Blackout Books
When I was a librarian, we had a number of parents that would request one-on-one tutoring for their child who was struggling with reading for one reason or another. Our Children’s Librarian happily created space to do this in her … Continue reading Blackout Books
Admit it, Quit it, But for God’s Sake Don’t Forget it
It’s 11:59 PM; revelers dot the avenues in each of the well-known and obscure taverns and watering holes. What’s the occasion, Marti Gras, the Superbowl celebrations? It could be, or it may be, it’s just another ordinary Saturday night in … Continue reading Admit it, Quit it, But for God’s Sake Don’t Forget it
Recovering Our National Memories
America has a national amnesia when it comes to our history. So much of the past centuries since the European colonizers claimed the continent for themselves—and ignored the inconvenient presence of the Indigenous—is simply erased and forgotten, as if it … Continue reading Recovering Our National Memories
“You Can’t Handle the Truth!”
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32) Truth sets us free from the shackles which bind our intellect. Truth delivers us from unhealthy and destructive biases. Truth frees the soul to fellowship … Continue reading “You Can’t Handle the Truth!”
LINGUISTIC REVOLUTION: the creative democratization of definitions
Have you ever wondered why there’s virtually no media coverage of the economic concerns of the Black Working Class? Or the political concerns of Black Evangelicals? Where’s the focus groups and panel discussions giving vent to the concerns of Black … Continue reading LINGUISTIC REVOLUTION: the creative democratization of definitions
The Criticality of Us
The miscommunication and disinformation (“misleading on purpose”) about Critical Race Theory (CRT) and abolitionism are far bigger than simply arguing about academic theories and frameworks. Fortunately, our intimate understanding of these ways of engaging in the world far exceeds the … Continue reading The Criticality of Us
Discomfort That Fertilizes Growth
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
The January Theme: Pathways to Healing the Shattered Dream
Those forces of opposition to the Dream find their strength through delay, whether Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream, The Dreamers (young first-generation sons and daughters of immigrants), the Native American belief that Life is one big Dream, or the American Dream itself. The January issue and the first … Continue reading The January Theme: Pathways to Healing the Shattered Dream
They Shoot Dreamers Don’t They?
“Dred Scott Decision — On March 6, 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, of the United States Supreme Court, declared that ‘The negro has no rights which the white man is bound to respect’; in a decision to deny a … Continue reading They Shoot Dreamers Don’t They?
Three-Fifths 