In the summer of 2017, I had the privilege of touring Washington, D.C. and Virginia. As I imagine happens to many travelers from the West Coast, I was taken aback by the richness of history found as one approaches the epicenter of our nation’s birth. On one of our excursions, my family and I took […]
“Do you trust me enough to let me vindicate you?” Did you vindicate my people when they died fighting for their freedom from the most brutalized form of slavery? Did you vindicate them when the French kidnapped and killed their leader? When white Americans sided with their oppressors and imposed fines on them that lead […]
Black un-dignity is a gift from God because it’s a stumbling block to the indignity of racism. God has given Black people the beauty of our culture for the ashes of oppression.
Read Part 1 of “The Gift of…” Hope is this beautiful gift that emerges from the darkest places of our despair and longing. It is what we cling to when sorrow grips our hearts and rivers of sadness flow from our eyes. When pain cripples our bodies, when we are met with loss, failure, unmet […]
“Bells will be ringing the glad, glad news/ Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues” “Please, Come Home For Christmas” by Charles Brown Amidst the gaiety of the Christmas season with all of its lights, candy canes, well-wishes, online deals, cheesy romantic movies, and syrupy-sweet classic holiday tunes on endless rotation, the song “Please, […]
In the time leading up to the 2016 election, I noticed how a conservative Republican Party rallied around a man who did not reflect the principles that their party supposedly stood on. I would even go as far as to say that he was–and still is–the antithesis of the “Christian values” many Republicans claim to […]
You accept the job to work for an organization. As you began to get settled in, it becomes evident. As you walk into the meeting room and look around, you are the “only one”. In today’s workplace, Black people still manage to be the “onlys” —the lone representatives of an identity group. As a result, […]
Racism is a major burden that weighs heavily on the hearts and minds of many who parent Black children. Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum describes racism as “a system of advantage based on race.” From her very inception, America was structured so that White people (especially White men) would be granted power and privilege based on […]
“Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” (1969) was an anthem of Black joy as we continued the struggle of working to affirm Black dignity in the ‘60s. On the surface, the sentiment behind these celebratory words seems at odds with the New Testament’s language of self-denial and co-crucifixion with Christ. Jesus challenges […]
Read Part 1 and Part 2 here! Paul vs Jesus? Another case Benbow makes is that the Apostle Paul should be canceled because he approved the killing of Christians. She argues that his words are in contradiction with Jesus and should be valued less since Paul was once a “murderer of Christians.” She suggests Paul, […]
We cannot fix a problem we refuse to properly acknowledge.
Read Part 1 here! White Sight and Black Lives Ellison’s image of the glass eye reminds us that the societal dehumanization of Black people is not the result of a fault in us. The fault resides in the gaze of persons and institutions that blend into “one single white figure.” The locus of moral […]
“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” -Ancient Proverb “But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” -Matt. 5:39 How do we reconcile these two statements? On one hand, we have what appears to be sound wisdom: don’t let someone cause you […]
Whenever my environment had failed to support or nourish me, I had clutched at books… ― Richard Wright “Jason Reynolds is on a mission.” This is how the New York Times recently described Reynolds’ work as the writer sought to give voice to the lives of young Black people. In their stories, there is […]
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 […]
This is the 3rd Interview for A Series of Stories Exploring Black and Brown Perspectives on Work and its Worth. — When Ricardo tells me, “I don’t need a pulpit at work because everywhere is the pulpit,” I’m inclined to believe him. He’s the only person I know that can use chicken and the gospel […]
We have been forced, due to a lack of progress and an overall apathy, to become the freedom fighters of our own lives.
In our story, the black story, we have the best of us and we have the worst of us.
We are viewed as problems to be solved rather than people to be admired.
