Every blow looks like all the rest. A black person being brutalized by white cops. You can hear the desperation. You can hear the rage. You can hear the racists. The brutalization of Desmond Marrow is not an isolated incident. This explosion has been brewing for quite some time. “For God so loved the world…” Growing up, I heard it incessantly. We were a large church, though not large enough for someone to come down the aisle every Sunday.... Read more
*This piece is based on an incident that recently happened to 25-year-old Chikesia Clemons at a Waffle House in Saraland, Alabama The hour was late. Though she wanted to go to bed, she was still hungry. Every true Southerner knows about Waffle House. I know I’ve found myself there many times. Desiring something a little quicker than a full service meal, she had placed a meal to go. Sitting at the counter, she noticed the nasty... Read more
Things crashed. Money disappeared. Pain exploded. I was left with nothing. Everything crashed. Home was no more. For much time, I tried to do odd jobs to try to survive. In a society of religious people, honesty just didn’t pay. One morning, I woke up in the dirt. I could barely move. From that day forward, I decided to steal as long as I could. Bread. Water. Fruit. Vegetables. I stole whatever I needed to survive. Then, I... Read more
Creek. Creek. Creek. I knew where I was going. Maybe I didn’t. Every step brought me closer. Though I’d traveled up there many times…the summit was different and different again and again…something new was always bubbling up in my soul. Though I’d been up here many times before, I knew that this was the first time. The old door always stuck. It was as if it always wanted to reminisce for a second before giving way to a whole... Read more
David Buckel self-immolated on Saturday, April 14, 2018 around 6:30am at Prospect Park in New York City. I didn’t know David Buckel. I only know his fire. That is enough. Traveling throughout the land, David healed people. His medicine was fire. Repeatedly, David fought against evil to secure the rights of LGBT persons. His miracles often took place at weddings. That doesn’t mean he stopped there. David spent the later days of his ministry fighting to... Read more
I thought about suicide. Darkness fills the room. Light floods my eyes. I am blinded for the moment. I sit up in bed. Is anyone there? Squinting, I see something in the distance. Sight returns. I see a man burning. I hear God. I’ve never seen such righteousness. “Kill his ass!” “Let me at him!” “Rip his dick off!” “He won’t be teaching that bullshit around here anymore.” “Who in the fuck does he think he is?”... Read more
Good Evening, My name is Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood. I’m not here to dialogue with you. I’m not here to talk about policy or provide recommendations. I’m here to see if you have soul. We keep on getting video after video after video out of Fort Worth, Texas…giving this town that is often called “Cowtown” evidence of why such a name is appropriate…because y’all treat people like animals. A CLOSED FIST! A CLOSED FIST! A CLOSED FIST! Imagine if... Read more
The room was electric with anticipation. Every eye was glued to the stage. Everything but the speaker was a waste of time. We were about to hear one of the greatest liberal theologians of all time. Finally, he arose. I couldn’t believe how old he was. The pictures made him look so young. I guess that’s a trick of publishing. Keep recycling an old picture to make the writer appear relevant. When he started speaking, I wasn’t surprised to... Read more
*Originally Posted on Palm Sunday 2015 The people of Jerusalem waved their palms madly to celebrate the entry of Jesus into their town. Less than seven days later, Jesus was tortured and executed in the same place. Though Palm Sunday is a time to celebrate, I can never get past the fact that the same palm wavers either participated in or did nothing to stop the execution of Jesus. The lesson of the juxtaposition should be one of caution.... Read more
In the beginning… “She just disappeared!” Memories of something flood my brain. I used to know exactly what it was. I used to believe. I used to see. I long for those days. Where do I go? “She didn’t disappear.” There are no memories. Nothing ever happened. It was a mirage. It was fake. I refuse to believe. Knowledge has saved me. I will never return to that bullshit. “Maybe…she disappeared?” Something is... Read more
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