Do you and/or a group you belong to have a vision of how to move into the near future? I say NEAR future because huge changes, on many levels, are occurring at an accelerating rate. And my sense is most people are feeling increasingly helpless and hopeless. Recently I’ve been in contact with the Climate … Continue reading What is your vision?
When I’m overwhelmed with complexity and questions, I try to express things visually. Following is the most recent iteration of something I’ve been working on for years. The most recent change is the red line, representing how failing and corrupt institutions, authoritarianism, and environmental chaos, are blocking solutions like LANDBACK, Black Liberation, Abolition, and Mutual … Continue reading Process as Solution
I recently attended a Zoom meeting hosted by the Climate Mobilization Network. I was interested because I’ve been following the Climate Mobilization Network’s work for years. They articulate what has not been working and that they are looking into different strategies that might be successful. I was especially interested to discover their emphasis on Mutual … Continue reading Pause and Transform
How straight has the course of your life been? During my life I’ve changed course many times. Sometimes a change was forced upon me, sometimes a voluntary change. Sometimes both. I grew up on farms and in small towns in rural Iowa. I hadn’t lived in any cities prior to moving to Indianapolis in 1971. … Continue reading Changing course
NOTE: I am truly blessed to have many Indigenous friends, many who are involved in the Great Plains Action Society (GPAS), including the founder Sikowis Nobiss. As a White person I’ve tried hard to learn how to appropriately engage with my friends. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve written a lot about my experiences, hoping other White … Continue reading INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES RISE TO RESIST CARBON PIPELINES
Yesterday I wrote Faith Now and suggested Mutual Aid as a framework for faith now. So, I’ll describe more of my experiences with Mutual Aid. I’ve spent the last couple of years involved in Des Moines Mutual Aid (DMMA). Much of what I’ve learned can be found here: https://quakersandreligioussocialism.com/mutual-aid/ The are several reasons for my … Continue reading Mutual Aid now
Faith Now can refer to what the state of our faith is at this moment. And/or it can be an admonition to focus our faith on what is happening now. My witness has been so many people, including people of faith, are driven by the past. This is obviously true with religious practices demanding adherence … Continue reading Faith Now
When I say I pray each morning, seeking what to write, I do spend time in quietness. But I also research what my sources are saying. I came across this photo I took in 2013 that I found on the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement’s (ICCI) website. The photo was taken at ICCI’s offices during … Continue reading You have to be in it with them
The Sunrise Movement was launched as a national campaign for a Green New Deal (GND) in 2017. From the beginning I heard my native friends talk about the importance of a GND to be Indigenous led. In 2019 Sunrise’s Green New Deal tour began with a stop in Des Moines. There my friends Trisha Cax-Sep-Gu-Wiga Etringer … Continue reading Buffalo Rebellion and Red/Green New Deal
Quakers and Religious Socialism 