For years, I have wanted to tour civil rights sites in Alabama. The Equal Justice Initiative’s new Legacy Museum and Peace and Justice Memorial grew that interest. The history is inspiring and it is heavy – the reminders that the struggle continues are everywhere. I’ve studied this history extensively, but I think anyone visiting would find it instructive, moving, and…
Read more >America was founded with an inspiring vision of a democratic society compromised by two original sins of white supremacy, slavery and genocide. Our nation has never fully reconciled and amended for either. Instead, these sins tragically evolved over time. While more and more of us understand the evolution of slavery through Jim Crow laws, widespread racial discrimination, and the prison…
Read more >It felt so normal, too normal. Twenty hours of flight time should produce some level of culture shock, but no shock. In fact, next to my host’s car in the airport parking lot was a “Milwaukee Tools” truck. Sydney, Australia is a thoroughly modern and cosmopolitan city, and its nonprofit sector fits that description as well. I traveled to Sydney…
Read more >This is a more detailed review of my trip than my Huffington Post essay of observations and reflections. Getting in/Visas. From what I have read, there will be many flights a week from the U.S. in just a few months. In addition, there may additional opening of travel restrictions. Americans are only allowed to travel under certain categories. For those without business,…
Read more >I recently visited Windsor, Ontario to meet with business and civic leaders about economic development and poverty reduction strategies there, and how to align them. It was interesting to explore these issues in a Canadian context. There was much familiar to U.S. communities, but distinctions in terms of how much nonprofits rely on government; how municipal, provincial, and federal agencies…
Read more >“They still close the gates every night,” our guide explained as we drove by the 44 foot high wall that still divides the Catholic Falls Road district from the Protestant Shankhill district in Belfast. It was a stunning reminder that peace is not an event, but a process. I’ve visited Northern Ireland twice this year and experienced the hope of…
Read more >I’ve been a huge Beatles fan since I was at least five years old. My first records were The Beatles Second Album, Beatles IV, Rubber Soul, and Help. My first favorite songs were “Ticket to Ride” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.” As I got to my tweens and teens, I was attracted more to the later years….
Read more >Often when I get to a city to speak, I’m taken to a hotel and shuttled to the venue if not in the hotel, and that is all I see. I don’t like driving, so I rarely rent a car. One thing I’ve learned to do, though, when I have a few hours, is hire a taxi and agree on…
Read more >I read a New York Times article a few months ago about a plantation converted into a museum on slavery about an hour outside New Orleans, so I planned a visit while in New Orleans on business. It has always bugged me that people take plantation tours or visit resorts on plantations that whitewash the awful history behind these estates….
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