If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
— Romans 12:18
Author: Clay Rivers
Author & optimist. Editor, Our Human Family. Writing about equality, racism, and faith. "Embrace all that you are and strive to become all that God created you to be.”
An African-American in Paris
Me, in a friend apartment in Paris ... steps away from the Eiffel Tower. “An African-American in Paris,” that was the name of my first visit to the City of Lights. And Paris did not disappoint.
For Vanessa (or anyone else) interested in Paris.
Vanessa, congratulations on your upcoming trip to Paris! You’ll have a wonderful time. It’s one of my favorite cities on the planet (the other being New York). I’ve had the pleasure of going a couple of times. Here’s a few of my favorite things to do with links for more information.
In It to Win It: Affecting Change Right Where You Are
Image by Tamarcus Brown, unsplash.com
A lot people say they want change, but a lot more people aren’t willing to do what it takes to bring about that change. I’ve seen this play out in a reality TV show and in my own community over the last week, each with markedly different results.
Adrift at Sea on an Ocean of Grief
Photo credit: Taylan Soyturk Photographe via VisualHunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Details
The past few weeks have been a real shit storm of emotions for lot of people. Several folks I know are dealing with the death of a loved one. In the past two months alone, several friends’ parents have died. April 15 marked the twenty-third anniversary of my father’s death (which reopens a grievous wound every year). Two weeks ago, a producer colleague died. I’ve read that several of you here have lost parents, close friends, or are beginning to examine your life in the light of the deaths of loved ones given the gift of perspective that comes with time. Even yesterday, an actor colleague who was ten years junior died. And a few hours ago, I read that a beloved Medium writer lost his mother.
Show Your Face, Face Your Show: Why Authenticity Will Never Go Out of Style
The best time to pretend to be someone else, is when you’re being paid to do so. Or if it’s just for fun.
In my mid-twenties, I worked as a costumed character (Donald Duck) at Walt Disney World near Orlando. It was nowhere near the job I wanted. I had my eyes set on a career in marketing;
A Word About Saint Patrick
Image by Quentin Rey, Unsplash.com
Each year the Episcopal Church celebrates the Feast Day of Saint Patrick, fifth-century bishop and missionary of Ireland, on March 17, the day of his death in 461.
Holy Women, Holy Men (Church Publishing, 2010) relates that Patrick was born on the northwest coast of Britain in about 390. His grandfather had been a Christian priest, and his father was a deacon in the early Christian church. When Patrick was a teenager, he was
Spring is Just Around the Corner
Keep this thought in mind friends in the northeast, hopefully this snowstorm will be the last gasp of a dying winter. Spring is just around the corner. Stay safe, stay warm, stay indoors!
No Cuts, No Butts, No Coconuts: When Marginalization and Privilege Cut the Line.
Image by Rob Bye, Unsplash.com
Let’s say you arrive at your favorite restaurant for a meal as soon as the doors open. You speak with the seating hostess and ask how long is the wait? She tells you there’s no wait and asks how many in your party. You respond one. (Roll with me on this, I hate eating alone in a restaurant, too.) She tells you to have a seat, you’re next.
On the Lost Art of Critical Thinking
The actor Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines in Lee Daniels’ “The Butler”
There’s a sucker born every minute.
–P.T. Barnum (maybe)
Americans have lost their skills of critical thinking as applied to reading articles on the internet. Don’t believe me? Read the article on the firing of a White House butler by Allan Ishac … as well as a few of the comments. No, really. Read it now. It’s a quick read. I’ll wait.
[cue: background music]
The Dreams of “My” Father
Image by Pete Souza, The White House
Last week, I watched Lester Holt interview the forty-fourth president of the United States, President Barack Obama. During the interview, the two men covered much of Mr. Obama’s two terms. Midway through the broadcast, it occurred to me that Mr. Obama’s presidency is the fulfillment of so much of