My wife’s ancestor, the arctic explorer Sir William Edward Parry, is best known for a 1819-20 voyage that took him three-quarters of the way across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is said to be the single most productive voyage in the quest for the Northwest Passage until that mission was finally completed by Roald Amundsen in 1906. Parry’s two ships and his 29-man […]

The World Cup is a dramatic visual demonstration of the increasing diversity of international football – and our countries. Former colonies are holding their own against former colonizing nations. The gap between elite teams and underdogs is shrinking. Lower-ranked teams are sometimes dominating highly favored squads. The day before I wrote this, Paraguay eliminated four-time title holder Germany, and Morocco […]

Rajmohan Gandhi’s new book, James Lawson, Teacher of Satyagraha, carries important truths for today’s America. At a time of intense polarization and assault on civil rights, those fighting for justice need a moral compass. Lawson demonstrated that love is more powerful than condemnation. He was to become the primary teacher of satyagraha (holding fast to the truth) nonviolent resistance. James […]

Today in the United States we face a growing gap between those with wealth and those struggling to make ends meet. There is an unprecedented assault on truth, the foundations of our democracy and the rule of law by those in power in Washington. At times such as this, we may feel a compelling need to demonstrate against threats to […]

It’s with a mixture of grief and gratitude that we mark the passing of Rev. Sylvester “Tee” Turner. A man of vision and steadfast faith, he was a founding pillar of the Hope in the Cities movement and played a leading role in helping Richmond, Virginia come to terms with its racial history. For more than 30 years he was […]

It’s no accident that my website heading is Trustbuilding: creating a space for change. Our goal is to create welcoming spaces where people can see themselves, others, and the challenges they face, in a new light. The act of welcome can allay fears and anxiety and open hearts and minds. A recent reflection reading quotes Henri Nouwen: “Hospitality is not […]

I am excited to announce the publication of New Perspectives on Healing Collective Trauma: Towards Social Justice and Communal Well-Being. Taylor & Francis, the parent company of Routledge, has made this book available as an open access version. Edited by Scherto Gill, Director of the Global Humanity for Peace Institute of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, it combines […]

If you are anything like me, you may have stopped spending much time reading the daily news. The endless headlines about our president’s tweets, lies, corruption, and assaults on the foundations of our democracy threaten to drown out everything else. Yet, countless positive actions are taking place across this country that get little publicity. This week, quite by chance, as […]

This is a tribute by Pieter and Meryl Horn to their fellow South African Sam Pono who passed away on September 25. My wife Susan and I had memorable experiences with Sam in 1977 during the depth of apartheid when we took part together in the musical production referred to in this story, in the early 90s as the country […]

Rev. Bill Wigmore interviewed Susan and me for his Podcast “Father Bill W.” He has spent years exploring the roots of the AA movement. His work documents how the Oxford Group, now Initiatives of Change, provided the basis of the 12 steps. (See his book The Power of Two Way Prayer) This interview draws on our family background with the […]