by Monica A. Coleman | Aug 20, 2013 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
For me and many other African Americans, this summer has been dominated by the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman for the shooting of 17-year-old African-American Trayvon Martin. Shortly after the verdict was rendered, media outlets announced that one...
by Monica A. Coleman | Aug 1, 2013 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog, Uncategorized
My daughter has been crawling for three months. Our outings to the six a.m. worship service with our faith community have changed. We used to hold her in our arms, gently rocking or nursing her to sleep during the spoken message. Now, we find space on the carpet...
by Monica A. Coleman | Jun 25, 2013 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
There are three generations living in my home: my mother, my partner and I, and our teenager and our infant. Conversations over dinner often reveal how much has changed over time. And what has not. One evening, my mother tells my teenager that she is becoming more...
by Monica A. Coleman | Mar 19, 2013 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
Communal prayer is a tactile experience for me. In my denominational tradition, African Methodism, we come to a wooden altar at the front of the church, kneel, and pray. In my favorite worship experiences, the “Altar Prayer” portion of the Sunday liturgy takes twenty...
by Monica A. Coleman | Feb 7, 2013 | Blog, Media, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
Blogger Rachel Held Evans invited me to answer questions from her readers in her “Ask a Liberation Theologian” column. Here are my responses: From Benjamin: I grew up in pretty conservative evangelical circles, where liberation theology was generally...
by Monica A. Coleman | Dec 21, 2012 | Blog, Monica's Blog, The Beautiful Mind Blog
I come from people who visit graves. My maternal grandfather died when my mother was an infant. She grew up going to visit her father’s grave. I grew up the same way. Whenever I’m in the general area of the cemetery, I go to visit, now to the graves of my maternal...
