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The Noise of Poverty; Understanding Its Power over Self & Other
As I transition from the “West” to Uganda—yet again—I am anticipating the different sounds in the lifescape. Some will welcome me, emoting joy and pleasure. Others will attack me in offensive ways, stirring negativity and frustration. Others will be processed subconsciously—and yet will Read more […]
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Converting Confrontation Into Invitation (3 strategies for civil discourse)
A friend of mine—of another faith—told me that she recently went to her homeowners’ association meeting to confront them about the abundance of Christmas decorations in her apartment building. She strongly argued that this was not an inclusive practice, and insisted that they do something to Read more […]
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“The WD-40-Guy at Harvard” (An 80-second read on addressing distraction)
I remember well my first day of grad school. I was awake early. It surprised me how concerned I suddenly was about what I should wear. (“You should have thought of this before!” I kept telling myself.) I finally settled on jeans, a sweater and a scarf—which—it turned out—so did everybody Read more […]
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“Chatters of Glee” (and 27 other things that make me happy)
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“Music in the Dark” (A 2-minute read.)
From my African journal: Every evening, I hear music coming from an obscure location in the middle of my village town, Masaka, Uganda. It is joyful music with heavy rhythms and multiple voices in song. Between choruses, there are great shouts, and bursts of speech in Luganda. I have trouble making Read more […]
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“Africa in Your Tone” (A 90-second reading on how diversity informs authenticity)
“Good afternoon, sir,” I said to a distinguished Ghanaian scholar who had just joined our already-crowded minivan as we headed out for more school visits in Kasoa, Ghana last month. We then made introductions around the vehicle, and I mentioned that I had lived in Uganda for nine years, and still Read more […]
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4 Things I’m Glad I Don’t Know for Sure
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“Especially Set Aside” (An 80-second reading on creating space for conversations that matter.)
The music is pumped up on the car radio, you’re driving to a somewhat familiar place, but then suddenly you realize you’re lost. What’s the first thing you do? You turn down your radio. Why? Because you need to create cognitive space for the task of reorienting yourself. Like a collection Read more […]