The 10th Anniversary of The Witness!
It's been 10 years since I founded The Witness, and what a journey it's been. Tyler Burns and I recap in this podcast episode.
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Late one night in October 2011, my life changed forever with a Facebook page. I had just clicked the “enter” button on my keyboard and the official page of the Reformed African American Network (RAAN) went live. I had the feeling even then that launching this initiative would irrevocably alter my reality in unpredictable ways. I was right.
We are now known as The Witness, Inc.—which is a story in itself. We have a two divisions—The Black Christian Collective and our new Witness Foundation.
We have six Witness fellows in our inaugural cohort, each of whom receives $50,000 per year for two years.
Our flagship podcast, Pass The Mic, has been going weekly for seven years. We hope to get close to 1 million downloads in 2021 alone. We also now have a suite of podcast that includes several other voices from the collective.
We’ve hosted a national conference in a historic Black church in Chicago, and we’ve held a six-city podcast tour with plans for even more ambitious events.
Most importantly, The Witness has become a space for Black healing and empowerment. We make room for people of all races and ethnicities at the table we are building, so other can learn from and journey with us.
We are a band of wanderers following Jesus and in search of justice and equity. We’re not sure how to get there, but at least we’re on the way together.
If you’re not familiar with our work, please visit thewitnessinc.com.
To our longtime followers, thank you for being part of this endeavor. I hope to meet you in person one day.
It would be a wonderful gesture of support to us if you would consider donating $10 in honor of our 10 year anniversary. You can make your one-time or monthly donation HERE.
Listen to Tyler Burns and I reflect on 10 years of The Witness in this Pass The Mic episode.
I’d also love to hear your reflections about how The Witness has intersected with and impacted your life. Leave a comment and I’d be glad to interact with you.
I can't remember how I discovered RAAN, but I have been on a journey with you for almost the entire 10 years. You have taught me so much, starting with busting my chops and telling me to do my own research. I've read the books on the reading list you gave me, and have an incredibly diverse bookshelf and Twitter feed because of you. We'll likely never meet, but this old white guy owes you and Tyler and The Witness so much. I am a changed man. God bless you for allowing me to follow along.