Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

  On 11 September 2020, in the former slave state of Missouri, a man driving a truck in Springfield slowed by a house. The Black woman looked up, thinking he might want directions. Instead, he hurled that ugliest of racial epithets, "Hey nigger!" He drove off. Racism continues to thrive like a deadly virus. I think it impossible to really understand US slavery or racism from my location in 2020; however, I believe the quest is important for all who live in America and want to create a future that embraces the ideals of liberty and justice for all. As many have said, slavery has been a part of human history for millennia. And it is noteworthy in a nation formed by so many Christian tribes that slavery was a part of Christian history. The 1619 Education Project When trying to set the context for US slavery, it is difficult to know where to set the boundaries of context. The 1619 project of The New York Times focuses attention on the arrival of more than 20 Africans sold to...

Lives destroyed in Dallas John the Baptist, Rodin, St Louis Art Museum On Friday morning I ambled toward the breakfast room of my St Louis hotel. Black hands took turns with my white hands filling plates with yellow eggs and brown sausages followed by filling white cups with black coffee. The room was full of black families watching horrific Dallas scenes. “Officer down. Officer down.” We all learned five of twelve injured officers had died—gunned down at a #blacklivesmatter protest, which followed the shooting of black lives earlier in the week. I’m mindful of another catastrophic week not far from here -- the 2013 events in nearby Ferguson, Missouri. #blacklivesmatter I return to my room passing an open door. The sign says, “Family Reunion.” Children scamper to and fro ignoring parent calls. Some black families are enjoying time together. #blacklivesmatter. Like the screen in the breakfast room, police’ lives become the focus of attention. Now more fami...