Some of you who have seen the movie Ocean’s 13 may remember the line near the end when George Clooney’s character, Danny Ocean, confronts Al Pacino’s character, Willie Bank, with this gem: “You should know better. You shook Sinatra’s hand.”…
Black church leaders revive civil rights playbook to mobilize voters for midterms
Ahead of the midterm elections this fall, Pastor Mike McBride, a longtime Black voter mobilization strategist, is spearheading an initiative for church and community leaders to sit down together for Sunday dinners to learn from each other.
Black History Month is about moral memory
Black History Month often is framed as a time of celebration — a time to honor leaders, milestones and achievements that reshaped the American story. But at its deepest level, Black History Month is about moral memory. It is about…
The Civil Rights Movement Changed America. We Glorify It at Our Peril.
In February 1959, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King and Martin’s friend and colleague Lawrence Reddick took a six-week trip to India that included stops in London, Paris, Beirut, Jerusalem and Cairo.
On No Kings Day, we passed the baton
Carrying my poster, I arrived early to meet Pam at her church, St. Paul A.M.E. on MLK Boulevard. I sat on a low wall to wait for her. The passenger window of the car parked in front of me opened….
Become ‘courageous resisters,’ scholar tells UMC women
“Everyday women” of the Civil Rights Movement should inspire Christians today to become “courageous resisters,” according to AnneMarie Mingo. She spoke during a March 18 webinar hosted by United Women in Faith, the worldwide women’s organization of The United Methodist…
Congressman John Lewis is my choice in this election
John Lewis has been called the moral conscience of the United States Congress. His death in July 2020 was a great loss to all of us. I mourn his death, but I call on his dream, his spirit, for our…
Civil Rights leader John Perkins is a Black history legend
Some Americans may not know the name of John Perkins. He is not only a Civil Rights legend but also a longstanding public servant to the city of Jackson, Miss. Even at age 93, Perkins continues to live the message…
Fear of dancing and the courage to be serious
On May 2, 1963, more than 1,000 students walked out of class in Birmingham, Ala. They gathered at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church to march downtown as part of the ongoing Southern Freedom Movement, of which Birmingham was the epicenter. Children,…
What if you’re wrong?
I feel compelled to reason with my white evangelical sisters and brothers about their political choices, particularly those of late. We agree on the ultimate issues of Christ, salvation, the Bible and such. But, with all the humility and respect…
The Civil Rights leader nobody knows on his 100th birthday
On March 18, 2022, Fred Shuttlesworth, one of the least known but most impactful figures in the Civil Rights movement, would have celebrated his 100th birthday. Unless you are a historian of that movement or one of my friends, you probably…
A ‘Civil Rides’ bicycle trek: a reminder that being ‘not-racist’ is not enough
During the Civil Rights Movement being not-racist in the midst of murder, lynching, theft and almost every other degradation known to humanity, wasn’t enough. It still isn’t.