In today’s episode, Heather gets to sit down with author, speaker and activist Ally Henny to discuss Ally’s latest book, I won’t shut up: Finding your voice when the world tries to silence you. Citing studies and anecdotal experiences, Ally explains that in our society, black women often feel like their very existence is too noisy. Ally then introduces us to some of the societal ways in which women are silenced, invites us to think critically about the presentation of women in Scripture, and challenges us to find our voice when the world tries to silence it.
This episode is the second part of our three-part series “Listening to Black Creators” and speaks candidly to Viral Jesus In our Social Toolkit segment, Heather discusses the obstacles and injustices many Black creators face on digital canvases like TikTok and YouTube. From being scammed for their ideas to pay gaps in the field, Black creators regularly face the same systemic inequalities that exist offline on their social networks. Heather challenges us to be careful about “erasure.”
Guest bios
Ally Henny is a writer, speaker, advocate-minister and vice-president of The witness: a black Christian collective, an organization committed to encouraging, engaging, and empowering Black Christians toward liberation from racism. She completed her M.D. at Fuller Seminary with a focus on race, cultural identity and reconciliation, and she hopes to lead a church one day. Ally has been leading conversations about race on her social media and blog, The Armchair Commentary, since 2014, and her posts reach millions of people each month. She is a proud Chicago Southsider.
Also mentioned in this episode
•Here are some pass about how the black teenage creator of the Renegade dance was denied proper credit for her intellectual property.
•The Renegade dance scandal was first exposed by journalist Taylor Lorenz, who specializes in digital culture and social media beats. She appeared on Viral Jesus last fall.
•Check Part 1 from the “Listening to Black Creators” series for Heather’s conversation with KA Ellis.
Host biography
Heather Thompson Day is an associate professor of communications at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is the author of eight books, including I will see you tomorrow And It’s not your turn. Contact Heather on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, at @HeatherTDay and on Instagram @heatherthompsonday. Get Heather’s weekly inspirational email in your inbox every Friday evening at 7pm EST. Register now on: www.heatherthompsonday.com/links.
Viral Jesus is a production of Christianity Today
Host and creator: Heather Thompson Day
Executive producer: Ed Gilbreath
Producer: Loren Joseph
Mixing engineer: Alex Carter
Director of CT Podcasts: Mike Cosper
