Since the beginning of time, oral traditions have been cryptic lessons to help one through life. Instead of folklore, many black people adopted poetry. A potent tool for communicating feelings, ideas, and experiences. For many, poetry serves as a way to preserve culture, celebrate love, mourn loss, and connect through the trials and triumphs of
Love That Outlives Us: Black Love Across Generations Read More »
Lift Every Voice and Sing, written as a poem by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, is often referred to as the Black National Anthem. It’s uplifting, spiritual message calls us to sing “Till earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty….Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, let us
What’s Your Black Anthem? Read More »
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At its first meeting of the year, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 5A heard frustration from residents over lingering snow and ice, as community members urged city officials to clear sidewalks, crosswalks and bus stops still obstructed days after a winter storm. The meeting, held virtually due to hazardous road conditions, drew all nine
Snow and Safety Concerns Lead ANC 5A’s First Meeting of 2026 Read More »
I always enter Black History Month with a bit of ambivalence and a heavy dose of resentment. It’s like someone is “allowing” us to celebrate our heritage, culture, and existence. “Oh, it’s time to let those colored people, I mean people of color, feel good about themselves. Let’s walk along the trail with Harriet Tubman,
Where Would They Be Without Us? Join The DC Voice Book Club and Find Out! Read More »
Saturday, January 24, 2026 I had the pleasure of awarding the first DC Voice Essay Contest awards to Jaydon and Jonathan Sam this Saturday at West Chester PA Seventh-day Adventist Church. The theme for the 2025 Essay Contest was My Church, Our Voice, Our History. We invited local youth in the Washington, D.C. area to join
2025 Essay Contest Winners! Read More »
“In the South, no people have suffered such great oppression as the colored people…for no people has so little been done to uplift…” (Ellen G. White, 1899). My church, the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, has historically fused faith with justice, building a legacy of racial equity, community empowerment, and cultural resilience that continues to shape
Building Hope, Preserving Heritage: SDA Faith in African American Communities Read More »
The History: Black Adventist Journey “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. declared during America’s struggle for equality. That same spirit of stepping forward without seeing the whole path is reflected in the mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Founded in the mid-1800s,
My Church, Our History, and My Voice Read More »
Happy New Year! Happy Birthday! Let’s get turnt up! TGIF! It’s 5 o’clock somewhere! How about a nightcap? Or, I have a glass of wine before bed! Sounds familiar? These words are used to express anticipation for a party or event, and times when people may indulge in alcohol. There’s nothing wrong with having a
We’ve all been there. The clock strikes twelve, we scream “happy new year” with loved ones and familiar faces around. We toast to a new year and a new sense of self. Slipping into our beds, too tired to bother cleaning up, our minds linger on all the goals we have planned for the new
New Year, New Me: The Trap of New Years Resolutions to Self Improvement Read More »
We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance, by Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson is one of the most compelling narratives of the Black experience I have read. The fact that she relays it from the perspectives of strong, defiant Black women is even more compelling. Black resistance typically conjures up visions of Denmark Vasey, Nat
Book Review: We Refuse – Damn Right! Read More »
