Blog
Our Piece of the Puzzle
Tags: civic engagement, Collective Vision, Collective Visioning, community organizing, empowerment, leadership, linda stout, spirit in action
Like most of you, I have found the last two years challenging, first dealing with ruinous and divisive party politics, then the contested presidential election and terrible insurrection of January 6th, and meanwhile the pandemic looming over everything. So I am grateful to have found inspiration in my work at Spirit in Action, and the […]
When We Disagree
Listening to President Biden’s speech to Congress last week (4/28/2021), I was a little nervous. I was remembering when Republican Congressman Joe Wilson shockingly yelled out, “You lie!” at President Obama during his speech in 2009. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels apprehensive when listening to a Presidential speech before Congress now. […]
It Can’t Be Just Pretend
We Know What We Want, But How Do We Get There? Vision without action is “just pretend,” as a young activist told me. A vision works only if we create a plan for how to accomplish it – a road map to get to our goal. Because we know the place we’re moving toward, we […]
Spirit in Action’s Fall 2018 Newsletter
Tags: civic engagement, Collective Visioning, community organizing, dismantling racism, empowerment, get out the vote, linda stout, spirit in action, training
Read the entire Fall 2018 Spirit in Action Newsletter here. Dear Friends, I can see how it happened every step of the way. There are breadcrumbs all over the place. Go back with me nearly four decades, when the Right created a plan to change what we teach our kids. In the 1980s, the Rev. […]
Let the Youth Lead – My Thoughts after the Parkland Massacre
Tags: civic engagement, community organizing, cultural shift, empowerment, get out the vote, leadership development, linda stout
Again we have news of a horrific school shooting, this time in Parkland, Florida. Having cried many tears this week, I find myself wondering why we can’t we get legislation passed that would make these kind of shootings less possible. And, how can our leaders be so tied to money from the National Rifle Association […]
Why Rosa Parks Really Sat Down On the Bus
As we come to the end of February and Black History month, I am reposting a story about the role of women in the civil rights movement. Just as history often overlooks the contributions of African Americans, so does it overlook the story of women, telling “his-story” as opposed to “her-story.” I hope you will […]
The Story of my Time at Spirit in Action and the Experiences I will Take with Me – by Lia Kaz
Hi everyone. This is my last blog as Spirit in Action’s North Carolina Community Organizer for the We the People: Working Together program. This fall, I will start at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for my Masters of Social Work. Before I leave I wanted to share with you some things I’ve […]
Holding the Hula Hoop — by Lia Kaz
Tags: civic engagement, Collective Visioning, community organizing, empowerment, Lia Kaz, linda stout, We the People
What can you do with a hula hoop and a bunch of tacos? They were integral components to We the People’s most recent community meeting about education. Dedicated community members opened up real dialogue in plain language about education policy. One community member offered to do research, another offered to help secure food, and everyone […]
If my mother could challenge racism in 1960 North Carolina, what will you do for Justice today?
Tags: civic engagement, community organizing, cultural shift, empowerment, get out the vote, linda stout, spirit in action
I remember when I was about seven years old, my mother took me with her to a small country store that served as a store, gas station, post office and now I know a voter registration center. We went in and stood in line behind another woman at the post office window. It was the […]
How do we sustain HOPE in times of crisis?
Tags: Collective Visioning, community organizing, cultural shift, empowerment, leadership, linda stout, popular education, spirit in action, We the People
It’s really hard to have a positive outlook or hope with all that’s happening in the world today: political chaos, hate, violence, environmental disaster, and a list much too long to write here. And worse, it seems that people are feeding off all this hatred and chaos and it continues to grow, taking over everything […]
