My racial reconciliation blog, 17Seeds, has been part of this site for more than three years. Over the years I’ve talked about Pearl Bailey, Louis Gossett, Jr., TobyMac, and of course President Obama. But now, it’s time to pack up … Continue reading → Read full original post.
Failure is not fun. I don’t know about you but if I’m going to celebrate something I’d rather it be something good. You’ve got to be some kind of sadist to want to shout for joy about a job loss … Continue reading → Read full original post.
Few things are more telling about a person than a long speech. The speech strips away all the pretense and showmanship put forth by the preceding press release or the media kit. The speech-giver delivers more than words. He or … Continue reading → Read full original post.
Four years ago, I posted this about the World Cup: Here we are on the heels of the World Cup (2006) and already there are a lot of grown folks calling dark-skinned soccer players monkeys. These ‘offensive’ players are being pelted with peanuts and bananas, slapped, hit, and spit upon. In the name [...] Read [...]
WHAT LITERATURE? I’ve been writing for publication for more than a decade. I have two books in print, released through an imprint of a large [read: majority white] Christian publishing house, and I am black. My works advocate racial reconciliation and forgiveness from a biblical point of view. My covers feature black faces. Both novels [...]
Unfortunately, we have been socialized to think racially and prejudicially. Teaching our children otherwise will take effort, but it’s worth it. Don’t you think? Below are five ways that we parents can teach our children about racial reconciliation from a biblical standpoint. Please share your experiences in the comment box below. 1. Teach ‘Christian first’ [...]
The is the second and last part of a two-part series on How to Have a Healthy Dialogue on Race with Someone of Another Race. Be affirming. Practice some good old-fashioned interactive listening. You’ve got great ears. I just know it. Be free. Have your ‘talking partner’ over for dinner. Volunteer in the community together. [...]
Facebook is a great place to do book research (aka ‘lurk’). While researching not too long ago, I witnessed an exchange on a writer’s fan page. The writer, a white woman, was soliciting feedback on her new romantic storyline. It was the classic boy-meets-girl scenario, with various and sundry supporting characters, and several gut-twisting turns [...]
The is the first of a two-part series on How to Have a Healthy Dialogue on Race with Someone of Another Race. More to come … Be patient. Start small. Share a cup of coffee once a month and talk about a book (fiction or nonfiction). When it’s time to move into deep water, you’ll [...]
When I was a little girl, I wanted to change my first name to Lena. Truth was, I couldn’t sing that well and my skin was never going to turn milky white but I had spunk. I’d been brought up on a fairly heavy doses dance stylings of Harry Belafonte, Cab Calloway, and Chuck Berry. [...]
I entered college to become an engineer. I left, ten years afterward, with two degrees in engineering and something that no gilded picture frame could contain. I had a zeal for missions, community development, and reconciliation. How did this happen to a little black girl from the sticks of North Carolina? Not sure. I blame [...]
WHITE-LABEL MARKETING My first real exposure to the Emergent Church Movement was through a Christian book brochure in 2008. I was doing a few book signings at the International Christian Retail Show. As I flipped through the pages of trendy 20-something white males sporting goatee and cool shades holding the latest emergent church book, I [...]
What’s all this talk about social justice and socialism? Fellow blogger Arloa Sutter’s post on social justice and socialism is well worth reading. As she points out the two terms sounds so much alike but that’s where their similarities end. The two schools of thought are worlds apart. Socialism says that the government owns industry [...]
Spicy aromas met me as I stepped in the restaurant. An Asian man, dressed in a modest dress shirt and pants, greeted me with the smile of a long-lost cousin and showed me to a table where my girlfriend sat. He took our drink orders and left us with two menus. “I usually get the [...]
Well, I’m back. No, it’s not an April Fool’s joke. I’m still pounding away on the third novel, Saving Tate Michaels. During my break I must admit that I didn’t make much headway on the word count but I made lots of progress in my writer’s heart. And that goes a long way for this [...]
