Sign in Subscribe

"We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny."

—Martin Luther King Jr.

Welcome to this space for reflections on love, healing, and the difficult work of building beloved community. I hope to be a good conversation partner to you. We need each other — let's stay connected.

Latest Reflections

Oct 21
Black-and-white portrait of Dolly Parton smiling, with voluminous blonde curls, leaning on a wooden chair.

Dolly Parton and the Death of Woke 1

Dolly Parton’s politics were reflected in the values she lived by. I aspire to more grace and kindness as cultivated empathy not prescribed civility. How do I honor the fears of others while insisting that my own still count. Maybe there's something we all can learn from Dolly.
6 min read
Jul 03
Black-and-white photograph of writer James Baldwin in dark profile silhouette, gazing left toward a hazy skyline dotted with minarets and ornate geometric railing in view.

A Conversation with Rainer Rilke, James Baldwin, and Vincent Harding

Rilke's “dark hours” have been a companion to me lately: the despair, the grief for a world in turmoil, the desperate search for good news, light in the disorienting darkness. I think of Baldwin, of Harding, of their wisdom for hope, endurance and beginning again.
6 min read
May 07
Congregation standing in the pews of The Riverside Church during the April 4, 2026 gathering, Gothic arches and "Christ Is Risen" banners visible in the background.

For The Clergy and Laity Concerned

Clergy and Laity Concerned invited MLK to Riverside Church in 1967. On April 4th, I helped convene a gathering there to mark the 59th anniversary — because this moment demands the same: an unflinching rebuke of war, a call to conscience, a revolution of values.
4 min read
Feb 22

On Depolarization, Nonviolence and Truthtelling

Lately, I’ve been challenged to reflect on my moral and ethical commitments in a toxically polarized world. How does depolarization relate to the work for nonviolent social change? How do my identities and social location factor in?
10 min read
Feb 08

MLK Day 2056

A vision of 2056: thirty years in the future, I explain to my adopted nephew why he should care about Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy — not just because of how many people loved him, but because of how deeply and beautifully he loved us.
6 min read

Subscribe to the newsletter

Join me in conversation as I reflect on love, hope, healing, and the work of building the beloved community in disorienting times.

Writings

Is America Possible?
The Work of Being Human