Growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, I lived with a sense of youth and an aloofness to social issues. It’s not that I didn’t care about the struggle for fairness, equality and love or even about social justice; none of that was…
I am Nolan
For much of my life, I did not fully grasp the depth of my mother’s anxiety regarding my journey until I witnessed the experiences of those who came after me. I never truly understood the scope of her concern each…
Voting rights and the ancestral voices of the African diaspora
Let me tell you what just happened: The U.S. Supreme Court effectively dismantled the Voting Rights Act. The very legislation for which John Lewis bled on that bridge, for which Fannie Lou Hamer was beaten in a Mississippi jail, for…
Calling evil good
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu announced their joint missile strike on Iran with a laundry list of the sins of the ayatollah’s regime while ignoring the violence they themselves have inflicted upon their own citizens and the people of Gaza….
I am Black, queer and Baptist Christian
Being Black and gay is living life on the margins. My Christian identity is centered on my love for my community. While having proximity to whiteness (interracial marriage with a loving husband) has informed my vocational mission, I know it…
We need to learn again from the Black Church tradition
Growing up, my parents — Evangelist Idella Cora Thomas and Leonard Thomas — guided me spiritually. They emphasized the importance of spiritual discernment in navigating the world and advocating for justice. They wanted me to understand where evil lurks within…
Surviving white terror in the age of Trump and Miller
Over the past four weeks, I’ve remained close to home, venturing out only when Brad accompanies me. I’ve avoided meeting friends at coffee shops — spaces where ICE has targeted African Americans and immigrant communities. My doctoral work has been…