Three days ago, on April 4th, we marked fifty-one years since Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. That awful act changed the course of America’s history. It’s impossible to know exactly how our country would have grown if he had lived. This year, he would be ninety years old. Imagine if Dr. KingContinue reading “If Martin Luther King Were Living”
Author Archives: josephrossnet
Stop Honoring Slaveowners
If freedom lives at the heart of the American idea, then denying people freedom is profoundly un-American. This shouldn’t be a shocking idea. Keeping people from living their lives in freedom contradicts everything America means. Thus, it is time to stop honoring slaveowners. All of them. Even, and especially, those who were presidents, those weContinue reading “Stop Honoring Slaveowners”
The Wall Is A Racist Lie
The wall has nothing to do with border security. It is a racist applause line, a symbol that translates into “they are not like us,” they are separate from us” and “we are better than they are.” The wall is a lie. On Martin Luther King Day, 2019, as the government is shut down becauseContinue reading “The Wall Is A Racist Lie”
Every Brief Breath
On the final day of 2018, I’m going big with a resolution for 2019. Actually, maybe I’m not going big so much as bringing a more intense focus on something I already try to do: slowing down, paying attention, staying vigilant, cherishing every brief breath. I’ve often thought that rushing, pushing myself, whether internally orContinue reading “Every Brief Breath”
Christmas Eve: Beauty & Vigil
Christmas Eve holds a rich place in my memories. When I was a boy, my family would have a dinner of sea food and sausage, a Sicilian tradition I think, and open our presents in the early evening. Then we would stay up and go to Midnight Mass. As a teen, I was in myContinue reading “Christmas Eve: Beauty & Vigil”
Orlando Pinder’s “RETOLD”
Orlando Pinder is a young film maker I’ve known since he was a small child. He has grown into a man of conscience and talent. His most recent work, a five-minute film titled “RETOLD,” shows the people of Chicago’s South Side Bronzeville neighborhood in ways they are not often shown. A neighborhood more broadly knownContinue reading “Orlando Pinder’s “RETOLD””
August: The Perfect Month
Many will say “nothing is perfect.” But to me, August combines the beauty of summer’s warmth, the green explosion of trees, and the joy of returning to school. Where I live, in Washington, D.C., this August bursts with green. The rains of July make the trees a shine. Leaves on oaks, elms, and maples shimmerContinue reading “August: The Perfect Month”
My Summer Reading: African Literature – Part 1
Many summers ago, I spent two months at the University of California, Berkeley, reading and studying African Literature. I had just finished a particularly difficult seminary year. I had also just completed graduate school at Notre Dame. The seminary staff said I could take the summer for retreat and reading. I lived in a largeContinue reading “My Summer Reading: African Literature – Part 1”
When Your Doctor Says “Cancer” Part Three
When I was first diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer, eight months ago, I noted that I would occasionally forget my diagnosis. Perhaps it was the immersive nature of teaching, the normal turns of a busy life. But I would remember, every few days, and it surprised me. Perhaps the mind only lets us hold newContinue reading “When Your Doctor Says “Cancer” Part Three”
MLK 50 Years: Dr. King’s Final Sunday Sermon at Washington National Cathedral
“Remaining Awake Through A Great Revolution” was the title of Dr. King’s last Sunday sermon. He, of course, did not know it would be his last. But on March 31, 1968, in Washington to advance his new Poor Peoples’ Campaign, he walked up the steps of the Cathedral’s Canterbury Pulpit, to preach this powerful andContinue reading “MLK 50 Years: Dr. King’s Final Sunday Sermon at Washington National Cathedral”
