Five years ago, during the height of the left’s nose-dive into cancel culture following the death of George Floyd, one case took place in Birmingham when Jasmine Faith Clisby, an English teacher and cheerleading coach at Carver High School, posted about pastor Chris Hodges, founder of the Church of the Highlands, “liking” social media posts by Charlie Kirk.
The left’s outrage machine kicked into high gear, setting off a chain of events that would leave some of Birmingham’s most needy at risk for losing the support the church had been providing for years, costing families their place of worship while also seemingly costing the Birmingham School system hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential rental fees.
Clisby’s revelations and subsequent efforts to publicize them caused a firestorm for Hodges and the church, resulting in several public apologies and a letter of apology. However, the impact went further.
As reported by AL(dot)com, following the outcry over Clisby’s post, the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD) canceled a 6-year-old Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the church for resident outreach programs and social services at its Campus of Hope, located in the Marks Village Public Housing community.
An employee of the Birmingham Housing Authority confirmed that the board signed a new MOU earlier this year with Church of the Highlands, which has a new lead pastor. 1819 News requested more information from HABD, but has not received a response.
Isy Goodman, communications director for Church of the Highlands, told 1819 News, “Church of the Highlands’ relationship with Birmingham City Schools has been reestablished since 2021.”
AL(dot)com reported that the Church of the Highlands “programs and social services, included mentoring, community support groups, and faith and social service activities that promote volunteerism. These services were provided at nine of HABD’s public housing communities,” all lost because of the left’s firestorm over the liked tweets.
Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called on Birmingham City Schools and the Birmingham Housing Authority to reverse their decisions cutting ties with the Church of the Highlands, calling it religious discrimination.
According to an AP report, “Donald Trump Jr. called the city’s moves’ absolutely insane.'”
While Kirk himself tweeted about the situation, saying, “The Birmingham Housing Authority is cutting ties with Alabama’s largest church—why? Because the pastor ‘liked’ some of my posts. This is liberal logic at work: harm minorities to end ‘racism’ Cancel culture is a cancer, now poor people will suffer. NEVER GIVE THE MOB A INCH!”
The Birmingham Housing Authority is cutting ties with Alabama’s largest church—why?
Because the pastor ‘liked’ some of my posts.
This is liberal logic at work: harm minorities to end “racism”
Cancel culture is a cancer, now poor people will suffer.
NEVER GIVE THE MOB A INCH!
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) June 9, 2020
In the days following Kirk’s death, Clisby has reposted multiple videos that take Kirk’s words out of context, reframing his stances against DEI as “white supremacy.”
After initially declaring, “My mama told me I can’t say anything so I’m not…before I be back in witness protection,” she went on to comment on a prayer given at the Ramsey vs. Briarwood football game honoring the memory of Kirk.
A witness at the game said the prayer honored Charlie as a Christian man, held him up as a martyr, and paid tribute to what he stood for. It also acknowledged that he was assassinated by evil.
Briarwood’s website states, “At Briarwood, we believe each child, as an image-bearer of God, can find a purpose and a place in this world, being equipped with a solid academic and spiritual foundation necessary to represent Christ and His Kingdom in whatever sphere of influence God calls them.”
Days after the game, she posted a video with the caption “White supremacy ideology wrapped in Christian theology is still just as toxic and dangerous.” In the video, the man says, “Kirk did not preach the gospel of Jesus Christ…Kirk preached fear-mongering towards vulnerable people.”
In an ironic post, given the severe consequences that the Church of the Highlands and Hodges faced following her posts of his likes, Clisby posted in support of Jimmy Kimmel’s First Amendment right to push lies about Kirk’s assassin, with a caption, “If you’re not scared yet, you should be.”
To maintain their ministry in the Woodlawn area following the cancellation of their contract, Church of the Highlands paid $817,000 to the Birmingham School system and built their own facility, a facility that online reports indicate is thriving with the type of small group ministries that were displaced following the left’s response to the Kirk posts likes.
Hodges pledged to continue funding some of the services that the church provided, even after the city banned church volunteers from participating in the programs.
In his sermon, which he was scheduled to give before Kirk’s untimely death, Hodges reflected on Christian forgiveness while also honoring Kirk’s legacy and sending prayers for his wife and family.
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