Color Preparation

Before I was born, I was prepared My father was added because he was the right color My ears were checked at birth to ensure that I was the right color Would they have put me back in the oven if I were not?   My skin came out light My hair came out good […]

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When We Color Ourselves

Color is about lines And lines are about borders And borders are about belonging Mine and yours I need my space We must keep our distance And distance is about fear   We draw lines around our communities, our commitments We will only go so far Lines around our conversations We don’t  say what we mean or […]

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Death by Silence

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On Saturday, October 16, 2011, thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.  for the dedication ceremony of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial.   Like many children, one of the first persons that I learned […]

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The Social Coloring of Christ

“Make your attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.  Instead, He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men.  And when He had come as a man in […]

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The Social Position of Color

Get Back (Black, Brown and White) Big Bill Broonzy. Chicago, 8. November 1951 This little song that I’m singin’ about, People, you all know that it’s true, If you’re black and gotta work for livin’, Now, this is what they will say to you, They says: “If you was white, You’s alright, If you was […]

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