Category: History
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Kelly Brown Douglas on Resurrection Hope
Along with members of our adult ACE Sunday School class at Caldwell Presbyterian Church, I have been reading the remarkable book Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter by the Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas. In addition to recommending the book, I want to share the following collection of audio and video resources…
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Against All Enemies
I’ve been watching, reading, and thinking about the fractures in American democracy for several years now — through the lens of a citizen, an educator, a media literacy teacher, and a veteran who took the same oath every person featured in this documentary once swore. So when I say that Against All Enemies (2023) is…
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Values of the Ancestors
Reminders from the Artemis mission patch of Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hansen Thank you, Henry Guimond, Dave Courchene II, and Jeremy Hansen for this poignant reminder about the values of our ancestors, which are still so important today: Respect (the buffalo), Love (the eagle), Courage (the bear), Honesty (Sasquatch), Wisdom (the beaver), Humility (the wolf), and…
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Update: March 27, 2026
Video available on Substack, Facebook and YouTube. (Duration: 28 minutes) On March 27, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wes Fryer shares a Heal Our Culture video update focused on staying resilient through hope, joy, and community, including family gatherings. He previews the nationwide No Kings 3 nonviolent protest on March 28 and describes his work with Indivisible Charlotte…
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Update: March 13, 2026
Video available on Substack and YouTube. On March 13, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Wes Fryer shares a second video-style update for the Heal Our Culture Project, urging viewers to be “culture healers” and describing recent sources of hope through Zoom collaborations, the Thrive United for Democracy and Global Action conference recordings, and local work…
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Ep 4: Cairo and Democracy’s Fragility
Wes Fryer records episode four of the Heal Our Culture podcast from Charlotte, North Carolina on February 15, 2026, framing it as a “letter to the future” for his unborn grandchildren. He shares a story from a November 2017 trip to Cairo, Egypt to speak at the EduForum conference, including visiting the pyramids, the Sphinx,…
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Faith, Genocide, and Silence
This evening, I had the opportunity to attend a powerful Zoom session hosted by Rev. Dr. Ben Boswell, pastor of Collective Liberation Church here in Charlotte, North Carolina. The featured speaker was Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler, who many in our community may remember from his sermon during Black History Month at our own church, Caldwell…
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Frederick Douglass on White Evangelicals
Multiple Christian denominations have notable and lamentable histories of “getting it wrong, BIG TIME” when it comes to interpreting and applying the Scriptures of the Holy Bible. This is an outstanding article in Christianity Today, and an important history lesson to consider today on Juneteenth, as many profess a false gospel of “Christian Nationalism,” which…
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Lessons from North Carolina
To “heal our culture,” we need to understand our culture. A few weeks ago, I bought a paper copy of “Lessons from North Carolina: Race, Religion, Tribe, and the Future of America” by Gene Nichol. Nichol is a lawyer and academic by trade, he has written several books, and this is my first time to…
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Cast a Truth Spell
Walter Rhein observes and contends, “Truth is a healing spell.” Walter is correct. Our very words can be powerful. Like the spells of Hogwarts students in Slytherin House or Gryffindor, we have the power to curse or bless with our words. When spoken, those blessings or curses not only affect others, but they affect and…