Around 260 AD the second of two great plagues killed much of the world. It was estimated two thirds of Alexandria died as result. Frightened people immediately began to shove diseased loved ones outside. They were dumped in roadways before they died and the dead were left unburied. Many who fled died of this epidemic, as it was nearly inescapable. The Christians responded differently. They stayed and cared for the sick. They saw to basic needs of those who suffered. ... Read more
I’ve wanted to write more (articles, posts, novels, books, etc.) on why #BlackLivesMatter & throw in my .2 cents on #Ferguson…this movement that’s global now because The Rest ALL READY hated The West & now -thankfully- they have something they can stand WITH us on, but there isn’t anything eloquent or p.c. about the simplistic anger I feel: white folks in power keep killing black folks…and then resigning. If not that, then using systematic racism at obnoxiously subterranean & unconscious... Read more
I hung out with some of my alumni recently. (If you’re new here…I worked in college ministry for 12 yrs.) My guuuuurl, Tia noticed me lookin’ all sad and dejected. When we talked later, I told her it wasn’t about anything she’d imagined, but just regular ole shame. The type of shame that makes you wanna burrow under blankets with angry loud music to drown out the thoughts. I sat there, huddled on the carpeted basement floor leaning on Shan’s &... Read more
It’s time for me to face facts: I SUCK at writing every day for #31Days. Publicly, at least. At the bare minimum, Ive produced words, ideas, prayers, grumbles, moans & drivel into journals almost every other day. If not there, I type into Evernote when I know my fingers can’t keep up the speed to which my brain is churning out ideas. A few nights ago, I wrote and wrote until I got to the bottom of why I felt... Read more
Are you okay? They see you cry. They see you fall in a fast, steep crumble. Are you okay? There’s so much to fear, so much to worry about. They roll up their sleeves: what can be done? Is it going to be okay? Dunno, you say. //// Maybe not. Maybe it will hurt for an extraordinarily long time. Maybe always. //// What happened to you? How did you get…this way? You know what happened to me. You know what..he... Read more
We put on the costumes tryin’ to fit suburban hipster shit yo, look at me I can code switch! Is that well enough for you, Massa? “You don’t fit here You don’t fit no where but into that caricature Nigger, sit in that damn box, feels good to me IF I think about it.” Groom these little boys to tone that shit down hair, voice, hands in pockets, smile. Hands on the wheel. ‘Don’t be back talkin’ to that... Read more
I’m sitting on a double-decker, red-eye Megabus, Nashville bound, nonstop from Chicago. My friend bought me a ticket so I can join her at a retreat she created for Christian women ministering in various capacities. She said the Lord told her I should be there. Good enough for me. The bus departs at midnight. At first there’s a lot of chatter, and then laughter over one woman’s giant church hat, which she’d carefully wrapped in a white garbage bag and... Read more
“And now you ask me through your tears, the age-old question through the years: Heredity or environment, which are you the product of? Neither, my darling, neither. Just two different kinds of love.” //// {via} Who am I? Why I’m here? I’m here because he saw her. They said yes to adulterous passion. It’s simple as that. Eons before all that, He decided to make a Grace Sandra Green. Throughout 1976 He did a little knitting. He knew my name,... Read more
Back in 1999, my friend Rodney made a VHS. Yes, Chile, a V-H-S of six bootleg, ashy films on a 18 hr. videotape. (Those things that go into V-C-R’s, Y’all). I distinctly remember popping the tape in one late evening. Because it was bootleg the sound was off & I kept having to *gasp* get off my rear end to adjust the volume. Manually. About 30 minutes into the film my Ma came out of her bedroom in a giant... Read more
Okay. So. I saw this video titled “Why Are Black Women So Argumentative?” being discussed in the context of a safe space for black women. There are so many things we disagreed with her on. There are so many things I wish she’d have made more clear or even more logical. i.e. isn’t there a degree to which women of every race, ethnicity & creed become argumentative when pushed? Or, why not acknowledge the exceptions or highlight some of the... Read more
Everyday Black Matters
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