Buddhist teacher Larry Ward’s new book invites us to heal from the ‘karma of racism’. What is the karma of racism? Read on: America’s Racial Karma
America’s Racial Karma
John Lewis nearly died on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Now it may be renamed for him.
On ‘Bloody Sunday’ in 1965, Lewis was beaten by Alabama state troopers. On Sunday, the civil rights giant and congressman, who died July 17, was carried across the bridge one last time amid a campaign to rename the historic landmark in his honor: John Lewis nearly died on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Now it may be renamed for him.
6 John Lewis speeches key to understanding his work and legacy
The late congressman’s words chronicle his long and enduring fight for racial equality in America: 6 John Lewis speeches key to understanding his work and legacy
Half of Oklahoma Is “Indian Country.” What If All Native Treaties Were Upheld?
From the Grand Canyon to Mount Rushmore, if the routinely flouted U.S. treaties with Indigenous people were honored, this would be a very different country: Half of Oklahoma Is “Indian Country.” What If All Native Treaties Were Upheld?
The Long History of How Jesus Came to Resemble a White European
The historical Jesus likely had the brown eyes and skin of other first-century Jews from Galilee, a region in biblical Israel: The Long History of How Jesus Came to Resemble a White European
John Lewis Risked His Life for Justice
His willingness to do so was essential to the quest for civil rights.
The Massacre That Destroyed Tulsa’s ‘Black Wall Street’
In 1921, the city of Tulsa erupted in a spasm of hate and fire that destroyed its prosperous Black district. A century later, excavators are uncovering a “crime scene.”
Removal of Confederate symbols is personal (and mandatory!)
If you don’t understand why it’s critical that these confederate monuments be removed then you just don’t understand enough about why they are there in the first place! Perhaps this short video from the PBS Newshour will help you understand the way it did for me:
You see, most of these statues were erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to support the glorious ‘Lost Cause’ and promoted racism. They weren’t erected after the war — most were erected from 1890 to 1920 as a strong antithetical racist backlash to the early success of African Americans during the reconstruction under President Grant (the first civil rights president).
I hope that if you take a moment to learn why these statues are so offensive, then you too will want them removed!
Recommended reading: As a Black woman from the South, removal of Confederate symbols is personal – CNNPolitics
Let’s Finish the American Revolution
I recommend this op-ed piece in the New York Times.
Frederick Douglass’ Descendants Read His Famous ‘Fourth Of July’ Speech
Descendants of Frederick Douglass read excerpts from one of his most famous speeches: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? Douglass gave this speech to a group of abolitionists 168 years ago: Frederick Douglass’ Descendants Read His Famous ‘Fourth Of July’ Speech
America After The Civil War: Reconstruction
I have never been interested in the Civil War — seemed to just be a big fustercluck to me. Now, the thought occurs to me that you cannot understand our current situation until you understand that the Civil War actually accomplished very little and that much of the work of the Civil War and for that matter, the Declaration of Independence, is STILL undone.
From this day forward, the 4th of July will be a day of mourning and reflection to me until that day when we begin to realize this basic tenet of the Declaration of Independence:
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 are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The Declaration of Independence, July 2, 1776
Let the work begin…
Perhaps when we begin to understand our history on a deeper level we can realize that the America we have celebrated is a fantasy — it never existed!
O, yes,
America, Langston Hughes
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath—
America will be!
Interested in this topic? Here’s some recommended reading.
The propaganda of The Lost Cause
Understand why confederate monuments must be taken down!
Most monuments were erected after 1890 to promote the idea of white supremacy and racism.
Now, when you see articles like this, you’ll know why…
When white supremacists overthrew a government
It was not in South Africa. It was in North Carolina.
Race in America; a Primer
If you want more data, watch the movie 13th on Netflix; the full film is posted here…
Why Does Racism Persist?
Racism sprouts as many heads as the mythic hydra. Which is the ultimate head?: Why Does Racism Persist?
Bright, shiny objects! 
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