Author Archives: milesaway44105

I AM a MAN: R.I.P. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today, the striking Memphis sanitation workers whose efforts King supported in 1968 are once again concerned about being diminished as workers, as persons, and as citizens as the city is considering privatizing sanitation work and thus effectively eliminating the Union. 45 years after King’s assassination on this day in Memphis, the fight for dignity continues.

The Importance of Questions

There is a very short article and a 2:53 video at the Big Think site about the value of asking the right questions. According to the article, data from the U.S. School System reveals that “the average high school student asks one question of substance per month in a classroom.” This troubling find would makeContinue reading “The Importance of Questions”

Models Monday: National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

Today begins National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. I was reading around on the National Sexual Violence Resource Center site thinking about the work that I try to do as a parent to keep my son safe and to keep him aware of his responsibility for ensuring the safety of others. Perhaps one ofContinue reading “Models Monday: National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month”

The Interrupters

I recommend The Interrupters as worthwhile viewing. It is a deeply moving film about CeaseFire, an organization that works to interrupt urban street violence in Chicago. All of the members working with this organization have a record of violence that contributed to their former incarceration. Reflecting on their own lives influenced their decision to embraceContinue reading “The Interrupters”

Models Monday: Building a Brand vs. Building Character

My husband recently shared with me the details of a motivational talk given to his track team by a former athlete and current business woman. The importance of building a brand served as the centerpiece of her talk to the athletes. We agreed that it was very different from the motivational talks we heard asContinue reading “Models Monday: Building a Brand vs. Building Character”

Models Monday: A Comment on Love

I read an interview that a graduate student of religion conducted with American theologian James H. Cone and I was moved to remember the importance of love in my own life because of what Cone says about his parents and his community. When asked about receiving his calling, Cones says this in reply: It startedContinue reading “Models Monday: A Comment on Love”

Models Monday: An Old Way of Being an Environmentalist

We experienced beautiful weather here in Atlanta this weekend. The sun was shining and the temperature climbed to almost 70 degrees. These beautiful conditions pushed many of us outdoors and into community with people who you can reach out and touch but whose company you rarely get to enjoy. I sometimes encounter my neighbors inContinue reading “Models Monday: An Old Way of Being an Environmentalist”

That’s the Day: Revelations

The Alvin Ailey website describes Revelations as a work that “explores the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.” Memories of Ailey’s southern roots in Texas greatly inform the work’s themes, movements, and sound. Ailey’s singular recollections of black spiritual life intersects with musical expressions that testify to despair, redemption, and joy heardContinue reading “That’s the Day: Revelations”