MLK | A Peace of My Mind

Truth

April 4, 2021 by johnnoltner

I suppose there is a line to be drawn from the Easter story to Dr King’s assassination in Memphis in 1968 to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis a year ago. Perhaps a learned theologian could articulate conclusions more clearly than me. Maybe a great philosopher could connect the dots in a way that would help everyone see the light. I’m still working on it. Last week I stood outside the Hennepin County Government Center at the start of […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: civil rights, Easter, George Floyd, Jesus, listening, memphis, MLK, truth

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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Your odds are greatly improved…

April 14, 2018 by johnnoltner

It was time to be bold. I brought one of my books along yesterday when I attended a panel discussion on ending civil wars at the US Institute of Peace. I didn’t know who I wanted to give it to, but I imagined I might run across someone worth connecting with. One of the panelists was Nancy Lindborg, the President of the Institute, and as I listened to her speak, it only made sense I should give the book to […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: ask, Dream, lincoln memorial, MLK, peace, US Institute of Peace, USIP, washington DC

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The Troublemakers

September 25, 2017 by johnnoltner

Yesterday we walked the grounds of Mount Vernon, outside Washington, DC. It was home to George Washington, leader of the revolution, founding father, first president, hero… But, of course, not everybody saw him that way. He was an American hero, but the British crown was not so fond of him and his colleagues. The view of the Revolution from across the sea was very different. With a quick search, I found these bits… From Foreign Policy magazine: “According to most […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: change, Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King, Galileo, George Washington, MLK, NFL, revolution, suffrage, troublemakers

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Joanne Bland

February 10, 2017 by johnnoltner

Joanne Bland was 11 years old when she marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Heading from Selma toward Montgomery, the activists were committed to securing voting rights for all Americans, but on March 7, 1965, they were violently attacked by law enforcement officers. It became known as Bloody Sunday. I interviewed Joanne at her home in Selma in August 2015, just 12 days after Michael Brown was shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri, and the city was gripped […]

Categories: Podcast • Tags: activism, alabama, civil rights, MLK, peace, race, Selma, social justice

What is your dream?

January 16, 2017 by johnnoltner

There is a typo on a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama. It’s in front of Brown Chapel, where the famed march from Selma to Montgomery began in support of voting rights. I was there a couple years ago to interview Joanne Bland who was on that march with Dr. King when she was 11 years old. The statue says, “I had a dream.” The line from his famous speech should read, “I have a dream.” […]

Categories: Blog • Tags: civil rights, Dream, History, lorraine, memphis, MLK, national civil rights museum, Selma

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Are you listening?

November 10, 2015 by johnnoltner

Asma Jama was hit in the face with a glass beer mug for not speaking English in an Applebee’s. She needed 17 stitches in her lip. In a press interview after the attack, Asma encouraged people to talk to others who seem different than them, to get to know them better as a way to overcome prejudice. She said, “I was attacked by a white lady. That doesn’t mean I hate every white person. That’s impossible. The person that helped […]

Categories: Blog, Life • Tags: a peace of my mind, Black Lives Matter, dialog, diversity, Edmund Pettus Bridge, listening, Martin Luther King Jr., MLK, peace, Pine Ridge Resrvation, Selma, social justice, stories, Wounded Knee

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A Peace of My Mind

Building community and bridging divides through portraits and personal stories.

Tag: MLK

Truth

Birmingham

Your odds are greatly improved…

The Troublemakers

What is your dream?