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
Child Watch
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
An update in a long fight for justice
On April 2, 2024, 109-year-olds Viola Fletcher and Lessie Benningfield Randle appeared together at a Tulsa courthouse in a hearing before Oklahoma’s Supreme Court. Mother Fletcher and Mother Randle, as they are known in their communities, are the last two known survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. In 2020, they were part of a group of survivors and descendants who filed a … [Read more...] about An update in a long fight for justice
Reminders of renewal
As Christians this past weekend celebrated Easter, in the midst of this holy season for so many faith traditions, I return again to the Easter Sunday service of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached in April 1957 at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, titled “Questions that Easter Answers.” Dr. King said one of these questions is “Is the universe on the side of … [Read more...] about Reminders of renewal
Ella Baker
As Women’s History Month continues, I wanted to highlight again another transforming woman whose name I hope young people will learn: Ella Josephine Baker. Ella Baker said this 60 years ago as she was speaking about the murders of Freedom Summer workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, who disappeared together in Mississippi in June 1964. During the … [Read more...] about Ella Baker
Black history, women’s history: Septima Clark
As Black History Month ends and Women’s History Month begins, it’s always a special privilege to honor leaders who overlap in both—black women who did their part to change American history. As we approach the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement’s Freedom Summer, one of these leaders to know and honor is Septima Clark, the woman Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called the … [Read more...] about Black history, women’s history: Septima Clark
A Christmas lesson
On December 24, 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered the message at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on what would be his last Christmas Eve. The message was titled, “A Christmas Sermon on Peace”. More than 50 years later, I reiterate some of that powerful lesson. In a season when many people sing carols praying for peace on earth, Dr. King shared a … [Read more...] about A Christmas lesson
Rosalynn Carter: Honoring a legacy
On November 28, 2023, the family of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter held a beautiful memorial service for her at the Glenn Memorial Church at Emory University. Guests included President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, former President Bill Clinton and Secretary Hillary Clinton, former First Ladies Melania Trump, … [Read more...] about Rosalynn Carter: Honoring a legacy
A place at the table
I’ve shared before the description of an editorial cartoon my father kept pinned up in the vestibule of our church that made a deep impression on me I have never forgotten. It was a black and white drawing by the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Herblock that was originally published in the Washington Post in October 1947. The picture showed a group of well-dressed, happy people … [Read more...] about A place at the table