by James Melson | Apr 21, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
Pieta by Tylonn J. Sawyer The guilty verdicts in the George Floyd murder trial brought a momentary sense of relief and vindication that it is possible to achieve a measure of justice in a case involving the police killing of an unarmed Black man. Yet there is also the...
by James Melson | Apr 14, 2021 | 2021, Weekly Reflection
This week our nation is reeling from the combined impact of three tragic events of police brutality against black men – the George Floyd murder trial, the abuse of Lt. Caron Nazario during a traffic stop in Virginia, and the killing of Daunte Wright during a...
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...
