In the midst of rising anger concerning the Dallas Morning News’ treatment of oppressed and marginalized people, I was tasked (by fellow activists and at the invitation of the Editor) with writing something that would illustrate some of the issues. The piece below was rejected outright. The word “prejudice” seemed to be the breaking point. Often, there is beauty in rejection. Dangerous Words *Though this piece is written about the Dallas Morning News, it could be written to the... Read more
Greetings! This is Rev. – Dr. – Jeff – Hood. I am calling you with a very important message. On December 11, there will be a runoff election for Dallas City Council District 4. On the ballot, you will only find one candidate who shares your progressive values. Her name is Keyaira D. Saunders. Do not miss this opportunity to transform City Hall! Vote Keyaira!!! This message has been paid for by the Keyaira D. Saunders campaign. It felt... Read more
The flight was so early. New York grew closer and closer. The guy next to me slept and slobbered the entire flight. It’s always strange to experience such intimacy with a complete stranger. I don’t like it. Hours upon hours had passed since I got off the plane. I had filled every second with something new…art…theatre…music over and over. You name it…I did it. By the time I found myself wandering around in Times Square, I was too... Read more
“Look at that shit! Unreal. Simply Unreal.” The site was a basketball game at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy and the player was Dwight Howard. No one had ever seen this level of player. Everybody was in awe. When he was selected with the first pick of the 2005 NBA Draft, nobody that had seen him play was surprised. Now…more than a dozen years later…Howard is currently playing for the Washington Wizards…reaching the twilight of a Hall of Fame NBA career. ... Read more
Imagine. “Disgusting!” “Oh my God!” “I will kill you!” Assault. Torture. Murder. Tegucigalpa has one of the highest murder rates…not just in Honduras…but in the entire world. Roxsana Hernandez was just trying to survive. You see, there is a Trans genocide going on in our world and Tegucigalpa is one of it’s epicenters. I don’t know what the final straw was that made Roxsana flee…but I do know that it must... Read more
Did they know they’d hired a racist? It’s possible. Maybe they didn’t know how to identify a racist? Pointed questions could have helped. Maybe they didn’t care? Concern is born out of relationship and there is none. Maybe this is the way they want it? Truth. Racism disguised is still racism. Hoover, Alabama is open to everybody. Bullshit. Hoover is open to white folk. Racism there is barely disguised. After arriving early to meet a friend at a... Read more
*Back info: Civil rights legend Ray Hill’s obituary in the Houston Chronicle https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Ray-Hill-a-Houston-icon-and-civil-rights-13418968.php The first time we met… “Damn! You’re cute for a Baptist minister.” “Thank you?” “Although, most Baptist ministers really are ugly as shit.” “Fuck you Ray Hill.” Nobody would have mistaken Ray Hill for wealthy. He lived in a small apartment full of mementos from days gone by. Regardless of the (typical) insulting/humorous banter, the space provided context for the man. Ray... Read more
Stuff. Stuff. Stuff. How much turkey/dressing/pie/corn/casserole/rolls can you get down that little whole? Stuff. Stuff. Stuff. Once you are about to shit all over yourself and can’t consume anything else, you stop. Unable to move much, you pull the newspaper across the table. The ads fall out all over the table. Beautiful images adorn every page. Regardless of it all, you know what you want. Your television just isn’t as clear as it was when you got it six months... Read more
Manufactured. Thanksgiving? Evil. We give thanks for the rapes perpetuated by armed white men. We give thanks for the eradication of native peoples by armed white men. We give thanks for the enslavement of persons of color by armed white men. We give thanks for a culture of oppression built and maintained by armed white men. We give thanks for the white God created and protected by armed white men. We give thanks for armed white men. Thanksgiving? Evil. ... Read more
*For many years, I’ve been a theologian of Jonestown. The 918 people who died have long been my teachers. Though November 18, 1978 seems like a long time ago, it feels very fresh to me. The words. The pictures. The cries. The screams. When I was first asked to come to Oakland to deliver these words, I was terrified. How does one speak to the families and loved ones of 918 people? Ultimately, I was unable to go…but I sent... Read more
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