"The Peacemaker taught us about the Seven Generations. He said, when you sit in council for the welfare of the people, you must not think of yourself or of your family, not even of your generation. He said, make your decisions on behalf of the seven generations coming, so that they may enjoy what you have today." – Oren Lyons, Seneca Faithkeeper, Onondaga Nation Every … [Read more...] about Voting for the future
Child Watch
Preparing to vote
There is now less then one month to go until Election Day in the United States, and in some states early voting and mail-in voting has already begun. In others, deadlines to register to vote or make sure a voter registration is current and correct are approaching over the next few weeks. This means the time for all eligible voters to make sure they have a plan to vote is now! … [Read more...] about Preparing to vote
Rejecting hate
In the middle of another national debate demonizing immigrant communities, one family has been speaking up in the midst of their own devastating tragedy to say they do not want their child’s legacy chained to hate. Eleven- year-old Aiden Clark was killed in a traffic accident in August 2023 in Springfield, OH, when the school bus he was riding in on the first day of school was … [Read more...] about Rejecting hate
Honoring ‘Freedom Summer’
As summer draws to a close, we are also nearing the end of an extraordinary milestone – the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement’s 'Freedom Summer.' As a brand new Yale Law School graduate in 1963, I was fortunate enough to receive one of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF)’s first two fellowships to help young attorneys seeking to practice in the South. After a year of … [Read more...] about Honoring ‘Freedom Summer’
Fannie Lou Hamer’s convention
As our nation gears up for a political convention where a woman of color will make history, it’s another chance to look back at the convention that happened 60 years ago this week in Atlantic City, NJ, during the Civil Rights Movement’s landmark Freedom Summer. The extraordinary woman who made history then as the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party unsuccessfully sought to … [Read more...] about Fannie Lou Hamer’s convention
The country we need to create
At a moment of so much uncertainty over where our nation is headed and what national unity really means, I return again to the wise words of my late friend Dr. Vincent Harding, the revered historian, theologian, social justice activist, and visionary who never lost sight of the “beloved community” his dear colleague Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., believed our nation and world … [Read more...] about The country we need to create
Building a “Great Society”
This is still the season when many of us are celebrating graduating seniors and cheering young people on as they chart their next steps. What kind of world will their generation create? Sixty years ago, as President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke to college students at Ohio University and the University of Michigan in May 1964, he spoke publicly for the first time about the idea of a … [Read more...] about Building a “Great Society”
Lessons for young graduates
This is the joyous time of year when families, friends, and teachers are cheering on graduates of all ages who have worked so hard and made them all so proud. I hope many of today’s high school and university graduates will wander off the beaten career path and help redefine success in our culture, asking not “How much can I get?” but “How much can I do without and share?” … [Read more...] about Lessons for young graduates
Appreciating teachers
May 6-10 was Teacher Appreciation Week this year, but in an era of headlines and concern about burnout and stress, I join many others who believe teachers should be applauded and deeply appreciated all year long. We know teachers are not sufficiently valued in our society if we measure their worth by money— yet after parents, teachers are probably the greatest influencers and … [Read more...] about Appreciating teachers
Breaking Earth’s stillness
Earth Day and the month of April are commemorated across the world as a time to celebrate our planet and focus on action to protect it. During this month I often remember the poem “Keeping Quiet” by Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, which urged the world “to count to twelve and all keep still, for once on the face of the earth.”: “It would be an exotic moment without rush, … [Read more...] about Breaking Earth’s stillness