If the Inn Had Room: Womanist Visions for Shared Abundance

In the familiar story of Jesus’ birth, there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn where “the state had filled up all the rooms” (Williams, 1993, p.24). This refusal to welcome them echoes through Jesus’ later ministry and borrowed tomb. Womanist theologian Delores Williams sees the divestment of Christ’s dignity long before the flight to Egypt. Kwanzaa’s Ujamaa principle of cooperative economics contests such indifference by honoring shared abundance through collective labor benefiting all. Yet in the crowded inn, oppression and domination were practiced instead.

The Principle of Cooperative Economics

Ujamaa (oo-JAH-mah)—Kwanzaa's fourth principle—uplifts prosperity and dignity for the cooperative community over individualistic wealth accumulation. As James Cone affirms, "We are because we are in solidarity with others” (2011, p. 114). Ujamaa demands recalling our shared stake in just systems so all can thrive. By refusing aid to the vulnerable travelers, the inn failed such solidarity.

The Womanism of Proverbs 31

The Proverbs 31 wife’s entrepreneurial excellence appears geared toward individual success. However, womanists like Cheryl Townsend Gilkes suggest otherwise: “Her efforts were not used selfishly but for the good of all peoples” (1995, p. 55). She leverages business prowess to economically uplift her community’s marginalized members. In this way, she prefigures Ujamaa centuries before its formulation.

And yet, isn’t there a hint of exploitation here? Delores Williams critiques this stating, “Her maidens raise their hands to bless her. But there is no talk of this mistress raising her hand to bless them...to contest the slave-based political economy” (1993, p. 70). Does leveraged labor undermine collective welfare? Perhaps.

Advocacy Economics in the Shunammite Woman

In contrast, the otherwise unknown Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:8-37) presents interdependence and support for outsiders as means to dignify and uplift her household. By advocating for the prophet Elisha despite her husband’s hesitation, her influence compels cooperation benefitting an outsider and securing viability for her family.

Peter Paris sees in her bold rebuke of limitations the “refusing to accept comforting myths about the status quo” modeled by Ida B. Wells (1995, p. 114). Where Prov 31 succeeds through excellence, the Shunammite advances through activism and communal accountability essential for Ujamaa.

Reclaiming Ujamaa this Advent

These women embody cooperative community economics resonating cross-culturally. To actively reject rationalizing suffering as the Shunammite woman is to live the “liberating spirit of Advent” named by James Cone (2011, p.138). To strategically marshal resources as the Prov 31 woman is to enact Ujamaa beyond the season: she provides a framework for systemic change.

This Christmas, collective solidarity feels threatened by the same inhospitable forces that relegated a laboring young couple to a feeding trough. Whether it’s the migrants refused entry or essential workers denied living wages and healthcare, modern inns remain crowded.

Yet if we determine to make room as the Shunammite woman, compel social cooperation as the woman of Proverbs 31, and cry out against acquiescence as encouraged by Martin Luther King, Jr. we yet can dream the world anew. The affirmation of Jesus suggests there was always room in the soul if not an edifice. This year, may we recreate the Christmas story as one where all find welcome in the inn, and the abundance of cooperative economics secures the dignity and flourishing of every sacred soul.

References

Cone, J. H. (2011). The cross and the lynching tree. Orbis Books.

Gilkes, C. T. (1995). If it wasn't for the women—: Black women's experience and womanist culture in church and community. Orbis Books.

Paris, P. J. (1995). The virtues and values of solidarity in the black religious tradition. In The black church and the African American experience (pp. 97-114). Innovations Press.

Williams, D. (1993). Sisters in the wilderness: The challenge of womanist God-talk. Orbis Books.