Chaplain Latishia James Portis on the Intersections of Shame, Pleasure, & Transformative Justice

“No one is beyond redeemability.” Latishia James-Portis brings a much-needed message to our world today. She talks about how Jesus created space for people to bring all parts of themselves, without shame, fear, or judgment, and he would listen and introduce them to new concepts; and Latishia herself does this for us in this interview. Bring your whole, beautiful, imperfect self to this conversation and learn about transformative justice; listen as Latishia gives you permission to find joy and choose pleasure; hear her life-giving words on how to untangle shame so that you can live a fuller, more beautiful life. You will walk away from this conversation a better person for having heard it.

Latishia James-Portis (she/her/hers) is the Program Manager for Move to End Violence. A Master of Divinity graduate from Pacific School of Religion she lives — and works — at the intersection of faith, sexuality, reproductive and healing justice. Latishia also holds a bachelor of arts from Villanova University in Human Services, which is where she first understood that she could be a healer beyond a medical professional and began advocating for the wholeness of women and girls of color. Her startup spirit and witness of presence reaches beyond the physical walls of “the church.” Her approach is trauma-informed and healing-focused, and steeped in womanist theology, experience as a Black queer woman, and reproductive justice work. You can follow her @purposefulaffirmations or @purposefullylj and find more of her work on her website.