DC. Mark spoke at the event earlier in the day and shared with us the real story behind the Indigenous People March and its purpose.
On January 18th our Native brothers and sisters joined together in peace for the Indigenous People March in Washington DC. As the event progressed protesters from the Pro-Life March for Life, and members from a Black Hebrew Israelites group began to fight. One Native Elder, Nathan Phillips attempted to keep the peace when he was confronted by high school junior Nick Sandmann who stood in his path. The photo of the Sandman's mischievous grin was quickly described as disrespectful by most on social media and created public discourse about the teen's actions.

Episode 3 : The Slave Bible
In this episode we will discuss the slave bible that was distributed to slaves in the 1800's. This bible was missing many key verses. We will Interview Todd Hiestand a minister about his his thoughts as a white male and pastor. A can't miss episode.

Bonus Episode: Whats the real deal with the Rooney Rule?
Join host Leroy Barber and Producer Andru Morgan as they hit Facebook Live to talk the NFL's Rooney Rule. This discussion was stimulated when Dallas sports anchor Dale Hansen called out the NFL for quickly filling the majority of its head coaching positions with under qualified white candidates. This raised a lot of questions for Leroy and the SITUP Podcast crew that they explore on this episode.
Adopted in 2003, the Rooney Rule is an NFL policy requiring every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one or more diverse candidates. In 2009, the Rooney Rule was expanded to include general manager jobs and equivalent front office positions. The Rooney Rule is named after the late former Pittsburgh Steelers owner and chairman of the league's diversity committee, Dan Rooney. As of December of 2018 the enhancements to strengthen the Rooney Rule include:
1. Clubs must interview at least one diverse candidate from the Career Development Advisory Panel list or a diverse candidate not currently employed by the club;
2. Clubs must continue best practice recommendation of considering multiple diverse candidates;
3. Clubs must maintain complete records and furnish to the league upon Commissioner's request; and
4. If final decision-maker is involved in the beginning, he/she must be involved through the conclusion of the process.
For more info on the data behind the Rooney rule check out The Undefeated's story:
https://theundefeated.com/features/nfl-hires-in-the-rooney-rule-era/
For more on Dale Hansen and his take:
https://sports.yahoo.com/dallas-sports-anchor-slams-covert-racism-nfl-ownership-kliff-kingsbury-hire-005533256.html
And for more SITUP Podcast check us out @: https://www.facebook.com/situppodcast/

Episode 2: Why Are Black People So Nice? Part 2
On this weeks episode we follow up on the discussion that ask the question why do black people feel they have the burden to always be nice. This week we talk with Micky SottBey Jones and ask her to share her experiences with this subject as a black woman.
Micky ScottBey Jones, the Justice Doula is a perpetual learner, consultant, facilitator, speaker, writer, movement chaplain, mama/sister/friend, nonviolence practitioner and contemplative activist living just south of Nashville, TN. After 10 plus years as a mother-baby specialist, trainer and author, she shifted back to earlier interests: theology and community development. She is a member of the co-learning community of NAIITS (North American Institute of Indigenous Theological Studies) and holds a Masters of Arts in Intercultural Studies.

Episode 1: Why Are Black People So Nice?
On this episode of The S.I.T.U.P. Podcast, host Leroy Barber presents the question why do black people have to carry the burden of always having to be nice.