On February 26th, just before the close of Black History Month, the House of Representatives voted 410-4 to make lynching a federal crime. After more than a century of proposing anti-lynching bills, Congress finally indicated that, at least in this narrow instance, Black lives (finally) matter. But one question immediately leaps to the forefront regarding […]
Here’s a list of Black History recommendations that will take more than a month to engage. There are resources listed for adults, high schoolers, middle schoolers, and elementary school students. There is also a Black History soundtrack that lyrically roots this learning in lament, resilience, resistance, pride, and celebration because our history (and present) is a […]
To the women who came forward and engaged the public about their experiences with Russell Simmons, I’m in solidarity with you. Speaking truth to power is freedom and being believed is healing. And your freedom, your healing is long overdue. Black women’s freedom is long overdue. We live in a culture that does not always […]
Basketball legend Kobe Bryant unexpectedly died in a helicopter crash on Sunday, January 26. Bryant’s 13-year old daughter Gianna, John Altobelli, 56, his daughter Alyssa Altobelli and wife Keri Altobelli along with Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, her daughter Peyton, and the pilot Ara Zobayan, also perished in the crash. The news struck like a power […]
“This album is dedicated to all the teachers that told me I’d never amount to nothin”[1] was how the song began. However, as a young boy, I did not fully comprehend the depth of the message of this song by a rapper named The Notorious BIG. “Juicy” was one of the singles from BIG’s first […]
On November 1, 2019, “Harriet,” the biopic about Harriet Tubman, will be released in theaters. Tubman is one of the few people in Black History who is generally known by everyone. Her exploits as an escaped slave, risking her life by returning multiple times to free hundreds of slaves are the stories of legend. This […]
We learn to think differently & holistically about God and the world when we consider the experiences and opinions of others.
Christians, of all people, should care about words. Our entire faith is communicated through and founded on them. The first verses of the first book of the Bible communicate the power of words. How did God create the heavens and the earth? The Lord spoke. “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was […]
Eleven novels. Nine works of nonfiction. Over twenty awards. 88 years. We are privileged to keep the gift of thousands of masterfully written pages, but there’s even more about this gifted life that we simply can’t count: The magnitude of her influence on Black writers and readers. The radical mind shifts she inspired. The full […]
When I was a teenager, my mother hated the idea of me going out in groups with my friends. She would often tell me that we would be targets. I hated it. I was just a kid who wanted to enjoy a good time. My mother’s perspective was undoubtedly colored by the events surrounding the […]
Read Part 1 here. Some will challenge that these stated claims have more to do with the displeasure of “Old Town Road’s” style rather than Lil Nas X’s race. And to prove it’s not a color issue, they will assuredly highlight black Country artists of today like Darius Rucker. Rucker, a former member of the […]
When I arrived at Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, I was quickly immersed in West Texan traditions. This included an undesired baptism into the abyss of country music. The inescapable honky-tonk sounds flooded the dormitory halls and our football locker room. I hated it. As far as I knew, country music contradicted everything about […]
A few nights ago, I had the pleasure of dining with three good friends. We span decades and are all women of color. As we caught up on each other’s lives, I shared about a decision my husband and I made to transfer our sons from the Christian school where they’d be attending for the […]
What happens when whiteness goes on without being confronted?
Born Ermias Davidson Asghedom, his is a story of overcoming harsh circumstances to inspire hope.
After Trump took office, white evangelicals approved of how he handled the job of president at a rate of 78 percent.
When I read about how Aunt Becky from Full House was implicated in a admissions cheating scam, I immediately wondered why on earth a person of means couldn’t just pay for their kid to attend college. Then I read this story about the scam and became hip to the game. This entire story and scam […]
It’s clear to see where the lines of history parallel 1968 and today.
Right on time for Black History Month, an essential documentary series is now available for streaming online! “Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement” features dynamic interviews, rare film, and compelling historical accounts of one of America’s poignant time periods…a period that we’re still in. This series opens in 1954 with the lynching of […]
“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
