heatherdean

[1] Raising healthy children is not only a familial concern. This concern also has communal and societal implications and reflects the kind of values we hold true. It is not an exaggeration to emphasize that local communities, and society at large, also assume a significant role in raising healthy children.  We cannot say we value […]

[1] As a mother of a son who survived childhood leukemia and is now thriving as an adult, I found A Story About Cancer With a Happy Ending both deeply resonant and profoundly uplifting. India Desjardin’s poignant narrative, brought to life through Marianne Ferrer’s heartfelt illustrations, captures the essence of the cancer journey with remarkable […]

[1] Aidan: The Lead-Free Superhero is a children’s book that tells the story of Aidan’s illness, and the inspiration for the family’s advocacy efforts. The book tells the story of Aidan Branch, a real-life superhero who was diagnosed with lead poisoning, and found a purpose after getting well. Unlike Rev. Darrick Wade Sr.’s book Mr. […]

[1] The ethics of raising healthy children is a challenging topic of discussion. Normally, most people think of ethics as a normative activity, limited to atomistical individuals acting according to societal norms. Ethics is reduced to inculcating children with moral values that would allow them to navigate right and wrong. Nevertheless, there is a neglected […]

Your skin is the most beautiful color of black sand from Africa and your hair is as wild and free as the lion that roams the jungle, for truly I tell you that it is indeed a blessing to be born black.   Though some might try to deceive you and tell you that your […]

[1] As part of our issue on “The Ethics of Raising Healthy Children,” I interviewed activist Deanna Branch.  Branch has been gaining national attention for her work.  She appeared at the State of the Union Address in January of 2024 and at the Democratic National Convention in August of 2024.   I started with the question, […]

[1] Maternal health, a vital component of public health, encompasses the physical, mental, and social well-being of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Effective maternal health services, which include access to prenatal care, nutritional support, mental health resources, and postpartum care, are essential for reducing maternal mortality and fostering healthy outcomes for mothers […]

[1] In Martin Luther’s Christmas sermons, he used all his rhetorical gifts to paint with words the images of a tiny and fragile baby nosed by animals looking in their feed box, a poor mother forced to give birth in the dark and in the cold because no one would help her, a father wrapping […]

[1] This year, 2025, marks the 500th anniversary of Katie and Martin Luther’s wedding.  Notably, Martin Luther wrote in 1519 (six years before his own marriage and seven years before the birth of his first child) that raising children is a parent’s highest calling.  In 1520, in his Letter to the Christian Nobility, he tells […]

[1] Karen L. Bloomquist’s latest book, Moving Beyond: Toward Transformative Theologizing, is not intended to be a scholarly work; it is a call to reevaluate traditional approaches to God-talk in an attempt to create a more engaging and transformational model. Building on her previous work[i], Bloomquist draws on her personal journey in order to present […]