The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was held August 28, 1963. It was the day after I turned nine, two months before my family moved from Pasadena to Oxnard and three months before President John F. Kennedy was … Continue reading Dying of a Curable Disease
Faust is a German cautionary tale of one who makes a deal with the devil to get unattainable knowledge and temporary powers. It teaches the folly of trading something of supreme moral importance for power, riches or satisfaction. In America, … Continue reading At These Crossroads
As a father, I observed and studied my children to learn how they hear, so I might understand how they are wired and know how to communicate with them best. I observe my own grandchildren in a similar way, which … Continue reading Listen to Them First
A thermometer is not a thermostat. A thermometer measures temperature, while thermostats change the atmosphere. Recently, when going to the eye doctor, I took a book with me, Teaching Black History to White People by Dr. Leonard Moore. I was … Continue reading Discomfort That Fertilizes Growth
Dreams come from many things; sometimes a busy mind or green beans. Some dreams are given by God. Even so, our personal hopes and dreams cannot be the only ones that matter. If, for our hopes to live, another’s must … Continue reading On the Wreckage of Dreams
One year, my art was stolen and I suffered loss. San and I, with our three small kids, one a newborn, had to start over. We moved to Oxnard, where I’d grown up. I borrowed a room for two months, … Continue reading Love Not Kept in a Sunday Box
The Census makes clear that America’s demographics are changing. The percentage of white Americans dropped, while percentages of people of color, of multiethnic and multiracial people, increased. Welcome to our emerging reality. To some whites, this is the dreaded harbinger … Continue reading What the Coloring of America Requires of White People
The most recent US Census reports a significant decline in the white population, while non-white and mixed-race categories notably increased. Researchers anticipate a reduction of white wealth and power. They expect this to trigger gerrymandering efforts while giving white extremists, … Continue reading What is at the Root of White Anxiety?
There are times we need to speak up. Terrible things have taken root in our world because good people went along and said nothing. Maybe you’ve begun to notice things, our indifference, or the unequal measures we use. Maybe you … Continue reading You Gotta Say Something
Three-Fifths 