by James Melson | May 25, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
During this week in 1796, a young enslaved woman named Ona Judge escaped from her enslavers. Their names were Martha and George Washington. He was serving as the first President of the United States. At the time, the capital of the new country was in Philadelphia, PA....
by James Melson | May 17, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
This past Sunday May 14 was Mother’s Day. This is normally a time to recognize and give thanks for our mothers and/or other women who shared their self-sacrificial love and nurture with us. In 1961, Mother’s Day was also on May 14. Yet that day would go down in...
by James Melson | May 11, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
Over the past few weeks, the Weekly Reflection lifted up some events in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Birmingham Campaign of 1963. This week the focus is on a person who provided essential behind the scenes support during that crucial time in the Civil...
by James Melson | May 3, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
Sixty years ago this week on May 2, 1963, the campaign against racial segregation in public accommodations in Birmingham, AL entered a crucial and decisive stage. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been jailed the previous month along with many others engaged in...
by James Melson | Apr 26, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
This week concludes our reflections on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From the Birmingham Jail written 60 years ago this month. It is important to remember that the letter was written by a Black clergyman responding to a letter by eight white clergymen who...
by James Melson | Apr 19, 2023 | 2023, Weekly Reflection
Sixty years ago this week, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote his Letter from the Birmingham City Jail. (Click here for the full letter) This week and next, our reflections lift up portions of that letter. Dr. King spent a week in jail after being arrested for...
