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Month: January 2021

Kamala Devi Harris takes the oath of office to become the 49th Vice President of the United States on the Capital steps.
Why We Need to Represent

Why We Need to Represent

By G. S. Norwood On his last full day in office, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that multiculturalism “is not who America is.”  He is wrong, of course. America has always been a multicultural nation. Our music, literature, art, and beautifully varied forms of worship make that clear. They’re all informed by the people who stepped forward to represent their cultures. They shared their experiences of growing up African, Asian, Latinx, Native, gay, bi, or transgendered. The day…

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This quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
What might Dr. King say to us today?

What might Dr. King say to us today?

By Jan S. Gephardt In the wake of the holiday that honors him, I’ve been wondering “what might Dr. King say to us today?” The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a man whom many of us consider a moral beacon for the ages. His life ended more than fifty years ago, but we value moral beacons because their guidance transcends their own times. We certainly could use a moral beacon right now. We’ve just lived through a year…

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This montage of images from the riot at the Capitol shows insurgents pushing past police barricades, roaming the halls of Congress in their extremist costumes and T-shirts, taking photos in the Rotunda, and milling in a hallway in a cloud of tear gas.
The Riot at the US Capitol

The Riot at the US Capitol

So much for 2021 being a quieter year than 2020! “Weird Sisters” Jan S. Gephardt and G. S. Norwood both posted pleasant, hopeful blog posts early in the day on January 6, 2021. They went live before the treasonous terrorist riot at the US Capitol. But this week we couldn’t go on as if nothing had happened. The riot at the US Capitol might not have had the same death toll as 9/11, but we will always remember that day….

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A cornbread muffin, cooked collard greens, and black-eyed peas in tomato sauce make a pretty and tasty New Year’s feast.
How Should We Launch 2021?

How Should We Launch 2021?

By G. S. Norwood Seems like everybody was eager to call it quits on 2020. But how do we launch 2021, to make sure we’re doing it right? Tradition Last July the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association cancelled the 2021 Tournament of Roses Parade, making do, instead, with a televised assortment of celebrity appearances, musical acts, and film footage of floats from years past. One of my favorite New Year’s Day traditions—Gone! But there are lots of other traditions for…

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