My brothers-from-other-mothers Dawud Wharnsby and Billy Jonas and I have a musical trio together, Abraham Jam. All three of us are songwriters and have musical careers on our own, but we have gathered together from time to time over the last dozen years or so to make music together. We are not currently touring, but […]
politics
‘Look Away’ in ‘Fellowship’ magazine
‘Look Away’ in ‘Fellowship’ magazine
I have long been a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), the United States’ oldest peacemaking organization, and I hold them in high esteem. It was pretty amazing for me to open up the most recent edition of their magazine, Fellowship, and find this two-page spread about my song, Look Away, and the […]
Wednesday Words – a free sample :-)
Wednesday Words – a free sample :-)
Here’s a video with a few hopeful words for you from Howard Zinn, and some thoughts on the Stockdale Paradox. This past weekend, my Patreon community grew to over 250 people. It is a beautiful group of folks, and I’m really grateful to have this intentional village to share with. In addition to ‘Monday […]
‘White Flour’ featured in Essence Magazine
‘White Flour’ featured in Essence Magazine
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 […]
Reprise: Thoughts on Confederate Monuments
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 […]
Violence, transformation, and that banner on my house
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 […]
Nailing stuff to my house…
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 […]
The KKK has announced a march. How do we respond?
The KKK has announced a march. How do we respond?
On November 10, 2016, The Loyal White Knights of Pelham, a North Carolina branch of the Ku Klux Klan, announced a “Victory Klavalkade Klan Parade” to take place on Dec. 3rd, 2016. The stated purpose of the march is to celebrate Donald Trump’s victory and the sense of validation they have gained from it. As […]
Football or Marriage? What does ‘politics’ mean?
Football or Marriage? What does ‘politics’ mean?
A couple of weeks ago, Deanna and I watched the third presidential debate on my laptop in the living room, and then went to bed feeling pretty discouraged. We weren’t saddened because we think we are going to ‘lose’. We were just feeling the darkness of our current national political process, and the damage that […]
Hospitality in my digital living room
Hospitality in my digital living room
In my line of work, I get to move through a lot of different spaces. Not only geographically, but socio-economically as well. I spend time with folks who are quite wealthy, and folks who are extremely poor, people of various skin tones, political persuasions, identities, nationalities, orientations, abilities, and challenges. I treasure that, and I […]
One Southerner’s Thoughts on the Rebel Flag
One Southerner’s Thoughts on the Rebel Flag
Today the rebel flag will be removed from the Capitol grounds of South Carolina. The South Carolina House and Senate, by overwhelming majorities in both houses, voted to take it down this week, and Governor Haley signed the bill yesterday. I’m a Southerner. My father’s father’s father’s father was one Thomas Jefferson Talley LaMotte, who […]
Rosa Parks’ OTHER arrest—Feb. 22, 1956
Rosa Parks’ OTHER arrest—Feb. 22, 1956
Almost no one knows about the second time Rosa Parks was arrested, and that context changes her story significantly. … Read More →
Why I Am Changing My Vacation Plans
Why I Am Changing My Vacation Plans
August 26, 2013 Dear Columbia City Council Members, I am writing to tell you why I am changing my vacation plans this week. I brought my son Mason, not quite five, to the EdVenture Museum in Columbia last year on an afternoon road trip to the coast. He’s young (and was even younger then), and […]
The Klan went home, the community stayed
The Klan went home, the community stayed
In the end, the best defense against bigotry is forging communities that are strong enough to withstand it. Really knowing each other is the starting place for healing all of our wounds. Learning each other’s stories and struggles leads to a broader sense of who ‘us’ is, and there is no victory over ‘them’ so complete, or so healing, or so effective, as welcoming them into ‘us.’ That is the radical subversion of fear by love…. Read More →
Klansmen, Crips, Clowns, Memphis and Me
Klansmen, Crips, Clowns, Memphis and Me
This Saturday the Ku Klux Klan is promising to have one of its largest rallies ever in Memphis, Tennessee. I’m headed there too. The Memphis park formerly known as Forrest Park, after Civil War general, slave trader and first Grand Wizard of the KKK Nathan Bedford Forrest, now bears the innocuous moniker “Health Sciences Park” […]
Interview on peacemaking and activism
Interview on peacemaking and activism
David Dault recently interviewed me for his podcast ‘Things Not Seen.’ It was a delightful conversation, and the edited version is here. I hope you will enjoy it. To listen, simply click here.
What I Want For Christmas…
What I Want For Christmas…
…really comes down to five or ten minutes of your time. And a stamp. And an envelope and a piece of paper. And a decision to spend those minutes in a way that could take a step toward righting a wrong. Ed Chapman is a friend of mine. I’ve written about him before on my […]
White Flour is now a video!
White Flour is now a video!
Here’s a way to hear and see this story, that doesn’t require buying the book. Please feel free to share it in any context you like, virtual or actual.
Chances to spend some time in conversation this summer
Chances to spend some time in conversation this summer
Along with the whirlwind of activity around the release of my new book, White Flour, and some concert appearances, I’m preparing for a collection of conferences this summer, and I hope you can join me at some of them. One is for youth, and the rest for adults, with youth welcome. I’ll be teaching creative […]
Bloggers on “White Flour”
Bloggers on “White Flour”
It is amazing to see all the excitement White Flour is generating, still six weeks out from its publication. Here are a few of the exciting things generated by other folks in response to the book. • Flip Lower, from Birmingham, AL, came up with the idea of ‘White Flour Weekend’ for May 26-27, where […]
White Flour book on the way…
White Flour book on the way…
Order the book or support the project here! My new illustrated book will be coming out in late May. It tells a funny, instructive and true story of a creative anti-racism protest by a group calling itself the Coup Clutz Clowns, in Knoxville, Tennessee. If all goes well, the book will be released on May […]
“I’ve Never Liked Politics”
“I’ve Never Liked Politics”
I found this poem searching through a file in my computer called “Works In Progress.” I had forgotten about it entirely, but thought it might be worth sharing…… Read More →
Harmony for Humanity Interview
Harmony for Humanity Interview
This is a recent interview and article published by Harmony for Humanity, please click the link below to read the rest of it. David LaMotte: Making a Difference From the Heart David LaMotte is being the change in so many ways that it’s almost impossible to keep up. LaMotte is an award-winning songwriter and peace […]
Thoughts on Peace and Power
Thoughts on Peace and Power
On April 9, 2011 a group of people who are concerned about the course of the seemingly endless “War on Terror” gathered to hear impressive speakers, including several veterans, an active duty soldier, activists and an investigative journalist, bring perspective to the current state of affairs. A live orchestra performed between presenters, and excerpts of speeches from Dr. King and Dwight Eisenhower were offered by actors, speaking in character…. Read More →
Interdependence Day
Interdependence Day
9AM, Indianapolis, IN This weekend the nation celebrates Independence Day, and Deanna and I celebrate Interdependence Day. I asked her to marry me on the Fourth of July in 2003, late at night on a nearly empty stretch of sand in St. Augustine, Florida. Fireworks were going off north and south down the beach, but […]
The Tortured Truth
The Tortured Truth
The following article of mine first appeared on NCPolicyWatch.org, and has since been published in the and on Patheos. In recent days, the Internet has been abuzz with revelations brought to us by the latest “Wikileaks” disclosure. Thousands of leaked communiqués reveal various officials’ comments publicly, though they were originally intended to be private. Apologies, […]
The biggest myth of Democracy
The biggest myth of Democracy
My first shot at a video weblog, or vlog, as the kids say… a few thoughts on misconceptions of what democracy means and the importance of voting – or not voting – in mid-term elections…. Read More →
International Burn a Koran Day – cancel/clear
International Burn a Koran Day – cancel/clear
At the time of this writing, Thursday afternoon, the minister in Florida who had planned to burn Korans two days from now has called off the event, or “stunt,” as President Obama rightly referred to it. That’s good news…. Read More →
Arthik Samata Mandal
Arthik Samata Mandal
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India From India One As I write this note I am sitting under a ceiling fan in a simple room with concrete walls and screenless windows on a bed that is covered by a mosquito net. Mason is sleeping in his little tent/crib just beside the bed. The room is on the […]
holiday giving article
holiday giving article
Here is the final article that Bekah wrote. I think she did a great job (actually it reads much better than my unedited answers below). Kudos, Bekah.
An Interview
An Interview
From blog pix About a week ago I received an interview request from Rebekah Tucker, the Editor of Longwood University’s newspaper, the Rotunda. She sent a few questions along and I thought it would be appropriate to post the answers here. They are good and important questions, and I’m glad that people like Rebekah are […]
The answer, my friend…
The answer, my friend…
A few weeks ago I heard a man speaking about aid work. At one point, in the middle of a litany of problems in the world, he spoke of “countries where the winds of political change are blowing.” I don’t know whether anyone else noticed what was happening through the plate glass windows behind him […]
My First Paper
My First Paper
From random blog photos I turned in my first paper of my post-grad career today. I’ve been deeply immersed in it for the last couple of weeks, and have learned a great deal. The education has come not only from wrestling with the content, though, but also from wrestling with writing an academic paper, which […]
Gaza
Gaza
This is a long blog, and I apologize for that. I’ve been sitting with my sadness and frustration about current events in Gaza for over two weeks now, and I’m glad to have taken some time to distill some of my feelings. This is as short as I could go, and I’m sure it will […]
Something I think is worth doing
Something I think is worth doing
This summer I spent two weeks in Israel and Palestine, mostly in the West Bank. The group I traveled with, Interfaith Peace Builders, met with people from all sides of the conflict there, and had first-hand experience of the way people are treating each other. It left me somewhat radicalized, but not necessarily in the […]
A quick post-election blog
A quick post-election blog
… in between all the baby photos (more soon, you can be sure). My sister Kathy, who is a first year law student at Cornell with a focus on working on our broken death penalty system, wrote a piece on her blog entitled “Now What? A Note to my Co-Liberals.” It’s a good read, whether […]