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    Bishop Eddie Long Accusers Announce Release Date for Book Recounting Sexual Abuse Allegations!

    Hello World,

    It was just over a year and half ago that the untimely death of Bishop Eddie L. Long, megachurch pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia was announced, sending shock waves in the religious community. It was the end of an era if you grew up in the A. Even if you weren’t a member, I will bet that every black person in the metro Atlanta area knew someone who was a member at some point, thereby multiplying his influence well beyond the church’s walls.

    But don’t be mistaken! Bishop Long’s ministry garnered worldwide attention as the world came to his church’s doorstep when the funeral for the widow of Atlanta’s greatest native son the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mrs. Coretta Scott King, was held on the premises in 2006. At the time, Dr. King’s youngest daughter Dr. Bernice King was an elder at New Birth.

    That’s why it was so devastating when Bishop Long was accused of allegedly priming and eventually convincing four young men to have sexual relationship with him in a 2010 lawsuit. The matter was settled out of court and presumably never to be spoken of again as demanded by the rules of the settlement awarded to the young men. But as has been said truth is stranger than fiction and as I say, the best fiction is based on truth! To that end, the four accusers – Spencer LeGrande, Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg and Jamaal Parris – are writing a fictionalized account of their alleged experiences, according to the AJC.

    The roman a clef — “Foursaken” — centers around a scandal involving the charismatic preacher of a thriving megachurch. While technically a work of fiction, LeGrande said there should be no doubt the sordid tale of power and betrayal is one they experienced firsthand.

    Now this novel has been in the works for at least a year and this book isn’t the only one written about the experience. The fifth accuser, Centino Kemp, who wasn’t included in the initial lawsuit wrote a book entitled “First Lady,” which was published in 2013. If you want to read an interview with Kemp, check out The Christian Post’s interview with him about that work.

    According to the AJC, “Foursaken” will be released before the end of 2018. And the leadership of New Birth Missionary Church, which has suffered a loss of membership since this scandal, will be among the novel’s readership if only to ensure that the authors maintain the settlement’s boundaries. New Birth board chairman Thomas W. Dortch Jr. detailed his position to the AJC.

    “If they cross the line, then they’ll answer for it,” Dortch said. “If they violate the agreement or, if at this point, try to embarrass Bishop Long’s family, there will be consequences. We’ll take whatever action is necessary within the law.”

    Also, as has been said before, there are three sides to every story, mine, yours and the truth. I don’t know whose account is true, but prior to his January 2017 death from cancer, Bishop Long wrote his own story “The Untold Story – The Story of Adversity, Pain, and Resilience.”  Now, according to an interview with Steve Harvey, Long could not address the sexual abuse allegations in the book but all three of these works should give insight into a tragic set of events.

    Will you be reading this book when it is published?

    Any thoughts?

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    Racial Justice Author Austin Channing Brown to Sign New Book ‘I’m Still Here’ at Jimmy Carter Library on Thursday, July 19

    Hello World,

    Austin Channing Brown’s new book  I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness has been getting a lot of buzz, but if you haven’t heard of it, see the synopsis below:

    From a powerful new voice on racial justice, an eye-opening account of growing up black, Christian, and female in middle-class white America.

    Austin Channing Brown’s first encounter with a racialized America came at age seven, when she discovered her parents named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools, organizations, and churches, Austin writes, “I had to learn what it means to love blackness,” a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America’s racial divide as a writer, speaker, and expert who helps organizations practice genuine inclusion.

    In a time when nearly all institutions (schools, churches, universities, businesses) claim to value “diversity” in their mission statements, I’m Still Here is a powerful account of how and why our actions so often fall short of our words. Austin writes in breathtaking detail about her journey to self-worth and the pitfalls that kill our attempts at racial justice, in stories that bear witness to the complexity of America’s social fabric – from black Cleveland neighborhoods to private schools in the middle-class suburbs, from prison walls to the boardrooms at majority-white organizations. For listeners who have engaged with America’s legacy on race through the writing of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Michael Eric Dyson, I’m Still Here is an illuminating look at how white, middle-class Evangelicalism has participated in an era of rising racial hostility, inviting the listener to confront apathy, recognize God’s ongoing work in the world, and discover how blackness – if we let it – can save us all.

    Austin Channing Brown is a writer, speaker, and practitioner who helps schools, nonprofits, and religious organizations practice genuine inclusion. Her writing has appeared in outlets like Christianity Today, Relevant, Sojourners, and The Christian Century.

    If you would like to know more about Brown’s book and live in the metro Atlanta area, she as well as her special guest rapper Lecrae will be speaking about her book as well as the topics of racial justice and racial reconciliation on Thursday, July 19 at 7 p.m. at the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum,  453 Freedom Pkwy NE, Atlanta, GA 30307. For tickets, click on eventbrite.com. And if you don’t live in the metro Atlanta area and want to know more about I’m Still Here, she will be visiting other locations in the country as a part of her book tour.   

    Any thoughts?

     

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    Warryn & Erica Campbell’s Daughter Admits to Being Bullied Because of Skin Color on ‘We’re The Campbells’ TONIGHT on TV One!

    Hello World,

    Colorism in the black community is real and the fact that it is still an issue today is unbelievable! Black, in all hues, is beautiful! You would think that the black community would have evolved past being color struck in modern society, but sadly, that is not the case…

    In TONIGHT’s episode of “We’re The Campbells,” Erica Campbell discovers that her eldest child Krista struggles with self-esteem because of her dark skin tone.  Erica introduces Krista to Kheris, a social media star who has her own fashion line dedicated to embracing her dark hued complexion. After Erica shares Krista’s concerns with Warryn, he reveals a secret he’s kept from Joi that certain record executives refused to work with her because they thought her features were too dark. When Warryn shares the truth, she questions remaining in the music industry altogether. Meanwhile, Warryn asks Erica to co-preach with him at church but Erica doesn’t have time to prepare.

    See some clips from the episode below:

    In this snippet, Krista Campbell reveals she was called “darkie” by other kids. That is so sad.

    In the snippet below, Warryn discusses that he, too, faced some angst around his complexion.

    The overall promo for the episode is last. Krista asks her mother if she is ugly. That is so heartbreaking!

    “We’re The Campbells” airs Tuesdays at 8/C on TV One!

    Will you be watching?

    Any thoughts?