Racism to Reconciliation Archives - Page 10 of 11

A 4th Moment in Mississippi

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on July 3, 2016. Posted in GOD, Racism to Reconciliation. 10 Comments on A 4th Moment in Mississippi

In the assemble hall at Power Elementary School once a week we’d gather for sing-alongs. Our wooden chairs had squeaky black-hinged seats that flipped up when not in use. Sit too far back and, if you were a skinny, skinny child like me, the seats flipped up when in use as well. In this cavernous space with its regimented rows, I’d belt out while...

An Outside Plant

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 27, 2016. Posted in Racism to Reconciliation. 2 Comments on An Outside Plant

He had one plant, small. I had three hanging baskets and two big ferns, fat. He’d been there when I arrived, he and his wife wandering among the plants. It was mid-day Wednesday, no one else at the nursery. A young, spring day. The swarms of eager Memphians hadn’t yet descended on the unsuspecting begonias and geraniums. No one in...

Targeting LGBT Discrimination in the South

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 8, 2016. Posted in GRIEF, Racism to Reconciliation. 2 Comments on Targeting LGBT Discrimination in the South

I went to junior high and high school in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte was the home I returned to in college and law school. When my daddy died, I sang over his grave: “I’m a Tar Heel born, I’m a Tar Heel bred, and when I die, I’m a Tar Heel dead.” The North Carolina legislature recently passed a new law authorizing...

Black Lives Matter More Than Fear

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 28, 2015. Posted in Racism to Reconciliation. 6 Comments on Black Lives Matter More Than Fear

I’m thinking about #Black Lives Matter and my surprise at the backlash against it. #Black Lives Matter began in 2013 after George Zimmerman was acquitted in Florida for murdering Trayvon Martin. Coined by Alicia Garza, the phrase has grown to encompass all deaths of Black folks following encounters with police. Pure chance led me to follow...

THAT’s Creativity?

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 25, 2015. Posted in GOD, HOMELESSNESS, LOVE, Racism to Reconciliation, Writing. 22 Comments on THAT’s Creativity?

Creativity is the glue that holds my life together. This week in my creative life, I: re-explored Facebook’s Notes feature published a long, involved blog post put together a new outfit that I liked so much I wore it two days in a row did final edits on an essay before sliding it into the metaphorical drawer for its “out of sight/out...

What Can I Do: Part 4 (or just one more)

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 6, 2015. Posted in HOMELESSNESS, Racism to Reconciliation, Writing. 10 Comments on What Can I Do: Part 4 (or just one more)

Do you call those without housing “the homeless”? Do you talk about “entitlements”? When someone commits a crime, do you respond with “thugs”? James Deke Pope, who has served on the Community Advisory Board of Memphis’s Africa in April, suggests we pay attention to the language we use and change it if...

What Can I Do-Part 3 (and probably last)

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on August 31, 2015. Posted in GOD, LOVE, Racism to Reconciliation. 5 Comments on What Can I Do-Part 3 (and probably last)

I thought I’d be shot. Dean Andy Andrews announced that, following the Wednesday morning service, he would be walking the neighborhood around St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. He invited us to join him. I attended the Wednesday service, but I believed if I walked in the neighborhood I’d be shot. You need to know: Alabama Avenue,...

“Yes, I Mind!”

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on August 1, 2015. Posted in Racism to Reconciliation. 4 Comments on “Yes, I Mind!”

So, here’s a story, one of my favorite from my young adult years. My sister went to visit her husband’s constitutional law class. The class is full of first year law students at a prestigious law school. Big bombastic law professor (this is the way I remember it.) Anyway, the professor leads the class in a call-and-response. He says, “When the...

What Can I Do—the Bree Model

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on July 5, 2015. Posted in GOD, Racism to Reconciliation. 2 Comments on What Can I Do—the Bree Model

She had a crisis of faith. But so much went before that. Her work, her reading, her awareness. Her travel, her commitment, her participation. Her use of her talent. Her love of God. In her statement following her direct nonviolent action of removing the Confederate flag from where it flew on the grounds of the South Carolina capitol, Ms. Brittany...

What Can I Do?

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on July 2, 2015. Posted in GOD, HOMELESSNESS, LOVE, Racism to Reconciliation. 5 Comments on What Can I Do?

I’m starting a new series here. I’m announcing this new series so you can skip over my followup posts if you want, ’cause I’m a polite Southern woman, and I sure don’t want to impose. But some of you want these posts. I know you do because I’ve been reading your comments and the question you’ve been asking...