Blog
Sometimes You Will Fall, But Most of the Time, You Will Fly
Whether or not we’re actively engaged with social justice work, most of us know what’s wrong with our world. Yet often we don’t know what we want instead. We just don’t want more of what we’re seeing every day on the news. Some of us are exploring questions of equity and social justice by working […]
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This is a critical moment for the environmental movement. As we watch in horror the effects of climate change – the catastrophic droughts, floods and fires – grow in severity and frequency, our ability to galvanize a broad-based response has been under attack. The Right’s onslaught on science and bedrock environmental protections is terrifying. Misinformation […]
The Toolbox You Really Need
I’ve been thinking a lot about toolboxes lately. Our local home improvement stores are busy with customers and their DIY home repairs. We are gardening more, painting more, reorganizing and unclogging. But we need more than screwdrivers and sanders. We need a toolbox for activists to fix what’s going wrong in our country today. I […]
The Unhappy Marriage of Food and Politics
Food insecurity is particularly visible among immigrants, the same people who work so hard to supply food to our tables. Undocumented immigrants are barred from most government aid, so the CARES Act has done them little good. Last month’s new “public charge” rule, set to go into effect October 15, is even discouraging legal immigrants […]
Peace, Power and Love
As we watch the party conventions these past two weeks, we are thinking about how spirit, compassion and humanity – or the lack thereof – influence and shape us. Michelle Obama said last week: first, we must listen to each other. Only then, as Linda’s work has shown, can we build vibrant, diverse and thriving […]
How We Keep Our Voting Rights
The November elections are about more than just who will win or lose. The anxiety and apprehension reportedly surrounding them is the latest example of the long-running dispute over voting rights, since key parts of the Voting Rights Act were invalidated in 2013 by the Supreme Court. States with a history of discriminatory voter laws […]
This is Not the Time to Give Up
As we look around us – a coronavirus spreading uncontrolled; hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires; federal troops provoking peaceful protesters in cities throughout the U.S.; unemployment rising and homelessness for many on the horizon – we see attacks coming from every side. This is not, however, the time to get scared or throw up our hands […]
How do we sustain HOPE in times of crisis?
Four years ago, Linda Stout published this blog. It is just as relevant and forward-thinking today, as is her message: We CAN and MUST sustain hope. Asheville, NC, September 2016 It’s really hard to have a positive outlook with all that’s happening in the world today: political chaos, hate, violence, environmental disaster: a list much […]
Collective Visioning Exercise 7
Dear Friends, Below please find Collective Visioning Exercise 7 from my book Collective Visioning: How Groups Can Work Together for a Just and Sustainable Future. I have updated the exercises to make them friendlier for online use. I will be sharing them over the course of the next few weeks. If you would like to […]
Powerful Opportunities for Change
“The circle can grow, new voices will be included and alliances to advance a shared agenda may, and we hope, emerge,” said Gail Spotted Tail of the Rosebud Sioux Reservation at Spirit in Action’s network-building Education Circle of Change gathering in April 2009. In these tumultuous times of renewed economic crisis and uncertainty, we can […]
