I was blown away to get the news that in a June 2 Essence magazine article titled “11 Children’s Books To Teach Your Kids About Racism And Discrimination,” my book White Flour was listed as number 4. Given that Essence is a prominent magazine by, for, and of black women, I am beyond moved that […]
A hymn for these days
In 2019, I was commissioned by the North Carolina Council of Churches to write a hymn in honor of their eighty-fifth anniversary in 2020. Though the lyrics were written months before the world’s focus turned to the twin pandemics of Covid-19 and racism, the hymn seems to resonate with these turbulent times, and calls […]
Reprise: Thoughts on Confederate Monuments
Note: I originally wrote this post in 2015, in the context of events spelled out below. In light of our current national re-examination of various monuments, I recently looked it up. I found that it still expresses my feelings, and a few folks have asked me for the link recently, so I’m sharing it again […]
Going to jail for the crime of seeking help
About six weeks ago, some neighbors of mine gathered at the White Horse Black Mountain for a two-hour conversation. Fifty-five people showed up to learn, and to offer their help. They did both. I’ve seldom been as inspired by my community as I was that night. We were meeting to talk about asylum seekers, large […]
Violence, transformation, and that banner on my house
Nearly three years after I hung the first one of these on my house, I am amazed at how far it has gone. The banner is hanging on houses and places of worship all over the U.S. Here are a few of the stories. I made this banner and nailed it to my house because […]
Abraham Jam Returns!
Put July 27, 2019 on your calendar to celebrate the birth of Abraham Jam’s second CD, following last year’s live album, tentatively titled ‘White Moon.’ Dawud, Billy, and I have been hard at work in the studio with Chris Rosser for the last few months, cooking up this batch of eleven songs, including our own […]
Abraham Jam: making the case that harmony > unity
A Muslim, a Jew, and a Christian walk into a recording studio… It’s no joke. Actually, it’s the musical project that is capturing most of my energy and imagination these days. My long-time friend Billy Jonas, who is Jewish, and my dear friend Dawud Wharnsby, who is Muslim, and me, a Quakerterian Christian, have […]
King’s relevance today
The folks at the Black Mountain News asked if I would offer some thoughts on the relevance of Martin Luther King’s teaching and legacy to today’s circumstance. This is the article they published on January 31, in advance of the town’s MLK Breakfast on Feb. 10. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. came to prominence in […]
My TEDx talk
Hi friends, My TEDx talk has just been released, and I’m happy that I can finally share it with folks who weren’t there. Check it out, and let me know what you think…
Nailing stuff to my house…
I have learned to pay attention to the words, “Somebody oughta…” It is universally acknowledged that the United States is at a particularly divisive point in our history. Not, as some have said, the most divisive (try the early sixties or the Civil or Revolutionary wars), but definitely a hard time. It’s leaving me wondering […]
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