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We saw God's work in Walmart's dinosaur aisle.

After attending church on Sunday, we received an assignment from Linda Whitley, who provided us with five 'Angel Tree' tags and instructed us to pay close attention to the ages and specific toy preferences for each child. We proceeded to Walmart to purchase the five designated items, where we encountered Stan in the aisle featuring dinosaur toys. He explained that he was selecting toys to donate to a church, as was his annual tradition. We shared that we were also making donations through our church and had been given a list of required toys. Upon learning that our church was First Baptist on Scotland Street, we discovered, after a brief conversation, that both of us were purchasing toys to support the same congregation.  

He reviewed our list and inquired whether any toys remained on it, but we only had the tags that were provided to us on Sunday. He departed briefly and subsequently returned with a $100 bill, requesting that we double our purchases so that more children could receive gifts. John and Bobbie Walker from Annapolis, Maryland, overheard our conversation with Stan, witnessed his contribution, and generously offered additional funds for us to buy even more toys. At this juncture, Mike contacted Linda Whitley to seek guidance regarding the selection of items to purchase with the extra money we received from individuals previously unknown to us at Walmart. I then asked Mike to obtain an additional shopping cart, as our original cart was already filled with our selections alongside those from Stan, John, and Bobbie. He returned to the dinosaur aisle in tears. After a brief pause, he handed over another $100. Once composed, he shared that on his way to get another cart, he ran into our friend, JarMarcus King, the owner of J&F Alliance Group, and recounted the events in Walmart's toy section—Stan’s donation prompted additional contributions from the Walkers. JarMarcus then told Mike, “Man, I got to do something too,” and that was the $100 bill that Mike showed me.

We originally intended to purchase five items based on 'Angel Tree' tags and deliver them to the church as requested. Unexpectedly, four generous individuals gathered in the Walmart toy section to support the Salvation Army’s ‘Angel Tree’ program. As a result, we were able to leave with 28 toys for children aged 3-5. The experience highlighted how collective generosity can expand our ability to assist others—a meaningful way to observe the holiday season and to bless others. 

An Exuberant Apostle of Racial Justice

As we all struggle to understand the complexities of race in our country and around the world, I am left to wonder where in the world will we now find a true spokesman for racial equality and nonviolence? Now, more than ever, we need leaders from our faith communities that can inspire us. Where will we find another Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Ella Baker, WEB DuBois, Cesar Chavez, Mahatma Gahdhi, Susan B. Anthony, Elie Wiesel, Dorothy Height? Bishop Tutu will be missed on the world stage. The Washington Post describes him as an “exuberant apostle of racial justice in South Africa” and states that he explained his devotion to social justice in religious terms, saying his “Christian faith demanded that he speak out for the underdog and the oppressed.” There are many individuals fighting for civil rights and social justice, but who are the leaders in the faith community that are now our most influential civil rights leaders? As I sit here and wonder about who are the most influential civil rights leaders since 2000, I am reminded of a recently compiled a list of well-known activists after reviewing biographies and news stories from resource material, websites of organizations such as the NAACP, the Nobel Prize website, and media sites. That list is composed of civil rights leaders who are still very active and are working in various fields – from racial justice to support for formerly incarcerated women and religious liberties. On that list, we find Esmeralda Simmons, James Rucker, Lateefah Simon, Nihad Awad, Ciara Taylor, Opal Tometi, Van Jones and others…but where are the charismatic faith leaders who believe in non-violence and that can deliver messages that are not muddled – or contradictory? Does our current movement lack a spiritual center? Again, I wonder who are, and where are our faith leaders today on civil rights and social justice?

A chance to talk with Jesse Cole

As I stare at the portrait of Mr. Jesse Cole, I cannot help but think that the members of the First Baptist Church Nassau Street Descendant Community and I would like to spend a few minutes with him. We want to hear what compelled him to donate land and a building to free and enslaved African Americans here in Williamsburg to gather and worship. As we struggle in the 21^st century with the unresolved and difficult conversation on race in Virginia, and in the country, we feel that he could perhaps help us to understand a lot by sharing the reason for his decision. It had to be an unpopular and even dangerous position to take centuries ago. What could it have been? Was it his faith in a God that loves us all? We need just a few minutes with you Mr. Cole.