[Holding the Ethiopian Israelis in prayer as they fight racism in their country. Their uprising came after I finished the sermon.] The Psalmist cried out: God did not despise or detest the affliction of the afflicted. God did not hide God’s face from me. God heard when I cried out to God. That doesn’t always...... Read More

Death is in the house. My ancestors sang it like this: ‘Soon one morning, death come creepin’ in my room, ‘Soon one morning, death come creepin’ in my room, ‘Soon one morning, death come creepin’ in my room. That morning is today. And yesterday. And tomorrow. Death is in the house. So it is time to call for...... Read More

Even without the litany of horrors that have made 2014 a year to forget if we could – hundreds of Nigerian girls abducted, sold and raped into slave marriages, their teachers and male classmates slaughtered, a plane with all souls aboard inconceivably disappeared into thin air, another plane from the same airline is shot down...... Read More

God of Justice who declared black lives matter at the dawn of creation by scooping up a handful of black earth with which to craft humanity in the image of divinity, We thank you that our radiant blackness is neither accidental nor incidental to your glory. We join you Holy One, in your lament for...... Read More

Luke 3:14 Soldiers Police officers asked John the Baptizer, God’s servant, “And we, what should we do (since we have been moved by the Gospel to be baptized)?” S/he said to them, “Serve with integrity.”* *Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages. When I was an army...... Read More

I am proud to have co-authored this statement with my colleague Dr. Keri Day on behalf of the Black Church Studies program and Faculty of Brite Divinity School: The Black Church Studies program at Brite Divinity School, along with administrators and members of the faculty, lament the recent decision by the Grand Jury not to...... Read More

A reading for Advent and a meditation: Isaiah 59:7 Their feet run to evil and they hasten to pour out innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, violence and brokenness are in their highways. 8 The path of peace they do not know and there is no justice in their pathways. Their courses they...... Read More

Updated! J. K. Gayle’s response to my address interweaving my (much) earlier work on translation theory as it pertains to the scriptures from a black feminist perspective. Live recording from 22 Sept 2014 including my talk: Turning Tables and Snatching Wigs: A Biblical Response to Ferguson and Forney... Read More

Girls, black like me, abducted to be sex slaves and not for the first time, not for the last time. Tweet this Abandoned to their fate, all but forgotten. It looks like no one will #BringBackOurGirls. Some of them have brought themselves back. Hundreds of people lost on a flight and then again hundreds more lost...... Read More

(Photo: Reuters) It’s in the soil. It’s in the air. It’s in the water. It’s as American as apple pie. Racism perfuses the soil and soul of Ferguson MO as it does everywhere in these (dis)United States and the Western world. click to tweet It is our legacy and the stuff shaping the building blocks of...... Read More