Faith and Hard Work in an Era of Upheaval
(part of a series from the “Shipwrecked Project”)There are many definitions of a hard childhood. By any definition Mario had a hard childhood. A childhood shaped by deprivation and struggle. Mario did not have a complete understanding of the reasons his father abandoned his children and his wife. Though his father at one time served […]
2016
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 One of our early Houston founding families supported the creation of settlement houses and community centers, because, as he said, “neighbors should live as friends”. I just recently returned from Germany. A country leading the struggle to welcome newcomers, to make a place for over a million Syrian refugees. German […]
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ANGELA BLANCHARD?
AND WHAT HAS SHE BEEN DOING SINCE BAKERRIPLEY? …answering all the questions I am most often asked about what I’m doing… YOU WERE WITH BAKERRIPLEY FOR A VERY LONG TIME. DO YOU MISS IT? I miss the people, not the position. I was ready — like a baked cake — it was time to get […]
Flooded Again
So many of my friends homes are flooded. Again. I feel sick with dread. Weeks of misery. Months of mold. You’d think we would grow some sort of thicker skin (scales) to deal with all of this but we haven’t yet. It’s just so heartbreaking to see people trying to continue a way of life […]
Crowdsource that Dang Wall
I’ve been thinking about DJT’s ~1,900 mile wall.* I think we should crowdsource it. If you want a wall, grab a brick and haul it down to the Texas** border and put it right down. On the border. A few things to watch out for: Snakes. I’m scared of snakes. They have snakes. Mean ones. […]
You’re Welcome
Today in Houston, elected, faith, civic and nonprofit leaders, led by Mayor Turner, gathered at Baker Ripley to tell all residents of our city that they are still welcome in Houston. It was necessary. Children are not coming to school. Parents are calling hot lines with questions about “immediate deportations”. People proudly seeking citizenship now […]
NO. Governor Abbott. NO.
I write this from Germany where I’ve been invited to speak to 1,500 German public, private and NGO leaders and volunteers about best ideas for the long term integration of immigrants and refugees. Germany has welcomed 1.1 million refugees to their country. Every major city here has taken in 100–200K people. Now, leaders are intensely […]