Author: redwa1106

Focus: “The post-war era marked a period of unprecedented energy against the second class citizenship accorded to African Americans in many parts of the nation. Resistance to racial segregation and discrimination with strategies such as civil disobedience, nonviolent resistance, marches, protests, boycotts, "freedom rides," and rallies received national attention as newspaper, radio, and television reporters… Continue reading Civil Rights →

Focus: Imagine that after WW2 there were no trials for treason or war crimes; no leaders executed or jailed. Imagine that the military presence quickly evaporated and the local governments allowed to re-establish as they had before. Imagine that the Swastika was not banned but rather flown as a badge of honor. Imagine that monuments… Continue reading Reconstruction and Jim Crow →

Focus: In the last year of the Civil War, Lincoln publicly reflected in his second inaugural address that both sides “read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other.”  Similarly, the case has been argued that the War Between the States did not start in 1861… Continue reading Expansion and Civil War →

Focus: In the1700s Europe experienced an intellectual movement called the Age of Enlightenment. During this time, leading thinkers started relying more on science than religion, which advanced the understanding of the Rights of Man as well as natural world. This thinking created a conflict between liberal democracy (all men are created equal) and an economy… Continue reading Revolution →

"I think that one of the big reasons why we are seeing such backlash against critical race theory is because its opponents saw all those young whites in the streets last summer with Black and Brown folks agitating and burning shit. They’re like, “Oh hell no! Scrub those textbooks. There will be no Bacon’s Rebellion… Continue reading No Bacon’s Rebellion 2.0 →

Focus: “The contradictions between these two founding arrivals--the Mayflower and the White Lion--would lead to the deadliest war in American history, fought over how much of our nation would be enslaved and how much would be free. They would lead us to spend a century seeking to expand democracy abroad, beckoning other lands to "Give… Continue reading Session 1: Arrival (1619-1739) →

from The Racial Justice Initiative Team of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference Last week we again heard the horror of three deadly shootings, this time at Atlanta-area spas where eight people lost their lives. In the aftermath, many questions swirled around the situation, including the motive of the shooter and the treatment of the case by… Continue reading Questions After the Atlanta Mass Murders →

Focus: Bryan Stevenson is a public interest lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping the poor, the incarcerated and the condemned. He's the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative(EJI), an Alabama-based group that has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent prisoners on death row, confronting abuse of… Continue reading Let’s Talk About Injustice →

Focus: The story of Jesus has been told to us in many different ways. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ,Superstar! gives us a story line from the vantage point of Judas; Godspell (Schwartz & Telebak) gives us a vision of life with the disciples. The Gospel writer Mark begins the story with an… Continue reading Identity →

Focus: We think we're entitled to "righteous anger", but is it really so righteous? And does anger actually help us fight injustice? In an increasingly angry culture, Brant Hansen encourages us to re-think our assumptions, and embrace a lifestyle of forgiveness. Brant Hansen is a nationally-syndicated radio host, does extensive work for CURE International, and… Continue reading Anger & Forgiveness →