Last night I was up late. It could have been the cortado I’d had in the afternoon, but the recent headlines about Haiti, Afghanistan, relentless fires in California, the Delta variant, and all the forgotten ills still afflicting our human family abroad and at home could have also been contributing factors. It was two in the morning. I played song after song on the piano until eventually, melodies I had not played before began to fill the room. This is amazing, I thought. I imagined people who had passed on as inspiring the prayers my fingers were sending into the world from that out-of-tune instrument. And, like anyone would do at three in the morning, I began to wonder if there wasn’t some mystical meaning to the name “YAMAHA” in front of me. My exhaustion eventually pushed me off the bench and onto the couch.
Racial Equity & Justice
Racial Equity & Justice — what we offer to readers on this topic...
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Lessons from John Lewis: Nonviolence as the Engine of Change
A video and a year of attention made possible what previously seemed impossible – holding police officers accountable for deaths of Black people caught in a racially biased society and criminal justice system.
A few ideas to help get out of our U.S. mess: Part 2 – Ideas from other countries
The first such area that comes to mind is the idea of the role of government. We have a government because there are things that only a government of all the people can do. Think of national defense, a national currency or national rules regulating commerce between different areas.
A few ideas to help get out of our U.S. mess: A unique and fresh perspective
I have explored in these posts what I consider some of the big issues blocking our communities and nation from living in more peace, love and equity. This week and next I am delighted to share with you another perspective on the challenges facing America.
Losses and Hope – The 2021 Spring Dilemma
The battle between hope and despair seems fiercer than ever this year. A few promising signs of hope have appeared and still, there are many that can make me feel hopeless. How do we renew our aspirations for good and resilience?
Talk and Action for Racial Equity: Real-Life Examples
This week we are continuing to explore the many ways to advance racial equity and justice. I have invited a colleague and friend, Bob Francis, to share the kind of discussions and actions he is taking and seeing others take to advance deeper and lasting change in America. Bob is the retired executive of a regional youth-serving organization in Connecticut. He began this work as a civil rights activist in the 60’s and is a life-long advocate for change.
The Bright Red Line: Racist Single-Family Zoning
Where we live determines nearly every aspect of, and access to, opportunities, jobs, education and our vital social networks. With our dysfunctional community design based on zoning laws of today, we get dysfunctional traffic jams, long commutes, poor educational opportunities, segregation, distrust, sprawl and gates.
Equity Lens Conversations – Getting Started
I have been in hundreds of conversations about how to increase racial diversity in organizations and companies. Most of them are either idealistic pipe dreams or efforts to find the “magic right answer” and avoid the hard, uncomfortable work of change. Black History...
Room for All – Black History and Valentine’s
Our family has begun having intergenerational zoom discussions about justice and equity. We cross-pollinate with in-laws and cousins from our partners’ families which makes the conversations particularly rich. My wife’s niece talked about the struggles a mid-west art...
The Long View: Showing Up Consistently for “Justice for All”
“Democracy prevailed.” – These words spoken on Inauguration Day by our new president, Joe Biden, offered us hope. Indeed, January 20th was a great day for those of us who are hoping for change. President Biden, Vice President Harris and three former presidents filled...