Alexis Yelvington:
Big welcome to Pastor Richie Butler. We’re so glad you could join us today. You’re the senior pastor at St. Luke’s Community United Methodist Church in Dallas, and the founder of Project Unity.
What I want to talk about first is you have a pretty extensive background in the private sector. You’re also really a big leader in our community here in Dallas, and I just wanted to ask, what was your calling to public service?
Pastor Richie Butler:
My calling to public service really born out of my faith. I’m one of those individuals that grew up in the church, and so I had the opportunity early on to get shaped by community service in terms of what we did in a community, in terms of serving our neighbor, food banks, serving the homeless, etc.
But, I will say this, when I got to SMU – and I’m throwing a plug in out to SMU, that’s my alma mater. When I got to SMU I started to do the research around what I can do to go back and transform my neighborhood. And so, I grew up in Austin. As you may know, Austin is divided by I-35 east and west.
And on the east side was where, black and brown resided and, oftentimes, where it was low income and really, needed revitalization. And so, I concluded through my research that real estate developers could go and transform a neighborhood. And so that helped to initiate a real sense of community and also how to bring business and community development together.
Because I concluded that if I wanted to transform my neighborhood, I could do it as a real estate developer. And so that sort of set me on this idea and trajectory that this notion around what I call a double bottom line that you can do well and also do good and we need both.
We got to have, business to spur job growth and build things, but we also need to recognize that there is a sense of belonging and building community that coincides and intersects. And so, my faith and also just the need to see community, changed and transformed.
And I’ll say to anybody there was this yearning and an unction within me that just felt compelled to want to do something. And so, I would say if there’s something that’s yearning and burning inside of you, you need to pay attention to it.
Alexis Yelvington:
Okay. I love that. This series is called Democracy is a Verb. So, I’m just going to go ahead and let you know, we know that democracy is not actually a verb, but what we mean by that is that it takes action, right? It’s not passive. So, what do you think, what would you want people to know about what they can do to make that democracy verb? What should they do to step up, and how can we put that better into practice?
Pastor Richie Butler:
First and foremost, I just mentioned the idea or notion around an unction or a burning. I think there are things that motivate us that cause us to become passionate about an idea or a situation. And I’d first invite people to identify and to unpack and to lean into that passion, because that’s what’s going to wake you up in the morning and get you motivated to go do something.
And then I would also suggest that do not be overwhelmed by how big the problem or the situation might be. Because sometimes when we recognize that there are things that are way out of our control, that does not mean that we’re not called to play a role. And so don’t let the scope and size frighten you from wanting to be, get engaged.
I would then suggest that one thinks about where they can start, where they can begin. And it simply may be, getting involved with voter registration. I know there’s a lot of discussion around, voter rights and the issues around voting, but if we can inspire and get people to just simply go vote, that is the essence of our democracy, and that’s the verb that needs to be enacted. And that is my dream is that we have – we may never get 100% – but I would love to have 90% of our population casting a ballot.
That, that excites me. And that’s the kind of energy and enthusiasm that I think people need to tap into, and I think that will drive them to engage in whatever service, whatever area of passion and concern that might elevate them to do more than just to stand by. But to really be engaged.
It drives me crazy to when people watch what’s going on, and they just, they’re passive. And I just want to encourage people that this is our country, this is our democracy, and every person has a right and responsibility to do their part to ensure that our democracy is all that it is supposed to be.
Alexis Yelvington:
Yes, definitely. I love that about making it not being overwhelmed by the big size of the problem. You have taken action. You’ve started a project or an organization called Project Unity. For our listeners who might not be as familiar, can you tell us a little about your mission with that project and also what inspired you to start it?
Pastor Richie Butler:
So, the mission is really focused on bridging divides. There are a lot of things that divide us. And how Project Unity came to birth we were hosting a town hall meeting at our church in around 2014 in wake of what was going on in Ferguson, Missouri.
And so, I had the chief of police, the DA, the sheriff all at our church. And we had a full house, diverse group of people. But every bad, every negative emotion, the kind of energy you don’t want in a space, was palpable. It was thick and heavy. Anger, mistrust, fear, hate.It was just there.
And it was in that moment I’m like, “We gotta do something.” And so, I said, the idea and the vision for Project Unity was birthed to figure out how we bridge divides. And sometimes, this idea of unity can come across as cliche-ish, but it is a worthy pursuit.
One of the things I realized probably five years into the creation of Project Unity, that unity was a real theme about my journey and my life. I have a background in, in real estate. My first real estate development deal, the name of it was Unity Estates.
And it was in partnership with a coalition of churches wanting to develop an area in a community that had not had new housing development in 20-something years. The first church I started was called Union Cathedral. And then we started Project Unity. I’m like, “There’s a little theme,” to my journey.
And so, I realized that this notion of unity is something that is willing to be pursued, and I live in the United States of America. And so, I sincerely believe that the work that we’re doing at Project Unity is tackling tough social issues that are not easy to lean into. But I believe that we cannot solve them in isolation of each other.
We cannot solve them from a partisan position. We have to solve them from a bipartisan position. We’ve got to solve them from a rural and urban connection. Black, white, brown, we have to come together. And so, my mission for Project Unity is to be that glue, that connective tissue, that recognizes what unites us is greater than what divides us.
Alexis Yelvington:
I think what’s so compelling about Project Unity is it seems it’s so personal, and its so community driven. What lessons have you learned building this organization about connecting over divides, connecting over differences?
Pastor Richie Butler:
First and foremost, as I just stated – it’s not a cliché – every time we connect with people through our “Dine” program and through various programs, I recognize that what unites us really is greater than what divides us. And I also know that there are those who have figured out that division … they have monetized division. And so, where you can make money on something, people are going to lean into it and do it well.
And so, I am on this pursuit that we’re going to figure how to monetize unity and bring us together. I’ve learned that people are more similar. We have a whole lot more in common. And when you get to a neighborhood, a community, individual level all those “isms” that we play into and that we see operating in the wider community, they disappear.
It truly is, it’s one-on-one. And also, I know that it is hard to demonize someone you’re in relationship with. You may not get along, but it’s hard to demonize. Our pursuit in just recognizing that what we have to do is to continue to put people in proximity to each other. In more intimate ways and that will help us, advance and also help us overcome, some of the challenges that are before us.
Alexis Yelvington:
So, I love hearing about Project Unity. One of my favorite things is the Together We Dine. I love that, the series y’all are doing. Can you just tell us a little bit about what’s disarming about that, and why is that an effective, program that you’re running?
Pastor Richie Butler:
One of the things, as I mentioned, we are focused on trying to bring people together around tough issues. And let’s be real, it is hard to get someone to lean into something that is difficult, like race. No one wants to really talk about race.
So, what I’ve concluded and what we’ve concluded is, and we call it our Project Unity Trinity, and that is what are the things that naturally bring us together? Food brings people together. Music brings people together. Sports brings people together. So, let’s leverage those things that bring us together to get us to engage in community, and thus, we can move forward in tackling and taking on some of the tough issues of our time.
And so, the Together We Dine is just that. It’s an opportunity to get people to engage in courageous, tough conversations around topics that they normally will shy away from. And it’s also, this is critical, it is also an exercise in listening. When it comes to a subject matter that is near and dear to our hearts, oftentimes we’re not, we don’t want to hear another side. We are locked into our position, and you’re not backing me off. But if we can engage in a listening exercise…
So, in, in the dine, you get a set of questions, and the questions are not how you’re changing the world. But the questions are introspective, self-reflective. And so, if you have your question, my job is simply to listen to your response. Because you’re coming from a place of vulnerability. You’re coming from a place of genuineness, and it is a humanizing experience.
And it’s like going into the into the kitchen and watching a chef or recognize that when the chef brings it out it’s a beautiful work of art, but you don’t know what happened. So, the dine experience is a beautiful work of art behind the scenes. And out of that experience people leave there inspired. Tears are shed. I think hope is recognized. And we also come to a place where I may stand on this side and you’re on this other side, but we have a commonality.
And I’ll just say this. It’s working. We’ve been doing this since 2017, and every year we are doing 100 plus dines. Thousands of people are participating, and it’s making a difference.
Alexis Yelvington:
Thank you so much for being here today. We really appreciate you. And we appreciate your leadership here in Dallas. I want to leave our listeners with one final question. Okay. In this time a lot of people are feeling very divided and disconnected. Yeah. What is giving you hope?
Pastor Richie Butler:
First of all, I will say I am an eternal optimist. I believe the glass is always half full and not half empty. And as we lean into the challenges of the day, I look back on history, and I think we’ve had darker days, and we made it through those. And so, I, I will take a page out of my church hymnal. There’s a song that says, “My good days outweigh my bad days, and so I’m not going to complain.”
And so I just encourage the listeners to recognize – if you weigh the good and the bad, I promise you we get to a place where the good truly outweighs the bad, and that should be motivation for us all to keep moving forward. And move forward with this commitment that we’re not going to do it in isolation, but we’re going to do it in community.
Alexis Yelvington:
Thank you so much. I think that’s a perfect ending. Inspiring words to end on. Thank you so much for being here.
Pastor Richie Butler:
Thank you. My pleasure.
