Tom Adams
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Today we continue to explore the question of, “What the November 2024 election will mean to our country’s future?” What will this election mean for our nation’s progress in becoming a multi-racial/multi-ethnic democratic nation? If this season brings progress in respecting each other and working together, we can make progress on our many other issues.
This post is about the persistent push in America for white supremacy and how people of faith respond to this cycle at any time, especially during a national election. This has been among the hardest posts I have written. The subject is complex, full of emotion and divided views and there are no obvious answers. So I am asking the readers of Critical Conversations and any friends or colleagues you think might add to this discussion to help shape an important conversation about what’s at stake in our upcoming national election and how we individually and collectively respond.
On May 25, it will be four years since George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis policemen. He was not the first Black person to be killed for no reason, and sadly he will likely not be the last. The vivid scene of the police with their knee on his neck choking him to death while he called to his mom was burnt into our minds and hearts.
Nature and the faiths of the world all take delight in springtime. Today I’d like to share some reflections on how faith deepens and widens my ability to see and participate in the rituals of spring and thereby deepen my desire to love.
Spring is prime time for people of three major faith traditions – Muslims, Jews, and Christians. This week’s post explores my recent experience of Easter as a Christian in the larger context of these three faith traditions.
March is Women’s History Month. This week’s post reflects on what that might mean to each of us. Designating a time to focus on the role of women got its start with the first International Women’s Day on March 8, 1911. In the United States, the School Board in Sonoma County CA expanded attention to women’s history from one day to a week of events in 1978. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8 National Women’s History Week in the United States. In 1987, Congress made this celebration permanent and expanded it to the full month of March.
This week we celebrate the life of Lois Wilson on her birthday, March 4. Lois is a 20th-century leader and co-creator of the Twelve Step movement. Without her, the path to recovery for people with alcoholism and other addictions would be very different and perhaps wouldn’t exist at all. Given this, one might wonder why so few people know much about Lois.
As Black History Month comes to an end, and hopefully we plan to continue learning and acting for racial justice, this week’s post reflects on the many possible ways to take action for racial justice. Reading and knowledge are suggested, yet not enough.
This month I am exploring ways to pay attention to Black History. Everyone’s history is everyone’s history if we are all one and equal. Given the difficulty we have had learning accurate Black History, being intentional for a month (or a lifetime) about learning is essential to deepening understanding and advancing equity.
Last week’s post made the case that paying attention to Black History Month is more important than ever. And it is important for everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or politics. This week I will explore some of the many types of learning opportunities, and what I am learning from a couple of examples.
Tom Adams writes and speaks on topics vital to the intersection of our personal lives with our community and global lives. He has for decades been engaged in and written about nonprofit leadership and transitions, spirituality and spiritual growth, how we each contribute to a more just and equitable world and recovery from addictions and the Twelve Step recovery movement.