Worship can generate a moral self that lasts about ninety minutes. What congregations build after the service determines whether it survives after. Dr. Gerardo Martí – October 13, 2026 (re-printed with permission from Substack: American Blindspot) A Black lay leader, relatively new to her congregation, clapped after a choir anthem. It lasted a second. A white deacon went to the church’s leadership
Jameka Haynes • October 09, 2026 October 10 is World Mental Health Day, and this year’s theme is “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change.” That feels human to me because sometimes mental health isn’t about one big thing. It’s about everything happening at once. I’ll be honest. I’m tired. Not just physically, but in the deeper way that comes from
Dan Berry • September 29, 2026 There are things I said years ago that I don’t believe today. There are things I used to do that I don’t do anymore. There are opinions I once held tightly that I have since changed. There are things I once thought were absolutely clear that I now see differently. Have you found yourself on
Why retreat isn’t stepping away from the work—it’s part of how we sustain it Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD • September 22, 2026 A rabid raccoon tried to break into my house! My dogs heard it first—a strange noise near the tree line—and bolted out the door before I could stop them. I looked up and saw the raccoon coming down
Nadira Martin – September 15, 2026 Here in Charlotte, North Carolina, it feels as though summer is never ending. And it has been extremely HOT. Where is Autumn? Is she around, does she even go here? While the heat has been constant outside, these past few months have housed multiple seasons of the soul. Let us recap: we have experienced
Laura Marti – September 01, 2026 I recently heard a story on NPR’s Marketplace about a multigenerational Black family farm in Alabama. The story was framed around birding and ecotourism, but what stayed with me was less about the birding, and more about the idea of a Black family trying to keep a farm alive. Christopher Joe, whose family owns Black
Jameka Haynes • August 25, 2026 Before we even start this conversation, I want to ask you something: How are you doing—not just with the state of the world, but with the way you are learning to see the people in it? Let’s keep it real. Justice has human faces on every side—the people who need justice and the people who
A concise sociological framework that helps connect four centuries of American racial history into one coherent story. Dr. Gerardo Martí – August 18, 2026 (re-printed with permission) A history teacher once asked me a question that has stayed with me. “Why,” she wondered, “does every generation think it has finally solved America’s racial problems, only to discover that another set of conflicts
Dan Berry • August 11, 2026 Scripture: Luke 10:25–37 The story of the Good Samaritan is probably known by most people, it is often remembered as a lesson about kindness and compassion. It certainly is that—but I would like to submit that Jesus intended it to be much more. It is also a harsh critique of religious passivity. The priest and
Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD • August 4, 2026 One of the questions that quietly shapes my teaching is this: What expands a child’s imagination for what is possible? It’s a question I’ve been asking students for years. Sometimes through history. Sometimes through stories. Sometimes through maps, photographs, and primary sources that reveal what a place remembers—and what it has tried
Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD • July 14, 2026 “If we don’t keep them in the dark, our children will light up the world.” I say those words often. Not because they sound hopeful, but because I have watched them become true. This summer, I watched children ask courageous questions. I watched them discover language for who they are. I watched
Lance Phillips • July 07, 2026 I recently returned from a week at the North Carolina coast. Having unstructured time to recognize the small place each of our lives occupies within the larger movements of life around us is essential to a stable and balanced worldview. This kind of unfettered contemplation can lead to feelings of doubt or, even, disappointment
Jameka Haynes • June 30, 2026 Two hundred and fifty years. That’s a lot of candles. It’s America’s Semiquincentennial (thankfully, “250th birthday” is much easier to say). And before the fireworks start going off, I’d like to ask a different kind of question. Somewhere, “This Land Is Your Land” is playing on repeat, grills are heating up, and flags are already
Is “accepting but not affirming” enough? Dan Berry • June 23, 2026 For much of my life, I believed same-sex relationships were outside of God’s original design and therefore outside of His blessing. I wasn’t angry about it. I wasn’t hateful. In fact, I would have described myself as accepting. As a conservative pastor with relatively moderate views, I believed God
Dr. Gerardo Martí – June 19, 2026 (Reprinted with permission from American Blindspot) This blunt claim not only misreads how emancipation actually unfolded but also dismisses a tradition through which Black Americans have written themselves into our national history for over 150 years. In Concord, North Carolina, last Monday night, Cabarrus County Commissioner Larry Pittman opposed a resolution recognizing Juneteenth and
Laura Marti – June 17, 2026 Every morning I tell myself I’m only going to spend a few minutes checking the news. It’s become one of those “enter at your own risk” endeavors. Every day is another reminder that the things many of us assumed were settled parts of American life are, in fact, not settled at all. I’ve found myself
Research shows Americans increasingly evaluate immigrants based on whether they are a “political threat.” Partisan sorting is reshaping the boundaries of American belonging. Dr. Gerardo Martí – June 03, 2026 (re-printed with permission) May 19, 2026 Back in Spring 2024, a group of right-wing activists traveled to the Darién Gap in Central America, one of the most punishing stretches of jungle
Lance Phillips • May 19, 2026 I’m not a religious person but sometimes the language of religiosity is useful to reframe approaches to difficult ideas. We live in dark times, ethically dark, often emotionally dark, and, certainly, dark with regard to prospects for better days. The college students I teach, while valiantly going through the machinations of getting educated and
Jameka Haynes • May 12, 2026 To the person who doesn’t see themselves reflected in the room — you belong there anyway. Fully. Unapologetically. Exactly as you are. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I want to talk about the person who looks strong, unbothered, and completely at ease, but carries a quiet weight with them. The one who walks
Real change doesn’t begin with perfection—it begins with honesty. Reflecting on the words of James Baldwin, this post explores why facing truth—both personally and collectively—is the first step toward growth, healing, and change.
Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD • April 29, 2026 Most books hand children a narrative. Hues of You hands them a pencil. The learning happens in the doing — tracing, naming, drawing, imagining. Every activity was designed to meet children where child development research says they already are: curious, concrete, sensory, and actively building their sense of who they are in
Dr. Gerardo Martí – April 21, 2026 Imagine walking through a city square and stopping short because a bronze statue is looking at her phone. She is eighteen feet tall. She is wearing a hoodie and tracksuit bottoms. She is a young Black woman, and she is paying absolutely no attention to you. That last detail, the inattention, might be the
Laura Marti – April 17, 2026 There’s something about antique stores for me. Maybe it’s the thrill of the hunt. Maybe it’s the possibility that something forgotten is waiting to be found again. Or maybe it’s just wanting to find something that’s one-of-a-kind. Whatever it is, my family always seems to find one—no matter where we are. New Hampshire. Arkansas. North
Maveah Griffith – April 8, 2026 Recently, I sat on my bed in my college dorm. My friend sat across from me, spooning up the raspberry sorbet we’d just gotten from the dining hall. To my left, hanging over my bed, is a collage of pictures of the people I hold closest to me. As I lay here typing this, I
Lance Phillips • March 31, 2026 The other day I was looking over the books on my bookshelves. I wasn’t looking for a specific title, necessarily, but I was looking for something. Sometimes, I’ll glance over the shelves simply to see what jumps out, what I forgot I had, or what stories the books themselves have to tell me. Two
Jameka Haynes • March 24, 2026 “Our softness is not a liability. Our depth is not too much. Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room we walk into. Our voices matter, and our dreams deserve space.” — Teyana Taylor When the World Feels Heavy If I’m honest, some days lately have felt like a prank.
Dan Berry • March 18, 2026 It started when I was 40. My eyesight began to change drastically, and I started wearing glasses. Even though I didn’t like it, what they did for me was amazing. What I didn’t realize was that for the next several years, regular eye exams and multiple lens changes would become a normal part of my
Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD • March 10, 2026 One of the most magical moments happens in classrooms with children. After we’ve spent time wondering together—reading stories, naming the beautiful hues of our skin, learning language for what we see and experience—I’ll hear a small voice ask a question that stops the room: “If we’re all shades of brown… why are
What we lose when we detach immigration from racial justice Dr. Gerardo Martí – March 03, 2026 (re-printed with permission) Immigration is one of the most morally charged and politically weaponized issues of our time. Christians are told, often in the same breath, to “welcome the stranger” and to “respect the rule of law.” For many believers — especially those trying
Nadira Martin– February 24, 2026 Ah, a new year has arrived. Time to refresh, renew and reinvent–right? We all know the popular adage “New Year, New Me.” Though, I often think there are important questions formed from a simple statement. First of all, who is “me?” Rather, who am I currently compared to who I was–at some point in the
“Speculative fiction, at its best, makes the familiar strange so we can see it clearly. Jemisin does this masterfully.“ Laura Marti – February 19, 2026 A while back, my husband handed me a fantasy novel and said, “You might like this.” He is an avid reader (an understatement), and I am not—but I love science fiction and fantasy, and I trust
Maveah Griffith – February 10, 2026 Information overload is the perfect way to maintain a distracted public. Between the recent ICE killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good as well as the sickening release of thousands of Epstein files – there is way too much going on to focus on just one thing. Not only are there multiple alarming news
Lance Phillips • February 03, 2026 How do I lean into adventure at a moment in history when the most vulnerable humans in my orbit are targeted? Maybe the answer is not to lean but to stand strong. The only way to face down an authority based on fear is with patience and kindness. I’m not an expert on ways
Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD • January 27, 2026 There are moments when I’m reminded why What LIES Between Us exists — not as a curriculum pulled from theory, but as a living offering shaped by years of my own healing. I designed this course from my personal journey: from education to revelation to transformation, and liberation. And I mean years
Dan Berry • January 20, 2026 Finding myself in the latter season of my life, I have had time to do a great deal of reflecting. If you take the time to look, it is amazing what you can see. One of my many observations is that even though we are living in what some call the information age—with instant access
Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD • January 13, 2026 EASE.That is the word resonating in this season of my life. May we be people of peaceWith voices of hopeDoing the hard work of love. Nathan offered these words as a benediction for each session of the What LIES Between Us course—not only as a closing, but as an intention meant to
Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD • December 19, 2025 Looking for meaningful gifts that bring the whole family together this holiday season? Brownicity’s family-centered offerings are designed to spark curiosity, creativity, and connection—without overwhelm. These gifts invite children and adults to explore identity, culture, and humanity through play, stories, and art. 🎨 The Hues of You Activity Book More than a
Lucretia Carter Berry, PhD • December 2, 2025 Dear Beloved Community, As we step into Giving Tuesday, I want to pause and simply say THANK YOU! Your support—your presence, your participation, your belief in our mission—has helped Brownicity continue to grow deep roots of understanding, connection, and justice. This year has been marked by division, fear-mongering, and attempts to write
Dr. Gerardo Martí – November 18, 2025 Churches function as vital social hubs, fostering close relationships and reinforcing shared values among members. While these social networks are generally positive, they inadvertently create echo chambers, limiting exposure to diverse viewpoints, and strengthening existing political bias. Consequently, churches have become key sites of partisan sorting and ideological reinforcement even more so in recent
Lance Phillips • October 28, 2025 Do you believe in the power of democracy? Do you believe in the power of love? Do you believe in the power of money? Odds are that most people would say “yes” to each of the previous questions. If many people can, and do, agree on some of the fundamental principles of civic and