Hot Topics: Black Lives Matter
God shows no partiality.
Romans 2:11 (ESV)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28 (ESV)
My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
James 2:1-4 (ESV)
My model mom’s name was Millie Lewis. She became a civil rights activist… in an unusual place, time, and way:
The capital of South Carolina in the heat of the 60’s and beyond– with spunk, high style, and DISARMING beauty.
As a former New York fashion model, she became a local celebrity.*
She refused to exclude and insisted on the presence of gifted Black beauties in fashion events she planned or hosted. She was so fair,** that no one refused her smiling demand for desegregation!
Black lives mattered then... and they matter now. Sadly, cultural bias still exists. It raises its foul head defiantly.
Special note to my white-ish Christian kin: I doubt you have longer or deeper roots in the South (or this nation) than I have. (I can prove it if you want the details, but bragging is ugly and ungodly:) To this end, I feel a GREATER duty to help abolish racial prejudice.
Regrettably, I'm forced to acknowledge America has a long way to go. Do all lives matter? Obviously, yes. But Black lives are still not seen equally by too many eyes in too many ways. I remain extremely bothered by it.
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
Always stand for social justice causes. The Lord DETESTS bias of any kind. (So do most Entertainment VIPs.)
You’ll help others (and certainly yourself)... by denouncing prejudice of all kinds.
Hot Topics: Black Lives Matter (Part 9)
* My mother is/was Millie Lewis, a former NY covergirl in the late 1940s and a member of the MAAI (Modeling Association of America, International) Models Hall of Fame.
She helped and inspired countless people, founded four modeling, finishing schools, and agencies, beginning in 1960 (3 of which, bearing her name, “Millie Lewis” still operate, as I write this devotion, November 2025).
Throughout my girlhood, she also taught courses at the University of South Carolina… AND two HBCUs, Benedict College and Allen University.
She welcomed Black students/talent in her schools and agencies decades before it was “law” or common. Her top coach (who taught Professional Modeling at Millie Lewis of Columbia) was Vivian Coley, a tall, svelte, and highly skilled (Black) model.
I worked alongside my mother until her death, and she helped me start AMTC Shine. She was bold, smart, and funny; a leader and a beauty, inside and out. As an adult, she was my best friend and business partner. She passed away in June 2001, from the complications of Parkinson’s disease.
** Fair in every sense of the world.
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re all called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re all called to be models of Jesus. We all have gifts, talents, and a commission to multiply them in the world for His glory.
P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend DAILY BIBLE READING.
WARNING: Don’t focus on your favorite verses, because taken out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!