I recently returned from visiting a remarkable initiative in LaGrange, a city of about 30,000 in Troup County, an hour’s drive south of Atlanta. For the past six years, a diverse group has been working steadily to heal historical wounds, engage in honest conversation and build partnerships. Chalton Askew, the executive director of Trustbuilding Inc. Troup County, hosted me for […]

“I love America.” These were the parting words of my father at my final visit with him as I left to catch my flight from the UK back across the Atlantic. He spoke with intensity, grasping my hand and attempting to rise from his hospital bed. Dad was a Scot who spent seven years in the USA, arriving not long […]

Across the country, interest in anti-racism has exploded. Books such as How to be an Anti-Racist, White Fragility, and Caste have topped the non-fiction best seller list. Large numbers of white Americans are better informed than ever. Faith communities are engaging in deep conversation about their history and their responsibility. Numerous groups offer training. Corporations constantly use themes of diversity […]

“I refuse to hate someone because they’re Mexican, or because they’re black or white or LGBTQ,” said Tyler Perry in accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at this year’s Academy Awards. “I refuse to hate someone because they’re a police officer or because they’re Asian…  I want to take this humanitarian award and dedicate it to anyone who wants to […]

Chalton Askew is the first executive director of Trustbuilding Inc. in LaGrange, Georgia, the county seat of Troup County, about 70 miles south of Atlanta. The city’s population of 30,000 is 48.0% Black, 44.5% White, 4.7% Hispanic/Latino, 2.5% Asian. Askew is one of six community leaders from LaGrange who have attended the Community Trustbuilding Fellowship offered by Hope in the Cities, a […]

In the summer of 2002 Rev. Syngman Rhee addressed an international conference in Caux, Switzerland. Perched high above Lake Geneva, Caux Palace has offered a place of healing for bitterly divided groups – beginning with French and Germans after World War II. As he approached the podium, the Korean-born peacebuilder and respected leader of the Presbyterian church (USA), removed his […]

A special guest column by Rev. Dr. Paige Lanier Chargois, a Baptist minister who has pioneered truth-telling and racial healing initiatives in Richmond, Virginia, and internationally, and who has served as chaplain at eight universities. Her books include Certain Women Called By Christ:  Biblical Realities for Today. This commentary continues our conversation on the theme of finding our humanity (see […]

Guest column by Doug Tanner, Founding Director, The Faith & Politics Institute Over the last two decades, hundreds of the late Congressman John Lewis’s colleagues in the U.S. House and Senate—Democrat and Republican—joined him on an annual pilgrimage to Selma, Alabama marking the anniversary of March 7, 1965’s Bloody Sunday.  On that day, 25-year-old John Lewis and his civil rights […]

My recent blog, “No healing without truth,” has sparked some challenging conversations. A respected African American colleague, Rev. Paige Chargois, while agreeing wholeheartedly on the need for truth, writes, “Black folks have not been avoiding the truth. Quite the contrary! Black folks have been living that, writing that, teaching that, even adjudicating that for centuries!” She says that the real […]

On January 6, a white mob assaulted the US Capitol. “Hang Mike Pence!” they shouted as they forced their way into the Chambers. Some carried assault rifles and Confederate flags. Others brought explosives. One man had texted he was thinking of “putting a bullet” in Nancy Pelosi. There was no doubt about the intent of the ringleaders. They were hoping […]