Cayce Utley: Fight Like Hell For Your People (Pt. 1)

Welcome to People Watching!Today I’m talking with Cayce Utley. I first met Cayce almost 20 years ago, when she started attending a writers' group that I helped start. One of the things I've always admired about Cayce is her passion for social justice and community organizing, especially in the face of dealing with chronic illness.Cayce has a BA in English with a history minor, and an MA government and public policy. After a brief stint as an English teacher right out of college, she's been involved in community organizing and political work for most of her adult life.Cayce and her husband live in Northern VA, where they've raised four kids currently at each institutional level: elementary, middle, high school, and most recently, college.Cayce has a near-encyclopedic knowledge of movies, tv, and pop culture, which pairs nicely with her affection for cross-stitching snarky projects that mix the traditional and the sarcastic.In this first part of our conversation, Cayce and I talk about about her journey through faith, activism, and personal growth. We explore Cayce's experiences growing up in North Carolina, her passion for racial justice, and the challenges she faced within evangelical spaces. Our discussion highlights the importance of community, the role of writing in advocacy, and the impact of the pandemic on faith practices. Cayce shares her transition to a more inclusive faith community and reflects on the significance of embracing diversity in faith.Talking with Cayce are always challenging and exhilarating. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.Let’s be hopeful, creative, and wise—together.Shalom,Chapters00:00 Intro02:12 Welcome & Touchstones04:08 Cayce's Life Journey09:07 The Impact of Racial Justice Movements20:33 Cayce's Faith Journey: The "Permanent Church Weirdo"46:16 OutroWatch on YouTube!Links Mentioned* Lynn Burnett: Cross Cultural Solidarity: https://crossculturalsolidarity.com/* The Church in an Age of Secular Mysticisms, Andrew Root: https://www.andrewroot.org/church-in-an-age-of-secular-mysticisms/* The Revolt of the Rich, Mike Lofgren: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/revolt-of-the-rich/* The Martyr of Loray Hill:Ella May and the 1929 Textile Workers' Strike in Gastonia, North Carolina, by Kristina Horton : https://www.amazon.com/Martyr-Loray-Mill-Gastonia-Carolina/dp/0786499648* Batya Levine: https://www.batyalevine.com/bio* Priests of History, Sarah Irving-Stonebraker: https://priestsofhistory.com/* Remembering How to Care: Lessons from DS9: https://truthout.org/audio/remembering-how-to-care-lessons-from-deep-space-nine/Other Places to Find Cayce* SURJ: https://surj.org/* SURJ IG: https://www.instagram.com/surjnova/Support the Podcast!* Like this episode? Support the channel! https://buymeacoffee.com/r215coachim This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.r215coaching.com