Kwadjo Boaitey

Archive for the ‘Published Articles’ Category

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Race and what truly matters

In Published Articles, Spirituality on September 21, 2010 at 6:17 pm

I had the great opportunity to write this piece for the Christian Science Monitor. It was published today. Here’s an excerpt. Enjoy

A recent Monitor feature considers racial progress in the United States. Mary Baker Eddy, who founded the Monitor, wrote this about measuring progress: “To ascertain our progress, we must learn where our affections are placed and whom we acknowledge and obey as God” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p.239).

Ten years ago I found myself parked on the side of the road, pacing up and down a stretch of sidewalk, wrestling with that fundamental fact of progress, asking, “Where are my affections placed and whom do I acknowledge and obey as God?”

I had relocated to Atlanta from New York City, and on this particular morning was to be received as a new member of a dedicated and loving church of Christian Scientists.

As I headed to church that morning, I was blindsided by an overwhelming sense of dread and fear. I was suddenly asking myself if I could honestly be an active member in a congregation that looked nothing like me. I am black and the congregation was predominantly white.

Click here to read the entire piece.

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My Favorite Track…Psalm 23

In Published Articles, Spirituality on May 16, 2009 at 4:25 am

Is the 23rd Psalm one of the first Bible verses you learned? If not the Psalm itself then maybe its message that the Lord, God, Divine Love, Spirit, is our shepherd, who loves and cares for us and will never let us go?

The 23 Psalm was one of my first Bible verses committed to memory. I find great comfort in its message especially as I strive to walk in its truth, that God is my shepherd and I shall not want.

“Taking the Shepherd’s Hand“ was written for The Christian Science Sentinel (April 13, 2009) and shares how I learned to know and trust this great Shepherd for the very first time. The resources I used in this piece were Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the Bible, and The New Westminster Dictionary of the Bible by Henry Snyder Gehman.

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Lord’s Prayer for the Middle East

In Published Articles, Spirituality on May 10, 2009 at 10:33 pm

After hearing news of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, I asked myself, “How do I pray about this situation?” Seeing the repeated images of tanks, car bombs, destroyed homes and civilians overwhelmed with grief was unsettling. Because I’ve seen how prayer, the recognition and understanding of God’s allness, heals, I wanted to pray about this situation — but how?

A few days later I found my answer in the Bible, in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. I read and study the Bible every day. Sometimes when I find myself a bit anxious or disturbed for whatever reason, I’ll open it up at random and begin reading. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy’s textbook on Christian Science, which is based on the Bible, especially the teachings and works of Christ Jesus, has helped me see that the Bible contains the keys of life.

In the book of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount occurs after Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. He was tempted three times in escalating degrees of subtlety to renounce his humility, his spirituality, and to embrace his human will or presumed cult of personality.

Jesus’ temptation took place after he had fasted for forty days and nights. His understanding of the laws of God vanquished the tempter. Because God was the source of his being, and could not be tempted, Jesus couldn’t be tempted either. The temptation ceased when Jesus declared that he would only serve and worship God, Spirit.

Matthew records Jesus’ healing ministry beginning immediately after his temptation. Jesus demonstrated that he understood the source and power of life to be our Father-Mother, God. He understood life as spiritual, not material.

Not too long after he conquered his temptation, Jesus went up the side of a mountain to preach to the multitudes that were following him. He begins his sermon assuring everyone that they will be comforted, obtain mercy, have dominion, be peacemakers and see God. He tells them that they are blessed.

He then shows them how to pray. When I got to this part of the sermon, which I’ve read many times before, I was struck by the spirituality of his message, a message he recently proved by overcoming a temptation designed specifically for him.

Jesus urged his followers to give alms quietly, without fanfare — in secret. He told them, “Thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” He went on to say that when they pray they should enter into their closet (figuratively and literally), close the door and pray in secret and “Thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Then he gave them this prayer to pray, which we call the “Lord’s Prayer.”

Here’s the Lord’s Prayer recorded in the book of Matthew along with Mary Baker Eddy’s spiritual sense of it found in the chapter, “Prayer,” in “Science and Health”.

Our Father which art in heaven,

(Our Father-Mother God, all harmonious)

Hallowed be Thy name.

(Adorable One)

Thy kingdom come.

(Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present)

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

(Enable us to know — as in heaven, so on earth, God is omnipotent, supreme)

Give us this day our daily bread;

(Give us grace for to-day; feed the famished affections)

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;

(And Love is reflected in love)

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

(And God leadeth us not into temptation, but delivereth us from sin, disease, and death)

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever

(For God is infinite, all-power, all Life, Truth, Love, over all, and All)

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer of now. It acknowledges the kingdom of heaven, harmony, within us. It invokes the power and presence of God in the very midst of each and every one of us. Understood, the Lord’s Prayer is the truth of our being. I’ve learned in my study of Christian Science that this truth corrects perfectly whatever problem or crises I’m faced with.

I was reminded after praying with the Lord’s Prayer as Jesus taught his followers, that this is how you pray about the Middle East and every disturbance or conflict that begs for our attention.

One litmus test of a prayer is how it makes you feel. Are you quieted? Comforted? At peace? Do you feel the transforming power and presence of God? I felt all the above after praying this way and I will continue praying every day to see and know that God is here, there and everywhere.

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Be a history detective

In Published Articles, Special projects on May 1, 2009 at 9:27 pm

Recently I had the opportunity to assist playwright, Mark Saltzman in researching African-American life in 1904 Little Rock. Fine tuning a play he had written I was to focus on social life, funeral traditions, foods, natural aesthetics like trees and vegetables that would be planted in a garden, and fun facts.

1904 was a very special time in the United States of America. Although the 13th amendment was enacted in 1865, purportedly ending slavery, in Little Rock and many other communities throughout the country laws were being created to segregate blacks from whites. Lynchings were rampant and widespread and sundown towns, places where blacks were not welcome after dark, were on the rise.

Nevertheless, the rhythmic quake of ragtime ushered in by Scott Joplin was being felt throughout the south. In Little Rock, there were three black colleges, Shorter, Arkansas Baptist and Philander Smith. West Ninth Street in downtown Little Rock had African American businesses like The Children’s Drug Store, a pharmacy owned by African American Frank Barbour Coffin, who was also a poet and The Mosaic Templars of America which provided financial, medical and social aid to African Americans in Arkansas and throughout the nation. In addition to its mutual aid, insurance and self help programs the Mosaic Templars also established a nursing school. Like Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue and Harlem’s 125th Street, African American beauty salons, pool halls, butchers, and restaurants were all found on Little Rock’s West Ninth Street.

Working on this project, the greatest boon for me was discovering the very special places and people who both documented and shared this information, this history with me. Here are some of them: Arkansas History Commission, Griff Stockley’s book: Ruled by Race: Black/White Relations in Arkansas from Slavery to the Present, Arkansas Studies Institute, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Philander Smith College – Gracie Carter, Librarian-Archives Department,The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.

“Be a history detective: it matters to me,” published in the Sync Weekly (April 1, 2009) highlighted this fun research opportunity and I hope inspired others to be history detectives…to ask questions and find answers.

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A collection of published work

In Published Articles on April 10, 2009 at 4:53 am

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Black History Month

In Published Articles, Spirituality on February 16, 2009 at 9:38 pm

Rather than argue the merits of Black History Month it is important to note the accomplishments of blacks especially in this country where the observance began because it fixes us on the law of progress, resilience of love, and the radiance of soul. This law, quality, idea that is the basis for black achievement is universal and applicable to all, making this annual observance especially meaningful.

In light of our first African American president, I was inspired to think about black history more deeply this year. Black History Month an enduring lesson written for spirituality.com was the result of that thinking. Working on that piece I discovered The Association for the Study of African American Life and History. It was started by Carter G. Woodson in 1915. According to its website, the mission of ASALH is to “promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.” Mr. Woodson was the second African American to receive a PhD from Harvard University. He is known as the father of black history because he initiated the observance with Negro History Week in 1926. In 1976 Negro History Week was expanded to the month long observance we celebrate today.

In keeping with this theme I also published Stand up to racism for Associated Content.

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A holy moment in the city

In Published Articles, Spirituality on December 22, 2008 at 3:18 am
I wrote “A holy moment in the city” for The Christian Science Sentinel. I love the Sentinel and everything the Christian Science Publishing Society puts forth. I have already commented on the wealth of information and spiritual food you can find on spirituality.com. What I appreciate most about this piece is what it points to…Christmas now…all the time…everywhere.
This very special moment in my life was also recorded on Sentinel Radio. To hear it go to the Audio Download Store and click “Christmas – awaken the power.”

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More on Taking a stand to preserve African culture

In Community, Published Articles on October 18, 2008 at 3:57 am

Working on “Taking a stand to preserve African culture” for Associated Content I found some great online resources for Sapelo Island and its Gullah culture. Gullah is a West African creole still spoken today on Sapelo Island which has the last intact Gullah community. At one time the Atlantic coastal islands stretching from North Carolina to Florida were Gullah communities. Enslaved Africans were brought to these islands predominately to farm rice. Because of the isolation of these islands, for instance you can only reach Sapelo Island by ferry, these Africans were able to retain much of their culture. Mass tourism and resort development have changed the face of these islands. Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society was established to preserve the island’s African heritage and protect the rights of the descendants and their land. SICARS is doing some wonderful things for the people of Sapelo Island and anyone can be a member.

For many folks Julie Dash’s movie Daughters of the Dust was their introduction to the Gullah culture. I found a really neat slide show/movie called The Gullah-Geechee Culture: Saving The Soul produced by the Cox News service who publishes among things The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The visual presentation along with the music from the McIntosh County Shouters will have you clapping and swaying and planning your trip to Sapelo Island.

Mary Jane Volkmann was selected to be the artist in residence at Sapelo Island this past year. She’s a lovely person and a great artist who predominantly paints in oils and acrylics capturing “nature’s gentle breeze as well as man’s resplendent soul” in her portraits. She lived in southern Africa for 28 years. One of her creative projects was to design stamps for Namibia. You can find them on her website. They are beautiful. I could go on and on about Mary Jane Volkmann.

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Taking a stand to preserve African culture

In Community, Published Articles on October 17, 2008 at 3:39 am

For over 200 years, you and your African ancestors lived on an Atlantic coastal island somewhere between North Carolina and Florida. Investors and developers begin visiting. They are interested in buying and building on your island. The possibility of your idyllic beach turning into the latest exclusive golf community or spring break destination is no longer a bad dream but a reality. What do you do?

Well if you are Gullah and live on Sapelo Island, Georgia, you form a non profit organization to preserve and revitalize your community and you call it Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society. Founded in 1993, SICARS was established to gain control over the future of Sapelo’s Gullah population residing in the Hog Hammock community.

For many of us Julie Dash’s 1991 independent film, Daughters of the Dust was our first glimpse into the Gullah island culture. Stretching up and down the Atlantic coastline from North Carolina to Florida, these islands include: James, Johns, Edisto, St. Helena, Hilton Head, Daufuskie, Wilmington, Pin Point, Cumberland, Jekyll, Ossabaw, Sapelo, St. Simons and Amelia Islands.

Much of the dialogue in the film, praised for its lush imagery, was in Gullah. Gullah is a West African-English Creole. Still spoken today, many of the words can be matched to ethnic groups in West Africa. Because of the isolation of these islands these African-Americans retained much of their African culture.

Mass tourism and resort development have virtually changed the face of all the islands where the Gullah people historically lived. Sapelo, off the coast of Georgia, has the last intact Gullah community. Here many of the descendants can trace their ancestry back to Bilali Muhammad, an enslaved African brought to the island in 1802. Bilali could speak, read and write Arabic and spoke French and Fulani. The descendants live in the Hog Hammock community whose 434 acres are nestled in the south central area of Sapelo.

Sapelo Island is only accessible by ferry which departs the mainland three times a day. The 30 minute ferry ride has aided this particular Gullah community in retaining much of its autonomy. However, residents of Hog Hammock regularly venture into the mainland for school and work. After high school many of residents leave for greater opportunities on the mainland or elsewhere. This proves to be a great challenge for the descendants living on the island because the demographics have shifted to an increasingly retired senior population.

SICARS volunteer and descendant, Netty H. Evans was born on Sapelo. She is a descendant because her mother and grandmother were also born on the island. “More and more people are coming back home to Sapelo,” says Evans. She tells of two couples, one from New Jersey and the other from Boston who are currently building homes on the island. This is inspiring because it ebbs the flow of descendants leaving the island and shores up support for preserving Hog Hammock.

SICARS educates the surrounding mainland communities and the state of Georgia on the importance of their support in preserving the Gullah community through their Annual Cultural Day festival. Every October a day is set aside to celebrate the rich history and legacy of the descendants of the people of Sapelo Island. There is music, great food, cultural customs and traditions like sweet grass basket making, net casting, oral history and story telling, quilt making, and so much more.

“Singing and dancing, arts and crafts, people come from all over the world,” says Evans.” “They line up for the smoked mullet and the low country boil shrimp and grits.”

SICARS’ three main initiatives are community education, land use and community planning, and sustainable economic development. Through the efforts of SICARS, the Hog Hammock Historic District of Sapelo Island was entered into the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of Interior in 1996.

The Hog Hammock Library recently opened on the island. It is an affiliate of Georgia’s regional library system providing educational resources and hands-on cultural experiences for the Hog Hammock community as well as Gullah descendants around the world wanting to learn more about their heritage.

Some of SICARS completed projects include the restoration of 143 year old First African Baptist Church with the assistance of Savannah College of Arts and Design and the Georgia State Preservation Division of the Department of Natural Resources. Another is the development and implementation of a community land trust as well as the adoption of a detailed land use plan.

SICARS and Hog Hammock’s Gullah community activism provide a wonderful example of preservation for other African communities facing similar challenges around the globe. They have maintained ownership of their land for over 130 years. Although that is great cause for celebration the descendants of Hog Hammock are mindful of the future and the implementation of solutions to ensure the preservation of their way of life.

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Racial concepts and the Jena six

In Published Articles, Spirituality on November 10, 2007 at 4:10 am

I wrote “Racial concepts and the Jena six,” for The Christian Science Sentinel, in response to the racial unrest in Jena, Louisiana that made international news. Working on this piece I learned that individuals are beginning to explore the issue of race and racism from a more heightened and sober perspective.

The PBS special, RACE-The Power of Illusion explores the concept of race. In the special, Biological Anthropologist, Alan Goodman said, “To understand why the idea of race is a biological myth requires a major paradigm shift, a shift in perspective…race is not based on biology but race is rather an idea that we ascribe to biology.”

Speaking to this fact of race as an idea or concept, Sociologist, Melvin Oliver said, “The markers of race, skin color, hair texture, the things we identify as the racial markers, mean nothing unless they are given social meaning and unless there’s public policy and private actions that act upon those characteristics.”

RACE-The Power of Illusion is an interactive site. You’ll find a list of background readings, resources for teachers and discussion guides. Check it out.

I have the habit of addressing troubling local and global challenges from a spiritual perspective. Doing so has brought me much peace and healing.

Spirituality.com is a wonderful resource. The website is designed to heal, inspire, and guide you on your spiritual journey through the many resources of The Christian Science Publishing Society. You’ll find links to read the Bible as well as Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

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