“Being brokenhearted leads to clarity about our unwillingness to abide racist behavior. It is very disheartening to hear white people who are not trying to move beyond being allies try to explain acts of racist terror and other daily denigrations of people of color with oversimplifications instead of properly naming them. The energy generated fromContinue reading “Brokenhearted”
Tag Archives: Catherine Meeks
Moving from an ally to something deeper
“Ponder this: If you were dying, who would you prefer to be accompanying you on the journey — an ally or a fellow pilgrim?” — Catherine Meeks
Why I keep talking and trying
Most of the time, I would imagine, I can come across to others (not here) as someone who can talk about sports and some news events in the world. A typical white guy. Get me talking about baseball or Kansas Jayhawks or the Chiefs… just look out. And that’s true. And there is a reasonContinue reading “Why I keep talking and trying”
Yes, I see color
“…I have concluded that for the most part such comments (“I don’t see color”) are an attempt to communicate a willingness to see beyond color. That’s admirable, but proclaiming not to see color does not get that point across very well. White people who are determined to confront racism in the outer world and inContinue reading “Yes, I see color”
True love is the slow work of God
“One of the main things that happens when humans allow themselves to step into the energy of this love is disruption. Its promise to disrupt the status quo is the main reason this type of love is not as welcome as it should be. It was the encounter with this kind of love that ledContinue reading “True love is the slow work of God”
Race and the conversation
“We have to do far more than talk about racism, but the work of transformation must engage conversation. Transformation cannot take place in a vacuum, but it can emerge even from relationships that are complicated and painful. And even situations that are disturbing and appear mostly negative can result in change, sometimes almost without beingContinue reading “Race and the conversation”
The hard path
“Racism is much like a chronic illness. It must be diligently managed on a daily basis. There are no days off in the management of a chronic illness… Many of us believed that the Voting Rights Act took care (of voter suppression). Now we see that it did not. But we relaxed because we thoughtContinue reading “The hard path”
The way forward is with courage
It is MLK Day. I will see enough softball quotes of Dr. King today to last me awhile. This is my annual invitation for you to read “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Go look it up. I’m not even going to allow the convenience of a link here to help you. If you haven’t read itContinue reading “The way forward is with courage”
Emotion and rage
“Unmanaged rage is not helpful for anyone and can do more harm than good for the person who harbors it.” — Catherine Meeks, The Night is Long But Light Comes in the Morning
Be Not Afraid
“Fear is a weight we can ill afford to bear.” — Catherine Meeks, The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning Fear is a driven force in much of our culture. It weaves into the fabric of our lives. Even when we look for solutions and think we’re “being tough,” all we’re doingContinue reading “Be Not Afraid”