My earliest memory is knowing that I had an older sister, Denise McNair, who was slain by Klansmen in the infamous bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in September of 1963. The knowledge of her death is always with me and shapes everything about my life. You might think that that would have led to my parents teaching me and my younger sister to hate all White people. However, Mamma and Daddy chose to do just the opposite. They never taught us to hate but to love everyone and take time to understand how others see life. Mamma would say, “you can't know a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.”

 

When I am speaking publicly it is my desire to share how my family navigates through life after being a part of such a heinous act of hate. It Is my desire to share with others how we were learning to fight to live for love instead of hate despite how others were telling us not to do so. Love is the only way for understanding, reconciliation, and peace in the world in which we live.

Blogs

• John Stanko's Facebook blog N/A

• Comeback Town Birmingham, AL

 

Businesses/Corporations

• Southern Company (Zoom call) N/A

• Advancing Sight Network (Zoom call) Birmingham, AL

 

Colleges/Universities

• Messiah College, Mechanicsburg, PA

• Purdue University – Calumet, Hammond, IN

• Miles College, Birmingham, AL

• North Hennepin Community College – Minneapolis, MN

• Minneapolis Community & Technical College– Minneapolis, MN

• University of Montevallo

• Anderson College Anderson, SC

• Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX

• Grace College (Todd brought this group to Bham) Birmingham, AL

• U of A Law School Anil's class (Zoom call) Tuscaloosa, AL

• 1st year U of A Law School (Zoom call) Tuscaloosa, AL

• Samford University - Howard Scholars Birmingham, AL

• North Hennepin Community College Minniapolis, MN

 

Conferences

• Congressional Black Caucus

• ASAALH-(Association for the Study of African American Life and History) (Oct 2013)

• Jubilee 2019, Pittsburgh, PA

• National Association of Black Journalist BCRI (met in Miami in Sept)

 

Elementary and High Schools

• Trussville High, Trussville, AL

• Westinghouse High, Pittsburgh, PA

• Pizitz Middle School, Homewood, AL

• Bumpus Middle School Hoover, AL

• Sacramento County schools workshop (Zoom call) N/A

• Sacramento County schools workshop (Zoom call) N/A

• Sacramento County schools workshop (Zoom call) N/A

• Sacramento County Schools Workshop (Zoom Call) Sacramento, CA

• Los Angeles County Social Studies Workshop (Zoom Call) Los Angeles, CA

• Southwest Leadership Academy(Zoom Call) Philadelphia, PA

• Los Angeles County Social Studies Workshop (Zoom Call)  Los Angeles, CA

• CCSS-California Council for the Social Studies (Zoom call) Sacramento, CA

• Sacramento County schools workshop (Zoom call) Sacramento, CA

• Sacramento County schools workshop (Zoom call) Sacramento, CA

 

Groups/Organizations

• Birmingham Running Club-MLK Day Run

• All State Lunch and Learn

• Jack & Jill in South Carolina (Zoom call) N/A

• AAHPM-Amer. Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine(Zoom call) N/A

• Junior League Arlington, TX (Zoom call) N/A

• Delta Sigma Theta-Monrovia, CA (Zoom call) N/A

• The Women's Network(Zoom Call) Birmingham, AL

• NPHC SEPA, Nat'l Pan Hellenic Council (Zoom Call) Philadelphia, PA

• YMBC-Young Men's Business Club (Zoom Call) for TMP Birmingham, AL

• Hoover Democrats for TMP (Zoom call) Hoover, AL

• Daughters of the American Revolution (Zoom call) Birmingham, AL

• Southeastern Bar Association  (Zoom call) Regional

 

Municipalities etc.

• The City of Minneapolis MN – City Hall

• Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Kress on Dexter – Montgomery, AL

• Social Security – Birmingham, AL

• Dakota County Library (Zoom call) Minniapolis, MN

• San Francisco Police Department San Francisco, CA

 

Press Outlets

• Birmingham News

• CNN – Don Lemon

• MSNBC – Lawrence O’Donnell “The Last Word”

• Huffington Post

• Al Sharpton "Politics Nation" on MSNBC

• Tavis Smiley

• Lakeshore Focus - PA

• ACLU Newsletter

• Montgomery Advertiser

 

Radio/Podcast/Social Media Live

• MCIR Facebook live with Jerry Mitchell N/A

• JaPaul's Internet show, Perspective (Zoom call) N/A

• Level UP Internet radio show(Zoom Call) Atlanta, GA

• The History of Being Black with Eunice Elliott Birmingham, AL

• MCIR Facebook live with Jerry Mitchell w/ Doug Jones Nationwide

 

Religious Organization

• Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church

• Bethlehem Baptist Church, McKeesport, PA

• Temple Emanuel, Birmingham, AL

• Canterbury United Methodist Church, Birmingham, AL

• Unity Church, Birmingham, AL

• Unity Church, Chattanooga, TN

• Thirgood CME Church Birmingham, AL

• Jewish Community Relations Council JCRC Birmingham, AL

 

 

Tour Group

• Sojourn to the Past, San Francisco, CA

• The Common Ground Project, PA

• Durham Academy, Durham, NC

• Sankofa Tzedek (Avi Edleman's group) Siliver Coin - Bha,