400 Years – Blog #2: Before the Mayflower
As part of 400 Years I am hosting monthly book discussions about slavery and it’s legacy. We begin with Lerone Bennett Jr.’s Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America that chronicles evolving forms of racial oppression. Many might feel overwhelmed by the book. It’s a study of how brutal white supremacy grew from indentured […]
400 Years Blog #1 – What’s this all about?
I am not an expert, but that’s partially my point. In launching this project marking the 400th anniversary of the first Africans brought against their will to English American colonies, I know I will get things wrong.
400 Years Project
Beginning January 1, 2019, marking the 400th year since the first people were brought against their will to the North American mainland from Africa, I will: write 400 weekly words, offer 400 lessons, and get 400 commitments from 400 people who pledge to confront systemic racism more directly through concrete action.
Thinking Revolution
While the 2018 midterm elections gave progressives some hope, we continue to struggle with the hate, fear, bigotry and xenophobia on display in U. S. politics. For a few years these dark forces have been rumbling openly. Why? Because hate, fear, bigotry and xenophobia are politically powerful tools.
Climate Change and the Loss of Cultures
Last month the United Nations’ scientific panel on climate change warned that climate change will threaten our lives sooner than previously thought. It made me wonder again, why are developed nations pushing consumerism to the point of threatening our existence? I think we need to look to indigenous cultures to learn better ways to live, but these very cultures are being wiped out by modernity.
