As the United States gears up for our 250th anniversary in 2026, we should remember that the official start of our Revolution took place in Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts, in April 1775. By exploring our historic roots, we can draw inspiration and lessons for how to survive the Trump 2.0 Administration. There are pitfalls and […]
racism
What Americans Need to Know about Stephen Miller
As we noted earlier, the people with whom a President surrounds himself (so far, sadly, “herself” does not apply in the US…) tell us a great deal about that President. The American people have seen Stephen Miller before in the Trump Administration, as Senior Adviser/Advisor, 2017-2021. Miller is proud to have helped orchestrate some of […]
Index to the Eighth Year
Thank you for your interest in these blog posts! Here is a listing by topic for posts since October 2022. (Some posts appear in more than one category.) Social and Racial Justice, Diversity Resources and Some Good News For Black History Month 2023, 2/10/23 Celebrating Women’s History Month: A Reading List, 3/24/23 Science Meets Religion: […]
Undaunted Courage in the Face of Disparagement and Racism: Five Examples
In our divided, contentious and often violent country, many of us yearn for examples of courage and resilience. We can feel surrounded – not only by social media and news feeds but even in our own neighborhoods – by demoralizing examples of vengeance, fear-mongering, lawlessness, and cruelty. The most egregious, visible, powerful and omnipresent source, […]
Suggested Readings for Black History Month: The Self-Education of White Americans
Some of us believe that much of the onus for solving the problem of racism in the United States should lie with those of us who are white. If slavery is our “original sin” as a nation (or, perhaps a better term, an “unforgivable crime against humanity“), we cannot sugarcoat the fact that it was […]
Inspiring Conversion Stories of Former White Supremacists and How Average Americans can Help Combat Violent Domestic Extremism
Sometimes miracles happen. There are people who, for whatever reason, join groups that promote racism, antisemitism, white supremacy, violence against our government, homophobia and other belief systems that most of us would condemn and disavow. Then, for whatever reason, some of those same people have an “aha moment” and realize that the group to which […]
Honoring Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, and in recognition of our deep racial divides, we offer here the list of past blog posts focusing on African Americans, slavery, the Civil Rights movement, the Lost Cause narrative and Confederate monuments, racism, and related topics. 2/5/2016 Reincarnation and Genetics: A Novel Approach to Facing Racism 7/29/2016 SPLC […]
Highlighting Three Black Men of Renown
One of my fellow parishioners in southern Vermont, Imogene Drakes, PhD, has introduced us, through our monthly newsletter and an article in our local newspaper, to several African American men who, she says, “are not household names — and they should be.” Let us pick up on Dr. Drakes’ introductions and offer some short biographical […]
Two Powerful Messages for Our Times
From The Council of the Society of Biblical Literature and Executive Staff of the Society of Biblical Literature A Statement on Black Lives Matter, Right to Protest, and Bible as Prop The Council of the Society of Biblical Literature and Executive Staff of SBL issue the following statement: We are appalled at the murder of […]
The Legacy of Slavery, Part I: A Look at Reparations
The issue of reparations has lately become a fairly significant part of our national conversation. The fact that we are even discussing this in 2019 shows that the legacy of the enslavement of African Americans still persists – 156 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, 154 years after the end of the Civil War and the […]