What we model…
My great-grandmother was generous to a fault. The stories of how her house was a haven for needy people abound. My grandmother inherited this value, and I grew up never knowing who would show up for lunch at her table. … Continue reading What we model…
“The Rosebush and the Root”
The Metaphor: So, I planted a rosebush next to my mailbox. I thought it would be a beautiful thing. I thought it would grow up and have pretty pink flowers and like so many of my neighbors’ mailbox flora would … Continue reading “The Rosebush and the Root”
“Of Thee I Sing”
I love you. I have loved you since before I could write my own name in either cursive or print. As a child, I publicly waxed poetic about you. I pledged allegiance to you every morning. I sang songs to … Continue reading “Of Thee I Sing”
Slavery and the Roots of Racism/White Supremacy
1444 marks the beginning of the Atlantic Slave Trade. This is when the Portuguese transported the first Africans to Europe as slaves. By 1526 they expanded their reach and delivered their first shipload of enslaved Africans to Brazil. In 1619 … Continue reading Slavery and the Roots of Racism/White Supremacy
Ignorant Beliefs of Cultural Roots have Damaged Life in my community
My father took me to the eye doctor not long ago. The pressure in my eyes has been slightly elevated. After a thorough examination and waiting for the eye drops to finally kick in, the doctor told me I’m doing … Continue reading Ignorant Beliefs of Cultural Roots have Damaged Life in my community
Rooted in the Wrong Garden
I can clearly remember the day that I became acutely aware that I was different from other little 10-year-old girls. During the summers, my family had a big camper and we traveled across the country in that camper, staying at … Continue reading Rooted in the Wrong Garden
The Ongoing Work of Growing Things
I hold each kernel between my fingers. The seeds were planted close together, and, in order to reap the benefit of each new start, I must separate the small plants. Because they are so close, very little dirt adheres to … Continue reading The Ongoing Work of Growing Things
Filling up the emptiness
Can healing ourselves heal our ancestors? This is a question I’ve been pondering. I recently took a course with White Awake called “Before We Were White: Ancestral Recovery for Collective Liberation”. One of the first readings included a piece titled … Continue reading Filling up the emptiness
What I Never Knew: Reading Richard Wright
The first time I read Richard Wright’s 1937 essay, “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow: An Autobiographical Sketch,” it took my breath away. I stumbled across it while flipping through a fat volume I’d checked out of the library, The … Continue reading What I Never Knew: Reading Richard Wright
Three-Fifths 