Independent since 2002 Issue No. 1102 Week of November 7, 2026 Get the free email dispatch →

Editorial Board

The Reverend Irene Monroe

Oprah Hurts Obama - Inclusion By The Reverend Irene Monroe

BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member and Columnist, The Reverend Irene Monroe is an ordained minister, motivational speaker and she speaks for a sector of society that is frequently invisible. Rev. Monroe does a weekly Monday segment, “All Revved Up!” on WGBH (89.7 FM), on Boston Public Radio and a weekly Friday segment “The Take” on New England Channel NEWS (NECN). She’s a Huffington Post blogger and a syndicated religion columnist. Her columns appear in cities across the country and in the U.K, and Canada. Also she writes a column in the Boston home LGBTQ newspaper Baywindows and Cambridge Chronicle. A native of Brooklyn, NY, Rev. Monroe graduated from Wellesley College and Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University, and served as a pastor at an African-American church in New Jersey before coming to Harvard Divinity School to do her doctorate. She has received the Harvard University Certificate of Distinction in Teaching several times while being the head teaching fellow of the Rev. Peter Gomes, the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard who is the author of the best seller, THE GOOD

396 pieces

Commentary

Anti-Trans Bathroom Ordinances: The New Jim Crow – Inclusion

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

These policies reach far beyond bathrooms - they shape whether transgender people can safely participate in everyday life.

Across the country, a wave of anti-transgender legislation is reshaping access to public space. As of April, 44 bathroom-related bills are under consideration, with six already…

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Commentary

You Can’t Talk the Gay Away – Inclusion

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

When we fail to recognize that human life is varied, precious, and of equal worth - as conversion therapies do - we deny the unique gifts each person brings to the world.

On International Transgender Day of Visibility in March, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that therapists’ speech is protected under the First Amendment. In an 8–1 decision…

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Commentary

A Visible Day of Black Trans Joy Marking Trans Day of Visibility – Inclusion

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

Even as many of these youth turn to the church for refuge, they frequently find neither support nor sanctuary.

Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is a powerful reminder to honor and uplift transgender and non-binary people. It is also a day to celebrate the lives…

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Commentary

Women’s History Month – Shirley Chisholm Was My Congresswoman – Inclusion

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

Because our votes matter, our concerns must be addressed - among them reproductive justice, health disparities, gang violence, educational equity, urban environmental racism, and police brutality, to name just a few.

During Women’s History Month I pay homage to all women, but especially my sistahs. When Maya Angelou wrote her famous 1978 poem “Still I Rise,” she…

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Commentary

Jesse Jackson, a Defender for LGBTQ+ Rights – Inclusion

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

Jackson was among the first Black ministers and political leaders to promote AIDS education and prevention. He worked to destigmatize the virus by becoming the first Black clergy member to be publicly tested.

Civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson died on February 17, 2026. A protégé of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson was among the last remaining…

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Commentary

Why We Still Need to Celebrate Black History Month Inclusion

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

Without an honest reckoning, the nation's ability to heal, reconcile, and move forward remains compromised.

This year, Black History Month marks its 100th anniversary. At this pivotal moment - on the eve of America’s 250th anniversary - Black History Month stands…

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Commentary

Marriage Equality on the Rocks – Inclusion

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

The irony here is that many of the civil rights gains that ascended Thomas to the highest court in the land, he now wants to dismantle.

Overturning marriage equality is now a present threat. Many of the issues both POC and LGBTQI+ Americans confronted in Trump’s first term - health care, unemployment,…

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Commentary

Why Black Museums Matter – Inclusion

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

With the deliberate aims to erase Black History, the unending attacks in Critical Race Theory, and the dismantling of all things associated with DEI, these museums preserve our rich stories.

If you thought there were no black people on Nantucket Island back in the day, other than Frederick Douglass delivering his anti-slavery speeches, you’ll quickly be…

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Commentary

Mayor Thomas Menino Was an Ally to the Boston Black LGBTQ+ Communities – Inclusion

By The Reverend Irene Monroe Editorial Board

He refused to participate in Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade when organizers barred an LGBTQ+ group from participating in the march.

The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was renamed Saturday to honor Mayor Thomas Menino. For more than 20 years, Menino was major to all the people…

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