Declaring independence from mythological America

On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress declared independence from Britain. Two days later, they approved the draft we know as the Declaration of Independence. The document was first presented to the public on July 8, and it wasn’t until Aug. 2 that most of the signatories put their names to the document. We lump …

Black Lives Matter and the Power of Mary’s Song

I had the opportunity to attend a beautiful and inspiring Black Lives Matter rally at Government Springs Park in Enid, Okla., on Saturday, with my wife Tammy. We have attended several of these events in recent weeks -- a youth march, an NAACP-sponsored march and rally, and a grassroots protest at city hall. All of …

Listen to the voices of pain, anger and grief — Or, continue to be part of the problem

Last weekend, we all had the opportunity to attend two protests for racial equality and social justice in Enid, America. I attended both, with the understanding I would not cover either for the news section to maintain separation between news coverage and opinion writing. On Saturday, the Enid chapter of the NAACP hosted a march …

Riots are the evil fruit of America’s systemic racism

There are prayers we pray and forget, the words falling from our memory faster than incense can rise and dissipate. And then, there are the prayers that stick with us for a lifetime. Sometimes these prayers stick with us because they are connected to trauma, loss or grief. And sometimes prayers stick with us because …

White privilege curriculum goes international

Regional faith leaders in Oklahoma and Kansas have been working for more than three years to foster community conversations around white privilege, and how it plays into issues of racial justice in America. Now, that work is crossing international borders, with a United Church of Christ minister taking the training program to Germany. The Rev. …

Faith leaders gather to tackle issue of white privilege

Oklahoma City -- Faith leaders from across the state joined a cadre of trainers from the United Church of Christ and Oklahoma Conference of Churches Saturday at First Christian Church of Oklahoma City, to tackle the issue of white privilege and racial justice. The 45 clergy and lay leaders of a diverse group of denominations …