Blog
A collection of weekly reflections written by BLK South community and board members.
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Why Representation Matters
Whose stories shape how we see the world, and whose voices have been missing? From a bathroom poster in Phoenix to the photographs honoring his great-grandmother in Durham’s Fannie Latta House, Kendall Dooley reflects on how representation shapes identity, belonging, and the knowledge we value. Drawing on Boaventura de Sousa Santos and Aisha Thomas, he explores what it means to learn from the wisdom of those whose experiences have been pushed to the margins. Their stories offer more than a reminder that we belong; they invite us to participate in imagining and shaping our collective future.
Donkey Power?
“The Scripture for Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1–11) is filled with symbols—palm branches, cloaks, and shouts of “Hosanna.” Yet at the center of it all is an image that feels almost out of place: a donkey. Not a war horse, not a chariot, not a display of dominance or force, but a donkey. I remember when I was working at Neighborhood Ministries in Phoenix, one of our pastors preached a sermon called Donkey Power, and it stayed with me because it named something I think we struggle to believe in: a kind of power that is humble, that serves, and that accompanies rather than dominates. It raises a question that has lingered with me ever since—why is it so difficult to trust that kind of power?”