We have helped to build America with our labor, strengthened it with our faith, and enriched it with our song. ― Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune The inescapable influence of unpaid Black labor in the creation of America’s economic wealth is … Continue reading The Hands of Black Folk
The resilience of African Americans throughout history is a testament to their unyielding determination to overcome oppression. Despite the harrowing trials of slavery, the Civil War, and the violent racial backlash of the post-Reconstruction South, Black Americans have demonstrated an … Continue reading The Unyielding Pursuit of Education
“All we say to America is, ‘Be true to what you said on paper!’” January 20, 2025, a day of American irony that awaits us. As the United States prepares to inaugurate its 47th President, the event will fall on … Continue reading Dreaming from the Mountaintop
Dear America, At 249 years old, you’re not exactly young anymore, but in the grand scheme of history, you’re still finding your way. As a teacher, I often see potential in my students that they don’t yet see in themselves. … Continue reading C+: A Letter to America at 249 Years
Faithing while Black Dr. Esau McCauley, author of Reading While Black, contrasted one of the main features of the Black Church with a major point of contention in European Christianity. In a panel discussion with the Jude 3 Project, McCauley … Continue reading Christmassing While Black
It is perhaps not well known, but the Sunday after Dr. King was assassinated, he planned to give a sermon entitled “Why America May Go to Hell.” In this sermon, he states that “America is going to hell if we … Continue reading Hope for the Future: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Tradition of the Jeremiad
“How many of you would like to be treated the way we treat Black people?” asks social activist Jane Elliott of her audience. No hands go up, so she repeats the question. “Perhaps you didn’t hear me. How many of … Continue reading Don’t Just Sit There…Do Something!
In 1655, Elizabeth Key Grinstead, a multiethnic woman filed suit in Virginia seeking freedom based on her father’s European lineage and won her court case. Not long after Elizabeth’s verdict the State of Virginia sought to ensure other multiethnic people … Continue reading Fear Is The Factor!
It was June 2013. Six months into the second term of America’s first black president, a man of mixed heritage, alarm bells were sounded across a country struggling to find its bearings socially, culturally, and spiritually. The day after the … Continue reading From Chattel to Cheerios, We Can Do Better
Three-Fifths 