by James Melson | Jul 6, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
Earlier this week, our nation celebrated its 247th “birthday” commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. A word regularly associated with this holiday is “freedom.” The familiar words from the Declaration articulate this founding...
by James Melson | Jun 28, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
As we come to the end of June, I want to lift up two examples of people whose love for their family caused them to endure tremendous opposition and whose faithful witness continues to challenge us to build our lives on the foundation of love. June 12 was Loving Day,...
by James Melson | Jun 22, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
On Monday of this week, the nation observed its newest federal holiday – Juneteenth. Hopefully by now most people in our nation have learned the basic story of Juneteenth. It commemorates June 19, 1865 when the Union General Gordon Granger issued General Order...
by James Melson | Jun 15, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
On the night of June 11-12, 1963 two major events happened that impacted and symbolized the struggle for racial justice during the Civil Rights Movement. President John Kennedy gave a televised speech from the Oval Office in which he called out the reality of racial...
by James Melson | Jun 8, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
June is Pride Month when we lift up the struggles and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. Bayard Rustin embodied both. He was one of the most important organizers and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, yet he was often forced to remain behind the scenes because...
