by Judy Helfand In the months after the wildfires that burned through our little farm, taking the house and all the outbuildings, I observed the changing state of my brain as illustrated through my choice of readings. At first I wasn’t reading at all and then gradually I started drifting …
by Chad Bolla I was once asked by the parent of a 4th grade student I was working with, “how do you intend to define justice for the young people in circle?” I answered without hesitation, firm in my belief that justice is equity. I used the pizza example that …
by Judy Helfand Seeing a recommendation for The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, on the Racial Justice Allies Facebook page, I reserved it at the library, wanting to keep up with recent writing on institutionalized racism in the U.S. When I picked up the book I saw the subtitle—A …
A Gift Poem for an Elder I Just Met by Christopher Bowers I come from a people whose burden was a big story that abhorred storytelling and thus secrets ruled with invisibility. I come from a people who thought the center of the universe was in the perpetual west and …
by Judy Helfand A friend offered us an evening of respite from dealing with the aftermaths of the fire—come over and do our laundry, take a good, long hot shower, eat turkey soup, and watch Netflix. Taking her up on it we arrived with our dirty clothes, shampoo, appetite and …
Review by Judy Helfand In From #BLACKLIVES MATTER to Black Liberation Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor complicates and disturbs many of the current understandings of racism, racial history, and whiteness in the U.S., especially as these understandings are applied to organizing for freedom and justice for Black people. In the process she provides …
“What if our response to the crisis is part of the crisis?”- Bayo Akomolafe Bayo Akomolafe is globally recognized for his poetic, unconventional, counterintuitive take on global crisis, civic action and social change. He is the Coordinating Curator for The Emergence Network, and host of the online course, “We will …
Racial Justice Allie’s April dialog was on the topic of Reverse Racism. Below you’ll find the agenda, notes from the facilitators, and some of the outcome of group discussions. Also, a list of resources for exploring the topic of reverse racism. Lillie Dignan and Wendy Millstine facilitated this dialog. …
Be the Resistance: White people Showing up for Immigrant Rights March 15 dialog Opening: Talked in pairs about what we would have to put in place to take care of things if we suddenly were removed from our family. Communal responses were: Get kids’ passports, sign guardianship documents Find a …
Book review by Judy Helfand I am writing about the Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race, edited by Jesmyn Ward, because I want folks to read it. But I barely know what to say. When I finished “Message to My Daughters” by Edwidge Danticat, the final essay …