I do not blame you if, when you think of the black church, you think of it as an emaciated and anemic institution. It would be an easy intellection to hold, especially when an entire book can be written about the state . . . Continue reading →
Author: Wendell Talley
Wendell Talley is a native of Los Angeles, where he lives now. He is a past Commissioner for the Iowa Office on the Status of African Americans.
Guides, Not Spokesmen
Indirectly, with all due concessions for logical consequences, divine providence, and human nature, I’m going to tell you why there are packs of feral children killing 73-year-old men in the streets of Philadelphia today. To do so I’ll have to tell you . . . Continue reading →
Commencement
It is graduation season. This academic year (and the one preceding it) has been rough on students and parents alike. If you have not been paying attention here are a few examples of what we’ve learned is taking place in your local . . . Continue reading →
The Payback Machine
My father died when we were both too young. He was a mechanic at a GM dealership. Among my few memories of him is him driving to work in his sky-blue Buick Skylark wearing grey overalls and coming home with grease-smudged hands . . . Continue reading →
What’s A Commissioner To Do?
Incredibly, the Governor of Iowa has nominated me for a place on a statewide commission.1 My nomination is pending confirmation by the state senate in April. It is an out of the way, low level commission. The stakes are low. There won’t . . . Continue reading →
“You’re A Presbyterian? How Did That Happen?”
Being that I’m black, I often get asked: “Wendell, you’re a Presbyterian? How did that happen?” I’ll tell it this way: It was late summer in 2006 and I was not sure where I was going. It was a bright Sunday morning . . . Continue reading →