by James Melson | Apr 7, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
This year Easter was on April 4 which was also the 53rd anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In the years since his untimely death at the age of 39, the following question has been asked repeatedly, “Who will be the next Dr. King?” I believe...
by James Melson | Mar 31, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
During this Holy Week, I want to share a video called “My Brother Jesus” by Netflix Film Club that tells the story of a painting by that name. It features interviews with the artist Stanley Rayfield and and his friend Steven Conaway who served as the model for the...
by James Melson | Mar 23, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
The news reports this week about hatred, violence, and death from Atlanta, GA and Boulder, CO are devastating. The combination of racist anti-Asian hate and mass murder raise the question, “How long until we put an end to racism and violence in our nation?” Fifty six...
by James Melson | Mar 16, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
President Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 In response to Bloody Sunday in Selma, AL, President Johnson gave a historic speech to a joint session of Congress on March 15, 1965. He called for a Voting Rights Act but framed it in a way that spoke to the...
by James Melson | Mar 9, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
Amelia Boynton Robinson after being beaten on Bloody Sunday March 7, 1965 Sunday, March 7 was the 56th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” when peaceful marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL were brutally beaten by Alabama State Troopers and local...
by James Melson | Mar 2, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
New Virginia Historical Marker Erected in Farmville Through the Efforts of 4th Graders at Laurel Ridge Elementary School in Fairfax County. Children in a 4th grade class in Fairfax County Virginia recently helped to change how history is told through Virginia...
