Tag Archives: racism

Meaning

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Don Watkins

“How do you tell your all-white mother that your all-white “friends” just dragged you into their big all-white house in all-white Southampton, past an untouchable all-white room, just to corner you and call you the dirtiest thing in their all-white … Continue reading →

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Colin Powell

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Don Watkins

This week’s passing of Colin Powell invited me to reflect on the impact of him as an American icon. I strongly disagreed with the decision of the Bush administration to go to war in Iraq and I was sorry that … Continue reading →

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An antidote to the last five years

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Don Watkins

The Reckoning: Our Nation’s Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal by Mary L. Trump My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was an exceptionally well researched and written book that I stumbled upon. It was not on my radar … Continue reading →

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Call to conversion

Posted on September 4, 2020 by Don Watkins

Waging Peace: One Soldier’s Story of Putting Love First by Diana Oestreich I’ve read so many good books this summer that i didn’t think it was possible to read one more. This invitation to read this book from a class … Continue reading →

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Those who have eyes to see

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Don Watkins

I’ve come to believe that white supremacy is so embedded in Eurocentric American Christianity that most folks can’t believe that Jesus and the early church were not white. That they were in fact brown and/or black. Look at the statues … Continue reading →

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The Epic Journey of Malcolm X

Posted on August 22, 2020 by Don Watkins

“Again, the actor Ossie Davis stood. His deep voice delivered the eulogy to Malcolm X which was going to cause Davis subsequently to be hailed more than ever among Negroes in Harlem: “Here—at this final hour, in this quiet place, … Continue reading →

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The paradox of the cross and American Christianity

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Don Watkins

James Cone’s powerful book, ‘The Cross and the Lynching Tree’ is the reason I’m in this course. I don’t remember who recommended it to me earlier this spring but reading became a metanoia for me. It is the reason that … Continue reading →

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I surrender

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Don Watkins

Surrender, White People!: Our Unconditional Terms for Peace by D.L. Hughley My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is one of the best books I’ve read on the history of racism in America. Much of the factual data presented in … Continue reading →

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We can’t breathe

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Don Watkins

It’s been my privilege for the past couple of weeks to be a student once again. I’m auditing a course at nearby Houghton College and thanks to this pandemic and social distancing we are using Zoom. Race and American Christianity … Continue reading →

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We hold these truths to be self evident

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Don Watkins

Thus begins the Declaration of Independence that we Americans celebrate on July 4th. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these … Continue reading →

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