Fully Present Post 50

Trauma is defined simply as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. On this resurrection Sunday, we are reminded that Jesus suffered the trauma of crucifixion on Friday that included physical and emotional pain plus humiliation.  But God raised him up after three days to take His place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.   As human beings, we all experience varying degrees of trauma at different points in our lives.

Continue reading “Trauma”

The ship on a multicultural country has sailed. But there are still people on the docks holding ropes, trying desperately to pull it back. These are the short-sighted individuals who want to “make America great again”. They are afraid of what a future America might look like without white people in the majority exercising their visible and invisible privilege to the ignorable detriment of the rest of us. As a compassionate person, my task is to invite those on the dock to climb on board and to puck others from the water before they drown if they are willing to climb into the ship. Continue reading “Multicultural America”

I spent the last week in Washington D.C. at the annual NADOHE Conference for Chief Diversity Officers working on college campuses across the nation.  NADOHE stands for the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education.  After the conference, I spent seven hours touring the new Museum of African American History and Culture, the newest of the Smithsonian museums located on the mall. Both events were eye-opening experiences that got me thinking. Continue reading “A Changing Era in Race Relations”

I’m spending the weekend after a conference with my daughter in DC to visit the new Museum of African American History and then on to Baltimore to spend time with my son and new daughter in law.  I’ll keep you posted next week so I can be fully present here.

I had an interesting conversation with my daughter about what it means to be a black female in a country still struggling with bias against people of color and women.  I’m sad that my generation couldn’t do more to eliminate all the bias women and people of color still have to overcome.  We all have a part to play in leveling the field, but until we confront and eliminate bias, women and people of color will have to continue to work harder and smarter to succeed. Continue reading “Working Harder and Smarter to Succeed”

In recent days, I had two dreams (that I can remember) that heighten my awareness of my dependency on and fear of all these technological devices I have around me.  I think my  subconscious might be trying to warn me. Continue reading “All These Devices”

Like the rest of America, I am distraught and outraged by yet another mass shooting in one of our high schools during which 17 innocent lives were taken.  And like the youth who are speaking out, I’m  also weary of the thoughts and prayers offered by lawmakers who have no intention of doing anything about the problem.  The days of thoughts and prayers only must come to an end in 2018.  Continue reading “Demanding Gun Control”

It’s hard to believe that 2018 marks 40 years as a member of my beloved Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.  I was at the University of Southern California in 1978 when I attended the Rush event to consider joining my father’s sister organization.  My father was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first fraternal organization established by African American college men at Cornell University in 1906.  Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was the first of its kind, too, having been established at Howard University, just two years later in 1908.  These forty years as part of the “Divine Nine” have not just been wonderful, but inspiring. Continue reading “Black Fraternal Life”

Section 1 of the 14 Amendment of our Constitution guarantees all citizens of the United States their rights to life, liberty, and property as well as an equal protection under the law.  This applies to all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.  The freedom of religion doesn’t give the state a right to deprive any group of their rights.  https://constitutioncenter.org/media/files/constitution.pdf  So why are Evangelicals so hell bent on denying citizens who identify within the  LGBTQ umbrella their Constitutional rights? Continue reading “LGBTQ Equal Rights Under the Law”

I consider myself a follower of Christ, a Christian.  But I do not consider myself an evangelical Christian as I once did.  I first started to break with evangelicals over the issue of abortion–not that I ever had an abortion.  Luckily, I was never presented with that dilemma.  But their pro-life argument doesn’t make Biblical or scientific sense to me. And then the final break came over their stance and ill-treatment of homosexuals and transgender people.  If I hadn’t already broken with the evangelicals, I would now as their leaders give a pass to the most overtly immoral president we have ever had. Continue reading “Evangelicals Versus Planned Parenthood”