Confucius once wrote, “The superior man has dignified ease without pride; the ordinary man has pride without dignified ease.” Okay, let’s get real. I’ve been on an epic quest to find my inner Miss Dignified Ease for a long time… Read More ›
Race/Ethnicity
My Daughter, My Beloved
The following poem is dedicated to the girl at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina who was recently placed in foster care and then experienced a brutal assault at school by a police officer. My Daughter, My Beloved… Read More ›
A Lament for Mother Emanuel
I have heard the voices of The voices of my sisters, And I have heard the voices of The voices of my brothers, Echoing loudly in the canyons of time, Crying for freedom in rhythm and rhyme, Joining together in… Read More ›
Confessions of a Taiwanese-American White Supremacist in Recovery
When was the last time you sat in a room full of people who identified themselves as recovering white supremacists? “Hi, my name is ______, and I’m a…” Organizations don’t exactly form around this type of recovery. Why not? Because… Read More ›
Collective Han: A Framework for Understanding Race Riots and the White Response
Han… It is the word that Koreans use to represent a visceral reaction to unbearable psychological pain. Although there is no English equivalent, han is a universal human phenomenon. It cannot be fully defined because it is endlessly layered and… Read More ›
Understanding the Racial Empathy Gap: The Power of Narratives (Part 2)
This is Part 2 of a 5-part series exploring the black-white racial empathy gap in the United States. It continues looking at the role of narratives. If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, you’ll want to do that first here…. Read More ›
Understanding the Racial Empathy Gap: The Power of Narratives (Part 1)
Today’s post is Part 1 of a 5-part series exploring the black-white racial empathy gap in the United States. Narratives – the specific ways that stories are told, retold, and infused with unique beliefs and perspectives – are invisible, yet their… Read More ›
A Sermon on MLK Weekend: The Injustices of Earth and the Resources of Heaven
Originally posted on David W. Swanson:
Most of you know my oldest son and you know that, like his younger son, he is adopted. You may not know that my son can trace his ethnicity through Filipino people, Puerto Rican…
Translation Issues in Dialogues About Race
Have you ever started a conversation about race with a person who looks different from you and at some point found yourself recoiling and saying, “Why are you freaking out on me? What did I say?” Most of us have… Read More ›
Healing the Racial Rift in the U.S., Beginning with the Church
There have been so many excellent, insightful, and powerful pieces written about Ferguson and the state of race relations in our country over the past several months and this past week in particular that I didn’t think I had much… Read More ›
