Part ONE Once long ago, in late 1976, I set out to write the great American Quaker novel. Or at least, a page-turning historical potboiler. It was to be be about Quakers on the island of Nantucket, during the American Revolution. Two of them in particular: the gruff but pious William Rotch, — who was … Continue reading The Island of Two Stories: A Four-Part Mini-Saga
The Separation Generation: Discussion – March 7 at ESR & on Zoom 6-8PM EST To register FREE Today, Click here. From 2007 to 2018, five U. S. Yearly Meetings split apart —one disappeared completely, after 320 years. This was the broadest, most disruptive wave of separations since 1827. Five years later, several much larger denominations … Continue reading Next Tuesday: The “Separation Generation” Discussion on March 7
Selma, Alabama, February 1965 I I was arrested again on February third, marching outside the Dallas County courthouse in downtown Selma. I spent the following ten days in jail. Half that time I was back in the county jail’s dayroom, where I had been crammed in with Dr. King and 200-plus other marchers on February … Continue reading Another for Dr. King: The Night March & The Killers
[NOTE: Many supporters of the 1960s civil rights struggles in Alabama long referred to Birmingham, its largest city, as “Bombingham,” because of a long string (as many as fifty) of racist bombings and other attacks of homes and churches associated with the movement. Most remain unsolved. The most notorious of these attacks was the bombing … Continue reading Fifth Little Girl in ‘63 Birmingham Bombing Still Seeks Justice
For a reporter, even a retired one, there’s a charge of adrenaline in a scoop — getting a story before other journalists. And if the scooped rival is the Big Kahuna, aka the New York Times, there’s an extra kick to it. So I’m preening this morning, after noticing that the august Times, fresh off stuffing another … Continue reading Scooping the Times, With Grim Satisfaction