When it comes to the oppression, there are many different variables that contribute to it being effective. In order for  oppressive structures to be effective, there must be an agenda that advantages the biases held by one group while, simultaneously, demonizing the group being oppressed. In order for oppression to do the most damage possible, there must be who benefit from the oppression being maintained and have too much to lose to stand against it. Oppression in a land is maintained when the propaganda of a province reinforces stereotypes already held by its citizens. Oppression remains intact when persons positioned in places of power and influence are allowed to operate…

Duality is defined as “an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something”. It is the understanding that an existence is not definitively monolithic but, in fact, can have more than one side to it.  For the most part, this concept of duality is easily embraced by contemporary culture. Without any hesitation or reservation, we observe the nuanced distinctions of a thing (no matter how drastically dissimilar), and adjust our thinking to accept them. When your favorite restaurant gives you subpar service, you almost instantly make up in your mind that the moment of deficiency does not define the thing and remain a committed customer.…

The revolution has begun! All of the sudden, and without any formal announcement, African Americans have decided that enough is enough. Black people have had their fill of mistreatment & marginalization at the hands the country their ancestors built. In response to another senseless murder at the hands of law enforcement, Black people, joined by cultural counterparts sympathetic to their struggle, have decided to activate in whatever way possible. All over the nation (and the world), Black people have been marching, occupying, demonstrating, rioting, praying, boycotting, disrupting and agitating for over a month now (with no signs of slowing down). Until laws are changed, policies are addressed and the accused…

It is often the case that cultures hide their ills in the silence of the society; that what is has often long plagued a country can be dismissed because of the time that has passed between occurrences. In many ways, the difficult work of dealing with these issues goes both unstated and unfinished because of other distractions.  This current pandemic that we are all facing has forced us all into spaces of seclusion and shutdown. The state of the society is one of survival and the result of the country being in survival mode has been silence. The recent acts of fatal violence against George Floyd, Breonna Taylor & Armaud…

It has been a little more than a month since the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has reached pandemic proportions forcing the United States (along with the rest of the world) to come to an abrupt and unexpected halt. All of the sudden, businesses, industries, public establishments and even houses of worship have had to change (or even cease) the way that they conduct themselves. Our world as we have known it, constantly spinning and speaking, has changed. Work meetings and social dates have been replaced with shutdowns and social distancing. “Must See TV” is no longer in the evening but often in the afternoons as elected officials are attempting to provide people…

I have a very real love/hate relationship with social media. As hypocritical as it may be to say while on my own social media platform, I still must concede that when it comes to posting, tweeting or following, I can honestly do without it. The reasons for this disdain are numerous. Articles from years ago that are posted as if they happened yesterday…passive posts that either share more information than what I desire to know or that say something that the person posting would never say to the person it was meant for (I, less than affectionately, refer to these people as “Facebook gangsters”)…and the posts that lose their potency…

At the outset of my article, I want to make my position very clear: I think that Kanye West is a creative genius; a truly gifted individual musically. Across the years, he has created music that is both beautiful and timeless. Deeper than these statements, I am exceedingly glad that he has accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior (I don’t know how any who takes what it means to be a ‘Christian’ seriously can hear this and not be happy). May God bless and keep Kanye West. That said, there are some real issues that we need to consider when we think about Kanye’s recent foray into the world…

What will it take for black people in this country to ultimately achieve liberation? If I were able to answer this question, I would be a very wealthy man. In truth, this query is not exclusive to this website. The issue of black people achieving equality & equity despite the oppression of the institution is one that is brought up among our people in various venues. From cocktail parties to churches, workshops to barbershops, the issue of how our people overcome is longstanding and without resolution. The answers to this question are varied to say the least. For some, liberation can never happen while connected to this empire; that financial,…

The hardest ailments for us to address are often the ones that are the most intimate; the ones that both run and impact us deeply. When that sickness is left unchecked and uncured for too long, those who struggle with the sickness tell themselves to just live with it. They often tell themselves to adjust their worldview and their day to day decisions around this thing that they have concluded is incurable. The problem with this way of thinking is that it prompts the sickened to engage in the fruitless task of trying to live with something, trying to live through something, that is slowly killing them. This way of…

I know what am I about to write may come as a shock to some while simultaneously surprising  others, but despite the call on my life to preach and teach the Gospel while serving the people of God, I, absolutely and with no uncertainty, am a human being. A regular person with all of the finite trappings that come with being a fleshly creation. Rest assured, “Reverend” is not my first name and while I love Jesus deeply, there are somethings that absolutely get on my nerves.  Some of these are of the awkward, idiosyncratic variety (like when people apologize but don’t say what it is that they are apologizing…