We will never be able to comprehend, in my honest opinion, the depth of the damage that slavery and colonialism has caused all over the world. In part, this is because we often see slavery through our own experiences, experiences that are often relegated to a certain space. For instance, as an African American woman, …
Continue reading Contextualizing the Haiti-Dominican Republic Situation
This last year has left me weary. The constant news of violence against my people has been both overwhelming and discouraging, the latter because I honestly don’t know when relief will come. Our nation has built it’s wealth and prominence in the world by victimizing black and brown people - something that will not be …
Continue reading The Importance of Worship in Times of Despair
I can probably count on one hand the number of sermons I have heard from the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Many preachers, I suspect, do not find the book as relevant or God-inspired as the others because it reflects a time in King Solomon’s life - the accredited author of the book - when …
Continue reading Wisdom, Wealth and Eternity: Valuing What Truly Matters
How does it feel to be a problem? This is the question that W.E.B. du Bois asked reflecting on the black experience in America. Or rather, how does it feel to be intentionally targeted and controlled by the rule of law? How does it feel to know that the laws that are being erected and …
Rest is a radical act. Putting down the plow (or the computer) and refusing to toil any longer is downright revolutionary. Honoring the sabbath, particularly when everyone else around you disregards it, is political and institutional warfare. Placing boundaries around one’s work and time is so jarring to societal norms because we live in a …
Continue reading The Ideology of Working Hard Revisited: Saying No
Almost daily, our T.V. screens and Twitter feeds are filled with the latest report of police violence and attack on black life. Though every incident is more heart-wrenching than the last - enough is enough - the ongoing attacks should come to no surprise to us. While, in many ways, this nation has progressed beyond …
Continue reading Rejecting Anti-Black Theology, Embracing the Kingdom of God
Ebony Johanna 