A Peace of My Mind

Hard times

January 13, 2021 by johnnoltner

So here we sit, wedged in between two historic Wednesdays. A week ago, an angry mob stormed the U.S. Capitol while congress was in session to certify the results of our presidential election. And a week from now, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. A few miles south of us crews are working overtime to build as many miles of border wall as possible before the end of this administration. 2,300 miles to […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: community, compassion, current events, History, truth, values, weaving community

Lee Bennett, Jr.

January 9, 2021 by johnnoltner

Lee Bennet, Jr. grew up a few blocks away from Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and is a long-time member of the congregation. A retired Army officer, Lee spent several years as Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House Drug Control Policy Office and currently serves as a volunteer historian for his church. Mother Emanuel has weathered a long legacy of challenges around issues of race, including a 2015 attack by white supremacist Dylann Roof that […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: a peace of my mind, Charleston, Mother Emanuel, tragedy, whit supremacy

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Mother Emanuel

January 6, 2021 by johnnoltner

We stood in front of Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston, one of the oldest Black churches in America. On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof walked into a Wednesday evening Bible study. He sat with the clergy and congregants as they talked about their faith and when they closed their eyes to pray, he pulled out a handgun and killed nine people. He was welcomed into the community of faith and he violated that trust in the most horrific way. […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: american history, American Stories, Charleston, History, Mother Emanuel

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Trudy B. Grant

January 2, 2021 by johnnoltner

Trudy Grant is the Manager of Religious Affairs and External Relations for the National Action Network. I interviewed her at Charity Mission Baptist Church in North Charleston, where she serves as the assistant choir director. She is a gospel singer, a civil rights activist, a mother and a grandmother. “I don’t think your sermon comes from what you say, your sermon comes from what you do.” -Trudy B. Grant “I have two kids. And I have one grandson. His name is […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: action, american history, Black History, Charleston, civil rights, faith, national action network, oral history, storytelling, Trudy B. Grant

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It’s been a year…

December 31, 2020 by johnnoltner

There was a part of me that wanted to forgo the typical end of year review. 2020 has been hard. Our programming was cancelled. Our income went away. We worried about the health of our loved ones. We missed our friends. We lost our beloved pup, Bailey. As challenging as it’s been for us, we recognize it has been downright devastating for others. A part of me wanted to just push it all aside, put my head down and forge […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, commitments, loss, pandemic, peace, resolutions, unity, year in review

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Alphonso Brown

December 30, 2020 by johnnoltner

Alphonso Brown is the founder and owner of Gullah Tours, in Charleston, South Carolina. Born and raised in Rantowles, a dozen miles south of Charleston, he is a retired band director. With a deep love for his city, Alphonso started a tour company dedicated to telling the stories of the many contributions Black Charlestonians made to the area. “When you know better, you do better.” -Alphonso Brown I interviewed Alphonso on his bus after he had given a tour. His Gullah […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: a peace of my mind, alphonso brown, American Stories, Black History, Charleston, Gullah, gullah tours, oral history, South Carolina

Dr. Elijah Heyward III

December 26, 2020 by johnnoltner

Dr. Elijah Heyward III is the Chief Operating Officer for the International African American Museum being built in Charleston, South Carolina, and due to open in 2022. The museum is being built on the site of the historic Gadsen’s Wharf, where up to 40% of enslaved Africans brought to America against their will disembarked after the transatlantic journey. “There is power in learning from the past…the mistakes, the triumphs and examples of inspiration and perseverance.” -Dr. Elijah Heyward III “Our […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: american history, American Stories, Black History, Charleston, Dr. Elijah Heyeward III, Gadsen's Wharf, History, IAAM, Slavery, South Carolina, storytelling, Transatlantic slave trade

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Birmingham

December 22, 2020 by johnnoltner

We passed through Birmingham, Alabama on our drive toward home. It was just a quick overnight while traveling, but we’ll return later in the spring for a longer stay and to explore more of the history of the town. It was a cool evening in the trailer, and we were confident our battery wouldn’t last through the night, but before retiring under a stack of blankets and beneath the light of a single bulb, I thought it would be a […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, Birmingham, Birningham jail, Black History, civil rights, cr king, diret action, History, jail, MLK, nonviolent

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Rev. DeMett Jenkins

December 19, 2020 by johnnoltner

Rev. DeMett Jenkins is the granddaughter of businessman, preacher and civil rights activist Esau Jenkins. She works as the Lilly Director of Education and Engagement for Faith-Based Communities for the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. “My grandfather was born in 1910. He came out the womb fighting for justice like it was just in his DNA. And he just always found ways to be bold and courageous, especially during the time where he could be killed for […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: a peace of my mind, Black History, Charleston, DeMett Jenkins, Gullah, History, John's Island, oral history, Praise House, South Carolina, storytelling

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I remember

December 17, 2020 by johnnoltner

Some memories grow into myths. The one that visited me today feels like a dream, with hazy images drifting in and out of focus…but I know it is true. More than ten years ago, I met an older woman by chance and only briefly. Within moments she had led me into a deep and intimate conversation, revealing closely held truths in a way that is only possible with someone you know you will never see again. She was in her […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: lessons, listening, stories, storytelling, wisdom

← Older posts

	Heidi on Hard times
	Ted Hall on Hard times
	It’s been a ye… on Alphonso Brown
	Helen Hartman on New Voices
	johnnoltner on I remember

A Peace of My Mind

Building community and bridging divides through portraits and personal stories.

what does peace mean to you?

Hard times

Lee Bennett, Jr.

Mother Emanuel

Trudy B. Grant

It’s been a year…

Alphonso Brown

Dr. Elijah Heyward III

Birmingham

Rev. DeMett Jenkins

I remember