Posts Tagged ‘racism’
Dear Neighbor: I Know You Don’t Want Me Here
The leaves fell from the sentinel-like silver maple trees that lined our streets. What were they guarding exactly? I’m not sure. But I loved them the second I saw them. November arrived, and with it, the promise of snow. Everyone retreated inside their homes while we, the new kids on the block, looked out the…
Read MoreMarrow: The Memory in Our Bones
My mother is almost 80 years old. She still remembers her brothers. One dear child she held in her arms. She remembered his face. A beautiful child. He died at three weeks, and though she doesn’t remember why, I suspect it may have been the holes in the shack in which they all lived, an…
Read MoreMercy’s Light
As Advent approaches and it gets darker in the northern hemisphere, the daylight in South Africa, where I live, stretches longer and longer. I haul out my Advent candles, which in the summer heat often end up slumped over by Christmas Day, and place them on the table. I need the light. South Africa is…
Read MorePrayer for Birth and Racial Trauma
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the honor of being a mother. Thank You for entrusting me with this precious gift. As I bring my children into the world, my heart is heavy. I wonder what people will think of me as a Black mother. Will I meet their expectations? Or will I disappoint them?…
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