by James Melson | Aug 10, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
Nine years ago this week on August 9, 2014, an unarmed Black teenager named Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, MO. Some witnesses claimed that during the confrontation between Michael Brown and the officer, Brown held up his empty hands...
by James Melson | Aug 3, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
Last week on July 25, a new national monument was created. The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument includes three sites related to the lynching of 14 year old Emmett Till in August 1955. Thanks to his mother Mamie, Emmett’s brutal murder became a...
by James Melson | Jul 26, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
Usually state standards for teaching American history are not the subject of national news stories. But last week in Florida, that state’s standards received widespread national attention because of the way they address the issue of slavery. The following quote...
by James Melson | Jul 20, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
When the subject turns to summer, recent news reports have focused on the ways that climate change is resulting in more extreme weather events. By now most of us have heard the term “heat dome” referring to persistent patterns of unusually high and potentially...
by James Melson | Jul 13, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
Earlier this month, July 2 was the 59th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The rights that are protected in this landmark legislation seem so obvious to us today. Yet it is important to remember that there were years of tremendous struggle...
