a peace of my mind

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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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

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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Unplugging…plugging in

October 18, 2020 by johnnoltner

It’s been two weeks since we left our home in Bloomington. We had a few days of planned down time with family in Wisconsin and then a few more days of unplanned down time when a small college engagement in Pennsylvania cancelled due to last-minute COVID restrictions on campus. During the last two weeks, we’ve learned to slow down a little. We no longer have any rooms to paint. No punch lists of repairs to do before selling the house. […]

Categories: Blog, Project Updates • Tags: a peace of my mind, community, community art, parkersburg, storytelling, weaving community, west virginia

Pay Attention

September 23, 2020 by johnnoltner

When I was shooting a lot of travel assignments, I noticed a predictable—if mildly uncomfortable—process unfold. As I drove to the location, whether it was an autumn fly-fishing stream in Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota, or a grain truck sunset tour of the Kansas wheat fields, I worried. It was hard to see the potential in the shoot. I could feel the anxiety well up. The light was no good. Power lines traced the length of the trout stream. Billboards marred […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: a peace of my mind, creativity, cry out, listen, patience, pay attention, prayer, storytelling, travel

The third of July

July 3, 2020 by johnnoltner

This year we have no plans for picnics. No fireworks. No parades or crowds or trips to the beach. It’s a different kind of year. We’ll stay home. Do some reading. Get a few projects done. Mow 20 acres of Christmas tree fields at our farm. When you mow 20 acres, you have plenty of time to think. This weekend I expect I will continue to think about what Independence Day means in 2020. What is independence? Freedom? How do […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: 4th of july, a peace of my mind, frederick douglass, independence day, npr, race, storytelling

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Maybe this time

June 3, 2020 by johnnoltner

On Monday May 25, George Floyd was killed by police at the intersection of 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis. Because the COVID-9 pandemic had caused all my programming to be cancelled, I happened to be at home, 11.6 miles to the south. On Wednesday I went to see the site where a small memorial was taking shape and on Thursday returned with an improvised portable studio, a broken heart, and one simple question: “What do you want to say?” Over […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: a peace of my mind, Black Lives Matter, blm, change, George Floyd, justice, Minneapolis, photography, protest, race

We are hungry

June 1, 2020 by johnnoltner

We are all hungry for some good news right now. Seek it out. Celebrate it. Use it as our true north and let it lead the way. But don’t turn away from the pain. Don’t dismiss the grief in some rush to return to feeling better. Lament. Sit with it. Wrestle with it. And use it to fuel a commitment to create real and lasting change. Authentic healing. A more just world. From the bottom up. I’m out of words […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: a peace of my mind, Black Lives Matter, George Floyd, Minneapolis, storytelling

	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

Building community and bridging divides through portraits and personal stories.

Tag: a peace of my mind

Lee Bennett, Jr.

It’s been a year…

Alphonso Brown

Birmingham

Rev. DeMett Jenkins

Unplugging…plugging in

Pay Attention

The third of July

Maybe this time

We are hungry