Prior to pivoting to the pulpit, Reverend Adriene Thorne—the first African American woman to become senior minister of the interdenominational Riverside Church in New York City—danced with Dance Theatre of Harlem, performed in musical theater, and was a high-kicking Radio City Rockette. Although she untied her pointe shoes long ago, the classically trained dancer uses […]

Growing up, I never saw a problem with my dancing and neither did my Muslim-Egyptian dad or my non-Muslim, American mom. They raised me to understand that the core principles of Islam, of any religion, are meant to help us be better people. When I married my Pakistani husband, who comes from a more conservative […]