The “Doll Test” and the Damage of Segregation

April 16, 2024 By Jim Meisner Jr.

The “Doll Test” of Drs. Mamie and Kenneth Clark uncovered the mental and emotional damage of segregation in the United States in 1950. The landmark study helped influence the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. For those who think that “children don’t see color,” children certainly do, and they develop negative beliefs about race very, very young. Published in the summer of 1950, their... Read more

Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill a Mockingbird a timeless story

March 30, 2024 By Jim Meisner Jr.

Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless, touching story of an idealistic father and his children learning that his faith in his neighbors is ill-placed. Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch is subtle, charming and commanding. An Emmy Award-winning actor for his performance in the iconic series The Waltons, Thomas may be recognized for his recent work on the Netflix series Ozark. Set in Alabama in 1934, Lee’s enduring story of racial injustice and... Read more

Helpful Advice About the Eclipse

March 27, 2024 By Jim Meisner Jr.

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My child’s school just shared helpful advice about the eclipse. Here are some highlights: On April 8, 2024 a solar eclipse will be visible in North and Central America in addition to parts of Europe and South America. We will experience a partial eclipse starting at 2:02 p.m. and ending at approximately 4:32 p.m. Maximum partial eclipse will occur at 3:18 p.m. and 52 seconds. Approximately 88% of the sun will be covered at this time. Cloud cover may impact... Read more

Palm Sunday 2024: “Save Us”

March 23, 2024 By Jim Meisner Jr.

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Palm Sunday 2024: “Save Us” “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” ~ Mark 11:1-11 The word Hosanna comes from Psalm 118:25 “Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!” They looked at this prophet riding on a borrowed horse, perhaps he was the Messiah, the man they had heard about. Perhaps they had... Read more

The Christian Holidays of Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday

February 11, 2024 By Jim Meisner Jr.

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Not a lot of facts are known about St. Valentine. He was a Christian priest and bishop in and around Rome, who might have been a physician during the reign of Emperor Claudius II, who dedicated a lot of time to persecuting Christians. According to legend, Valentine would secretly marry couples so the husbands wouldn’t have to go to war. Like other Christians, Valentine refused to offer sacrifices to pagan gods. He established churches and converted pagans to Christianity. One... Read more

The Day the Music Died: Feb. 3, 1959

February 1, 2024 By Jim Meisner Jr.

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Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash, Feb. 3, 1959, immortalized in Don McLean’s “American Pie.” Buddy was 22, Ritchie was 17, and Jay P. Richardson was 28. Pilot Roger Peterson was 21. Rock and roll belongs to the young. The night before, Feb. 2, they played at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. The Beech-Craft Bonanza crashed in the early morning hours of Feb. 3. Disoriented by the darkness and snow, Peterson... Read more

Jesus At the Beginning of His Ministry: Mark 1:21-28

January 28, 2024 By Jim Meisner Jr.

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Notes from a Sermon Mark 1:21-28 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know... Read more

MLK Jr. Was the Original Black Lives Matter Leader

January 14, 2024 By Jim Meisner Jr.

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From the day he was born until the day he was murdered, 39 years later, Martin Luther King, Jr. was outside the mainstream. Born to a comfortably middle class family, the color of his skin made him a second class American. He refused to accept the status quo of racism and became the famous face of the original Black Lives Movement. With his visage on United States postage stamps and a federal holiday commemorating his birth, King’s radical messages have... Read more

“Have I forgotten anyone?”

December 24, 2023 By Jim Meisner Jr.

By Hugh Haynie. First published in the Louisville Courier-Journal on Dec. 24, 1961. Jim Meisner, Jr. is the author of the novel Faith, Hope, and Baseball, available on Amazon, or follow this link to order an autographed copy. Read more

“Christ in the Rubble” by Kelly Latimore

December 24, 2023 By Jim Meisner Jr.

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For more about Kelly Latimore, visit his website: https://kellylatimoreicons.com/ Jim Meisner, Jr. is the author of the novel Faith, Hope, and Baseball, available on Amazon, or follow this link to order an autographed copy. Read more