Author
Born in Chicago, IL., in 1964, and raised in Tulsa, OK, Daniel accepted Jesus as his savior at the age of four or five. Of course, he was far too young to understand what that meant. As he grew, he developed a love for reading, especially about inspiring Black heroes: Martin Luther King, Jr., Wilma Rudolph, James Baldwin, and others. These two competing interests—Christianity and culture—would set the tone for his life. Eventually, culture would win that internal struggle and cause him to leave his seven-year ministry and Christianity altogether. Through the lens of culture that faith was no longer recognizable. Still, leaving was the scariest day of his life, like leaping over a cliff. It was as if the ancestors were waiting to catch him. He soon found himself on a new path, one leading to self-discovery. Daniel invites you to join him in this journey of discovery, not just as descendants of enslaved Africans but, more importantly, as who we will become. This is neither the start of the conversation nor the end. It is happening right now! Be a part of it. Our future selves are waiting.
Daniel is a US Air Force veteran. He hosted an AM talk radio show “The Other Side” from 1998-1999, and an internet talk radio show on Afromerica (2005-2006). He graduated from the University of North Texas with a BA in Radio/TV/Film Production (2006). His column ‘The still Burning Bush’ appeared in the Oklahoma Eagle from 2007-2017. He lives in Sacramento CA.
You can follow him on Twitter, or email him directly at daniel@danieldhardman.com.
Author and all-around good guy
Books
Crisis (mis)Management: The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual Revisited
Harold Cruse was right. The Crisis of the Negro (Black/African American) Intellectual is real. But it doesn’t have to be. There are solutions to be had. If only Black leaders were looking in the right places.
Excerpt — “In Crisis (mis)Management: The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual Revisited, or Crisis as he lovingly refers to it, Daniel explores answers to persistent problems by pointing back to the realistic ideas and real-world solutions Harold Cruse expressed in his analytical work. These ideas and solutions deserve serious consideration by all of Black/African America. Daniel also introduces some interesting ideas of his own that are sure to be conversation starters. Which, to be honest, is the point of Crisis—to enlarge the conversation by bringing it out of intellectual spaces and into the Black public square. In 1967, Harold Cruse wrote The Crisis of the Negro Intellectual, an historical analysis of the failures of Black leadership. In 1992, Daniel read Cruse’s work and it changed his life. Immediately, he embarked on a path that would lead him out of the safe space of Christianity and “understand it better by and by”, into an existence that required him to contribute in meaningful ways to help solve the problems his people face. As far as he’s concerned, similar drastic measures are needed to shake off the slavery-induced hangover Blacks/African Americans suffer from. For example, rather than taking the well-worn “either/or” approach that has unquestionably better served their community’s problems, both Harold Cruse and Daniel advocate an all-inclusive both/and strategy—Douglas and Delaney, Washington and DuBois, Martin and Malcolm, integration and nationalism—to deal with the resilient Black dilemma in all its iterations, the most recent example of which can be found in the Critical Race Theory backlash. In short, it’s time to lay all the solution cards on the table so Blacks/African Americans can decide for themselves what their freedom will look like. The revolution may not be televised, but the resolution definitely will.”
Paperback eBook
The 21st Century Bible & Study Companion
The 21st Century Bible & Study Companion takes an all-inclusive approach to faith and provides a space for making notes during church or bible study, while reminding us what is most important—loving God and loving others.
Excerpt — Self-published author cracks the Bible code!
“In 1517, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses presented an unprecedented challenge to the Catholic Church’s authority, particularly the concept of indulgences—the requirement for parishioners to pay monetary tribute to obtain forgiveness. According to Luther, such practices directly impacted a believer’s salvation. His actions triggered the first great Christian reformation, and changed Christianity in ways no one could have imagined. Unlike Luther’s 95 Theses, I have only one: as people change so must their belief systems. I’m convinced current circumstances present compelling evidence that we are overdue for such a change. It’s my belief that humanity is in danger of losing itself in consumerism, escapism and war. The world we now live in is dramatically different from Martin Luther’s, even the world I was born into in 1964, yet despite the various reformations—Christianity, Judaism, etc.—by and large we still live under belief systems that are thousands of years old. Consequently, these systems have become mere backdrops in the lives of adherents.”
Essays from Church: Crisis of Compatibility
Volume 3 (Coming soon)
Men and women are not natural adversaries. It’s time we stop behaving as such.
Excerpt — “When I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, gender roles were still quite rigid. It was a man’s job to provide and protect, and it was a woman’s job to care for the children and manage the home. So, in every relationship I’d ever been in I fell into that role without ever questioning it. After all, it worked for my parents. As I said previously, their marriage lasted 60 years. Gender roles were like computer programs that ran in the background. I never challenged the assumption that it was my job to pay rent, car payment, utility bills, cut the grass, repair the car, save for our future; everything that a man was expected to do, I did. And I loved it. In fact, in high school I believed I was born to be a husband and father. I was convinced that all I needed was my woman by my side. When I left home, I was searching for my rib. When the first wave of feminism hit in the late 19th century, it laid the groundwork for significant changes that would eventually reshape the social landscape. It ushered in radical ideas far beyond voting rights for women, but came to an abrupt end with the consummation of this particular goal. Male-female relationships escaped virtually unscathed. In the 1960’s when the second wave of feminism arrived, it left no gender-inequality stone unturned. So, the model we inherited from our parents was literally DOA because it still operated on pre-second-wave notions of gender roles that had been invalidated decades earlier. Theory no longer matched practice; everything was out of whack.”
— Chapter Two, The Man in the Mirror
The Woman at the Well
Coming soon
Excerpt — “The sun rises over the trees that shade the well which lies east of the house. From the kitchen window Thelma sees the narrow trail made from by now thousands of trips to fetch water. Spring brings out the small yellow and white daisies that line the trail and cover the yard. As she makes her way to the well, tiny grasshoppers leap from beneath her feet flying in all directions. Some of them hit the large empty pail and make a hollow thud.
There is no water like the water from the well she thinks to herself, anticipating the cool, fresh, thirst-quenching power it possesses. She thinks of Danny, her youngest grandson, and how he likes to go to the well to fetch water too. “Grandmother, can I go to the well and get some water?” he always asks. “Sure. Put on my boots and watch for snakes.” “Yes ma’am,” he says. The boots are five sizes too big and he looks like a head and arms ambling down the trail. A small five-year-old, he tries to carry a full pail but usually makes it back with only about half. The rest is either spilled on the ground or in the boots. She misses him all the time and will be glad when he comes to visit, which is usually on weekends.
She reaches the well which is covered by a large, flat rock that was taken right out of the ground nearby. The opening extends just a few inches above ground. It’s not like wells you see in the movies with a high circular stone wall, small pitched roof and a fancy contraption to lower and raise the bucket. It’s just a plain old metal shaft but it’s special to her.
Thelma sets her pail down next to her feet, lifts the cap rock revealing the silver tube that is the well opening, then lays the rock on the ground next to it. One end of a chain is attached to a metal rod that’s been driven down into the ground, the rest of the chain lays coiled on a wooden board just inches from the well opening. The other end attaches to a long, slender, metal cylinder that hangs just inside the mouth of the well. She unhooks the cylinder and drops it into the well shaft. As the cylinder descends down the well toward the water below the chain makes a loud, rattling sound. Then comes a muffled splash when the cylinder hits the water about 30 feet down.
The sun has moved a little higher in the morning sky, its blinding glare filtered through the trees. As a slight breeze blows, a voice whispers, “You loved Bill more than any other.” Startled, Thelma looks around to see who is speaking to her. Straining at the sun’s glare through the branches, she thinks she sees a figure. Maybe all these years on the rock pile are finally getting to her.”
Contact
Email Daniel at daniel@danieldhardman.com or use the button below.
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