Originally published in August 2021 How Kinston Teens Are Changing Their Community At age 14, Chris Suggs was already losing friends, schoolmates, and family to drug and gun violence. Coming from a community that is the most economically distressed in […]  »  Read More

Originally published in July 2021 “We are the armor bearers for Elizabeth City” The Faith & Victory Christian Church (FVCC) [https://www.fvccfamily.org] is a non-denominational church that Bethsaida Ruiz and I visited in June in Elizabeth City, NC. It truly acts […]  »  Read More

Originally published in July 2021 Since we left Asheville last week, my colleague, Bethsaida Ruiz, and I have made our way across North Carolina and are now in Elizabeth City at the top northeastern corner of the state. After visiting […]  »  Read More

Originally published in June 2021 Two weeks, 1,600 miles, 11 hotel stays, 13 organizations. This week, Bethsaida Ruiz (a Spirit in Action trainer) and I will be making a road trip to eastern North Carolina, meeting with folks who have […]  »  Read More

Originally published in May 2021. February a year ago, I was celebrating my 66th birthday and just got back from a great vacation in Florida with friends and family. Within a month, the pandemic hit us, but it took a […]  »  Read More

Originally published in May 2021. Listening to President Biden’s speech to Congress this week (4/28/2021), I was a little nervous. I was remembering when Republican Congressman Joe Wilson shockingly yelled out, “You lie!” at President Obama during his speech in […]  »  Read More

Activists are so busy doing. But they have to take the time to stop, rest and reflect. They have to learn how to say, “No.” This is not a luxury; it is the real work activists must do in order […]  »  Read More

Originally published in April 2021 Stacey Abrams and LaTosha Brown sure shook a lot of folks up. They followed Organizing 101: go to the people to get them to the polls, listen, make sure they understand the issues, be patient, […]  »  Read More

We Know What We Want, But How Do We Get There? Vision without action is “just pretend,” as a young activist told me.  A vision works only if we create a plan for how to accomplish it – a road […]  »  Read More

Originally published in March 2021. The Biden/Harris administration has a lot going on. Dealing with the pandemic, the economy, climate change, infrastructure, cybersecurity, immigration, a $15 minimum wage….exactly what we call dealing with “complex change.” There are some lessons I […]  »  Read More