Category: Identity

The Awkward Pause: How Blacks & Whites Can Begin Addressing Racism Together

~ Jonathan Clark ~ Leave a comment

Like any other weekday, I went through my morning ritual of prayer and meditation, and then sat down with a cup of tea to check the morning headlines before starting my workday.  The last few weeks had been quite heavy and intense with the numerous protests against racism and police brutality after the most recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.  As a black male, I saw myself in George and Ahmaud, and Breonna could have easily been a member of my family.  With these events stacked on top of the COVID-19 virus wreaking economic havoc and social discord, along with provocative presidential tweets and the political rollercoaster of having national emergencies during an election year, I thought I was mentally prepared to see pretty much anything come through the news feed.

Shame & Race in the Workplace & Beyond: When the Elephant Is Destroying the Room

~ Jonathan Clark ~ Leave a comment

Like any other weekday, I went through my morning ritual of prayer and meditation, and then sat down with a cup of tea to check the morning headlines before starting my workday.  The last few weeks had been quite heavy and intense with the numerous protests against racism and police brutality after the most recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.  As a black male, I saw myself in George and Ahmaud, and Breonna could have easily been a member of my family.  With these events stacked on top of the COVID-19 virus wreaking economic havoc and social discord, along with provocative presidential tweets and the political rollercoaster of having national emergencies during an election year, I thought I was mentally prepared to see pretty much anything come through the news feed.

CZD Feature Student of the Month: Dredon Lackey

~ Jonathan Clark ~ Leave a comment

In life, God blesses each of us with wonderful gifts… things we do exceptionally well with less effort than most.  Since we are not born with an instruction manual that tells us what those are, we can spend a significant stretch of our journeys searching for what we do best.  In fact, many of us don’t discover our gifts until the mid to late portion of our lives, and those who do know their gifts often don’t develop or pursue them.  As a result, many people go to their graves without ever knowing what they were capable of doing.  However, there are a select few individuals who have a finger on the pulse of what they are meant to do well before the rest of us.  By the age of nine, Dredon Lackey had already...

I See You

~ Jonathan Clark ~ Leave a comment

I see you. How many pictures did you take before you found one you would post? “My hair’s too messy.” “My smile looks weird.” “I look fat from that angle.” “I should try another pose.” Don’t you ever get tired? Tired of putting yourself under a microscope? Tired of trying to live up to everyone else’s expectations? Tired of letting other people’s social media pages...

Enough 1 (& Done)

~ Jonathan Clark ~ Leave a comment

I’m done. Done being pushed around by life. Done feeling like a spectator to my own story. Done trying to meet everyone else’s expectations. Done living based on what other people think. Done giving the best of myself to people who don’t appreciate me. Done sacrificing for those who always put themselves first. Done allowing others to dictate my schedule. Done making ZERO time for ME.

Enough 1 (& Done)

~ Jonathan Clark ~ Leave a comment

I’m done. Done being pushed around by life. Done feeling like a spectator to my own story. Done trying to meet everyone else’s expectations. Done living based on what other people think. Done giving the best of myself to people who don’t appreciate me. Done sacrificing for those who always put themselves first. Done allowing others to dictate my schedule. Done making ZERO time for ME.