St. Andrew AME Church is part of the 199-year-old African Methodist Episcopal (AME) tradition, a church tradition historically involved in civil rights. This year marks the 149th anniversary of this Tennessee flagship church. When Dr. Kenneth and Marilynn Robinson were appointed pastors of the [...]Read More
For Women of Color Who Have Considered Quitting when the Isolation Is Enuf
The large, flat package was sitting in the front entryway when I returned home after three days away at an evangelical social justice conference. The return address listed "S. Gay" as the sender. It was a minute or two before I remembered placing the order. It was a print by a local artist, Shanequa [...]Read More
Mediation and Restitution Reconciliation Services, redeeming the label of ‘juvenile offender’
An attorney by profession, with years of experience working with youth, Bridgette Bowman became the director of Mediation and Restitution Reconciliation Services (MARRS) 6 years ago, anxious to be an advocate in the broken system of juvenile justice. This 23 year-old organization is perhaps the best [...]Read More
Memphis Teacher Residency, changing the narrative of equal education
Sub-standard education is pre-determined for many children based solely on their zip code. In response to the problem of equal education for kids in urban areas, what is now Memphis Teacher Residency started with a question: “What if we found an alternative way of recruiting and training teachers?” [...]Read More
Are We There Yet?
As we head into the summer months, the familiar question, “Are we there yet?” will be a frequent refrain. This question will be repeatedly asked on car trips with family, heading to camp with students and by anyone with a long, unfamiliar road ahead of them. Doing justice in our communities can [...]Read More
The least, the lost, the ‘knuckleheads’
RALEIGH—When Royce Hathcock first felt God’s call to full-time ministry, he sensed God sending him to a unique, unreached people group. Hathcock, who grew up in inner-city Phoenix, never setting foot in a church, met Jesus through a basketball ministry. “I was a backward white kid with no dad who [...]Read More
Family matters: The ties that bind
When I think about why being a member of CCDA matters, I'm taken back 25 years to the neighborhood where I first began working, serving and ministering in Philly. It was an incredibly exciting time as Donna and I began a journey that would shape the rest of our lives. It was an equally challenging [...]Read More
Cultivating Unlikely Leaders
I am afforded a great privilege in my role as CEO of CCDA. I have the opportunity to attend many evangelical events all over the country on a yearly basis. This year, after our New Orleans Cultivate conference, I can say with more conviction than ever, that CCDA is a unique place. We are unique in [...]Read More