IntroductionIn 1855, Portland, Maine, became the epicenter of a battle over alcohol, morality, and power. Mayor Neil Dow, obsessed with temperance, had transformed Prohibition from a moral crusade into a weapon of social control. For Dow and like-minded Protestant reformers, alcohol was not merely a drink—it represented sin, disorder, and immigrant vice. Yet the laws
The Portland Rum Riot: Morality, Power, and Class in 1855 Read More »
IntroductionEarly this morning, dozens of federal agents from multiple agencies raided an apartment building on the city’s South Shore. Neighbors reported multiple arrests in what has been described as the latest immigration enforcement action. Some American citizens were briefly detained, adding confusion and fear to the scene. Residents expressed shock and frustration at the way
A Morning Raid on South Shore: Voices from the Scene Read More »
IntroductionThere is profound beauty in honoring those who came before us and seeking their guidance. In life, many entities may serve as spirit guides, offering insight, protection, and support when we need it most. Angels, animal spirits, ascended masters, and celestial guardians often fulfill this role, but our ancestors represent a particularly grounded source of
Echoes of Those Who Came Before Read More »
Introduction People often ask how certain policies or attitudes are “anti-Black” as if racism must always arrive with a burning cross or a racial slur. In reality, racism also appears in quieter ways, embedded in laws, systems, and everyday habits. Take the question of healthcare for undocumented immigrants. Some insist this is not about race
Illiteracy, Racism, and the Mechanics of Power Read More »
Introduction Culture wars don’t happen in a vacuum; they are engineered. The backlash to Bad Bunny’s rumored NFL performance is a prime example of how selective outrage is manufactured. A superstar artist who speaks mostly Spanish and holds anti-ICE views suddenly becomes a lightning rod for fearmongering. The talking points sound familiar: “He hates Trump,”
Bad Bunny, the NFL, and the Manufactured Panic Read More »
Introduction In the early 19th century, freedom wasn’t given—it was seized. Along the Appalachia River, enslaved Black people fled south and joined forces with Seminole allies to transform an abandoned British outpost into a thriving community. They didn’t settle for scraps or hiding; they built a fortress of farmland, families, weapons, and hope. Muskets and
The Black Fortress: Forgotten Resistance on the Appalachia River Read More »
Introduction History has its celebrated heroes, its hidden architects, and its ghosts. Ernest Withers stands at the intersection of all three. Born in 1922 in Memphis, Tennessee, Withers lived a life that appeared to reflect the struggle, progress, and contradictions of Black America in the 20th century. A World War II veteran and one of
The Double Frame: Ernest Withers and the Shadow Side of History Read More »
Introduction When I first began to understand what it meant to petition the Source, I realized how different it was from the way I had been taught to pray. I had always been told to send my words outward, to aim them at some distant throne in the sky. But the deeper I looked, the
Petitioning the Source Within Read More »
Introduction Confidence is not something you stumble into—it’s something you build. I’ve learned that no one else can hand it to you, and no one else can take it away when it’s real. The process begins with remembering that nobody is built like you, because you designed yourself. Every experience, every choice, and every lesson
Nobody Built Like You Read More »
Introduction Responsibility can turn into resentment when you give up your role as a leader in your own life. I learned this truth the hard way, through patterns of over-pleasing and indecision that weakened the foundation of my relationships. At first, I thought I was being kind by always asking, always accommodating, and always deferring.
Lead Yourself First Read More »