Category Archives: Religion

Leadership Mini-Series: Joseph, Ethics, and Leading with Conviction – The Leadership Challenge of Remembering

Joseph exemplifies leadership through integrity and resilience, even in his imprisonment. Kouzes and Posner emphasize the importance of modeling and inspiring vision. Joseph’s story serves as a reminder that leadership involves community memory and recognition of others’ strengths, prompting reflection on how leaders ensure their followers are acknowledged. Continue reading

Posted in crime, ezwwaters, Justice Chronicles, Leadership, Reentry, Religion | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Leadership Mini-Series: Joseph, Ethics, and Leading with Conviction – Joseph, Cupbearers, and Ethical Memory

This series explores the intersections of biblical wisdom (Joseph and the cupbearer), ethical leadership, and modern research on justice-centered leadership. Continue reading

Posted in ezwwaters, Justice Chronicles, Parole, Reentry, Relationships, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Exploring Book Bans: The Impact on Black Literature

On a recent summer trip to Virgina, where one could argue that it all began in 1619, that is, the enslavement of Africans in what would become the United States of America, I stopped at a Barnes & Noble.  During … Continue reading

Posted in Black History Month, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, ezwwaters, Lest We Forget, Martin Luther King, Politics, race, Religion, Slavery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Understanding MLK’s Legacy and America’s Complicated Past

The author’s political awakening began with the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, marking a profound shift in societal consciousness and the end of the Civil Rights Era. Reflections on history reveal a complex narrative dominated by white perspectives, with 1968 identified as a pivotal and traumatic year for America’s identity. Continue reading

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, ezwwaters, Growing Up, Lest We Forget, Martin Luther King, Politics, race, raising black boys, Relationships, Religion, Revolution, Streets of Rage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pascal’s wager — Don’t bet against God!

My morning meditation was on Pascal’s wager.  Blaise Pascal was a seventeenth-century French Mathematician, philosopher, physicist, and theologian.  Pascal’s wager was posthumously published in Pensées (“Thoughts”).  The wager essentially states that if you bet against the existence of God and … Continue reading

Posted in ezwwaters, Jesus, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The King is Dead — Long Live the King!

I can’t let this day pass without saying something about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr! In the Decisive Decade (the 1960s), Black leader after Black leader was assassinated, but this is the assassination that made it into my … Continue reading

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, ezwwaters, Martin Luther King, Politics, race, Religion, Revolution, Streets of Rage | Leave a comment

The Little Giant Comes to Harlem

Yesterday I uplifted my sister, Jeanette, on International Women’s Day during this Women’s History Month.  Today I uplift three women I work with. More than 15 years ago I met Dawn Ravella.  She was doing amazing social justice work at … Continue reading

Posted in crime, ezwwaters, Justice Chronicles, race, Reentry, Religion, remorse, Shawshank Redemption, Streets of Rage, urban decay, Urban Impact | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Triumphing Through Levels of Grief

Today is International Women’s Day.  During Black History Month and these first couple of days in Women’s History Month, I have uplifted women, mostly women authors.  Today, though, I want to uplift a woman near and dear to my heart, … Continue reading

Posted in being a teenager, Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, ezwwaters, Family, Fatherhood, Fathers, Growing Up, juveniles, Lest We Forget, Mother's Messages, raising black boys, Relationships, Religion, Urban Impact | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ida B. Wells: The Black Woman Crusader Against White Knights

Ida B. Wells was born into slavery on July 16, 1862.  She was “freed” by presidential proclamation and executive order (the Emancipation Proclamation) issued by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, during the American Civil War. Ida B. Wells … Continue reading

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, crime, ezwwaters, Lest We Forget, Poetry, Politics, race, raising black boys, Religion, Slavery | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

We Be Watchin’ You God!

Their Eyes Were Watching God!  That is one of the greatest and most meaningful titles to come out of the Harlem Renaissance.  And Zora Neale Hurston was one of the coolest women during that era, holding her own with all … Continue reading

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, Lest We Forget, race, Religion, Slavery | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment