“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”- Dr. Howard Thurman
Queen Mother Carr: Birthday Lessons on Bad Seeds and Benevolent Blessings
“I learned quickly that, if I was in the wrong, I best suck it up, keep it moving, and leave Mama alone…”
Yusef Harris: A Life Lesson in Classic Community Conditioning
Yusef Harris was The Nutty Professor in my 19-year old mind—and reasonably so. As a Freshman college student in a Psychology 101 class at Tennessee State University in the Spring of 1986, …
Kwame Leo Lillard: A Living Libation for Liberation
By jeff obafemi carr The spirit who occupied the Earth Suit recognized by all as the great Kwame Leo Lillard has now transitioned into The Ancestral Realm. When I first heard the news, I immediately carried a glass of water to my front yard, poured some out, and called his name aloud. This is the…
Sheltering at Home–Again.
“We” must imagine a better COVID-19 path for schools reopening My youngest daughter is back at home after Thanksgiving for virtual learning, and I’m both relieved and concerned—once again. Like many other parents of children in Metro Nashville Public Schools, my wife and I have done our absolute best to be team players. We are…
Zooming Into Focus: The Barry Scott Nashville Memorial Chat
When Barry Scott (1955-2020) passed away suddenly last week, the world didn’t know what to do. How do we pay tribute to a man who touched so many for so long? Sounds like an answerable question–and opportunity–for Creatives. The result? On a Sunday night, close to 70 artists from around the United States sprang into…
The Carr Brothers Talk #Beyonce: There is a first time for everything
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do something I’d never done before–talk to my brother. Actually, that’s a lie. I’ve had some of the most profound conversations of my life with my elder brother, Dr. Greg Carr, who is one of the leading Africana Studies intellectuals in the world today. He’s a…
Imaginary Circumstances: The Truth about Barry Scott
Barry Scott died yesterday. He was—among so many other things—an actor. So am I. And I’ve been called worse things. You see, when you’re an actor, you’re in a unique conundrum. You are, by training and by experience, a Weaver of Dreams. Many lawyers, doctors, policemen, and random heroes grew up desiring their professions because…
Spiritual-Historical Implications of Beyonce’s #BlackIsKing: A Conversation with The Carr Brothers
On last Sunday at The Infinity Fellowship, I had a privilege and an honor as its Chief Spiritual Officer: The opportunity to have what is usually an interpersonal conversation with my big brother–only in a first-ever public broadcast. If you didn’t know, Dr. Greg Carr is not only the Chair of Howard University’s Afro-American Studies…
Black Stuff: A 1997 Poem
I wanna see some black stuff ‘cause black stuff is me. I wanna see some black stuff Fantasy or History. I wanna see some black stuff come parading across the stage ‘cause at this point only black stuff can invoke my joy and rage. I just wanna see some black stuff when the lights come…
The Infinity Plan: A functional, direct-action template for creating an Equitable Nashville. Right now.
People are angry. People are frustrated; and rightly so. As a Nashville native, I’ve observed a growing divide between the haves and have nots that manifests as displacement of people of color, poor people, and people who are not politically-connected. Now there is an accentuated racial divide, with systemic racism backing up those with privilege…
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
the carr window 