The message written below is a response I wrote to someone with whom I was engaged in a dialogue after we both read the same blog post where pastor, John Pavlovitz, made distinctions between white Christians who say they were “embarrassed” by President Obama, those who simply disagreed with him, and those who basically are conscious … More On Blacking In America – v. To offend others by existing
Can a language be biased/oppressive/racist? I know that right off the bat some people will take issue with the question this title suggests. They’ll say, “No. A language can’t be inherently racist or anything else other than a method of communication. It is neutral. Words don’t hurt people. People hurt people.” And to some degree, … More Is Common English An Inherently Biased/Oppressive/Racist Language?
Sometimes it seems as if America is bent on surviving itself to death. Like an ostrich with a lion on its tail, who can’t see a way out other than to close its eyes and hope the threat goes away, our country is living its collective life with its head in the sand fearful that … More America in Denial – Perils of a Strength Overdone
There a lot of conversations that I don’t feel absolutely prepared for as a parent. Some of them are universal and some are exclusive to certain communities such as, “Are we poor?”, “Why do they hate us?”, “Will we be deported?”, etc. Recently, my daughter has asked me twice, what the “N word” is. The … More Daddy, What’s the “N Word”?
“I’m really not that scary.” That’s what I thought to myself when I saw the guy run into his house, close the door, and peep through the blinds as I walked by. I almost felt sorry for the guy for being that afraid. If he had taken a closer look he would have realized that … More No Fear In Love
Recently I did an interview on a local radio show that highlights experiences of being a person of color in Boulder County. The show is called PoCo in BoCo and is co-hosted by Tracey Jones and Nikhil Mankekar also of Boulder County. In the show we talk about what people must consider when entering in … More Speaking of Difference
About 6 years ago a friend I went to seminary with passed away unexpectedly. Steven was a book lover and so his family decided to have a book give away at the school. At first it felt kind of strange picking through his books, but in a way it felt like if I read some … More Waiting for Anthony Robbins
Who is a racist? In the wake of the election results, there are a lot of people who feel fear that our country has gone backwards and that somehow racism had receded and now, because of one man, it has reemerged. I understand why, but as I see it, what is happening is that we … More Can You Be Racist In the Dark?
Living in Colorado, I see a lot of people taking extreme risks and pushing themselves to their physical limits. At least in the Boulder area, it is a way of life for many people. If I drive up the canyon, I see people taking risks on a rock face. They get a hold on a … More Raise Your Voice: Healing Society Through Conversational Risks
I am a minister now largely because working as a consultant on a “Diversity Recruiting” Program for a large multi-national company frustrated me so deeply that I enrolled into seminary just to see if I could learn what it would take for a person or organization to have a true conversion experience. Most people who … More “LieVersity” and “In-True-Sion”: What People Aren’t Saying About Why Diversity Programs Fail
