Exposure
As told to Z It was a quiet summer afternoon and I was just getting home from playing tennis with my daughter. I parked in front of my home and was unloading my gear from my car. A silver car slowed down as it was passing me and the white …
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White Silence dialog
by Judy Helfand At the July dialog on White Silence, 63 participants showed up for the meeting, creating an energetic buzz of voices. We were meeting in response to people of color calling out for white people to speak up. The need for active confrontation to the status quo of …
Unitarian Universalists: Inner Workings
by Z In June there was electricity in the air; change was just around the corner. The non-white members of the Unitarian Universalist Association (Unitarians) were pressing for more visibility as a group and accountability from the white members at the upcoming General Assembly. My friend Laura was beside herself …
The Perfect Book for July 4th
by Judy Helfand An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz sat on my bookshelf for months. I’d picked it up because I admired the author, having read her memoir Red Dirt: Growing Up Oakie, which seriously grappled with whiteness. When I finally took the history off …
Stepping Up to Address Cultural Appropriation
by Judy Helfand At the day-long singing and drumming retreat on Saturday, I failed to fully step up and confront cultural appropriation and lack of respect for the people whose drums were enriching our lives. In a circle of around 50, all of us but one appeared to be …
Tracing the Paths of Ancestors in the American Landscape
by Judy Helfand On the first night of the 2015 Geography of Hope conference, I met Lauret Savoy while standing in the food line. She was an engaging conversationalist and I was almost sorry as we reached the serving tables. When I learned she was a presenter, I awaited her …
Soulsville USA
by Judy Helfand Musicians seem to me better able to work across ethnic and racial boundaries than most folks, exploring, adapting, and changing music springing from various cultures. Respect Yourself: the Story of Stax Records surprised me by exploring, not only the music recorded at Stax, but the racial history …
Oregon Standoff
by Judy Helfand The “Oregon Standoff” seems to me a blatant illustration of the white supremacist foundations of the U.S. I wake up every morning incredulous that it’s still going on. That law enforcement allows the occupiers supporters to come and go, bringing supplies, setting up “perimeter reinforcements,” talking with …
My First Copwatch
Anonymous Here is an account of a recent Copwatching incident—my first ever, and totally unplanned —in Sonoma County: how it happened I was in transit; a friend was dropping me off in Petaluma when we saw a cop car pulled over/parked on the street, unusual in this well-off neighborhood. As …
What Counts as Activism?
by Judy Helfand At a recent gathering someone asked if there was more activism in the 60s than today. I felt strongly that there is as much today, but it’s not as visible on mainstream media. Then he asked a question about what was happening in the 60s, …