Niyonu, Wake Up!

THE PROBLEM IS (Mostly written on the train, traveling as invited to the Fetzer Institue – Oct., 2008) The problem is, you see me as so different.   Not you at all, thus incomprehensible . Never clear, the mind searches corridors introduced during your original tour—designed as the ultimate distraction for tourists trying to see the natives by staying out of the village life. You were told that you are not a villager and surely, not a native.   Not native to anything?   Anywhere?   Anyone? You’ve forgotten the taste of blood/the smell of urine unfertilized/the slick feel of skin never yet washed or the care in washing it for the last time.   The not-you-ness swells dangerously large filling every orafix.   Thus, you can’t pull in or secret.   No conscious exhale or pause in response to the caw alert – right above your head. Someone else must supply your colorful language, your out-of-control fucking.   Ca...

As most of you know, I'm not one for writing "a piece" in response to every act of terror that we witness throughout our world. I tend to be moved instead to specific action and to increase my work in dispelling lies of superiority and of inferiority - of separation. I tend to focus my energy in efforts to assist in strengthening the justice warriors. In general, it is not so much my way to pontificate. But, every once and a while I must join in writing my utter outrage an d my deepest sorrow. I am so sorry to be living in a world where this man walked into a room and shot people down out of a delusional belief that he and his deserve life more than those he killed. My lungs constrict, unable to perform their function as I watch the one sitting in the seat assumed to be the highest in the land express his sympathy with a wink - a wink that we can all see, whether or not we are a part of his intended posse. My heart explodes with pain to know that Mus...

I’ll get WOKE again, right after the Superbowl I rarely sit down to write posts that are going to draw criticism from my friends but I find myself perplexed on this morning.   As I’ve scrolled through my FB feed, I am wondering about all the people who stepped out to boycott the NFL this year.   I’m not thinking about those folks who could never stand football or sports (plenty of my friends are in that camp).    And, I’m not particularly troubled to understand those who were clear from the get go that nothing – no CTE findings from autopsies and no ‘take the knee’ movement led by Colin Kaepernick – nothing was going to stop them from watching one second of football.   Those folks, I get. The people that I am having trouble understanding this morning are the ones who’ve enjoyed watching NFL games and even had a favorite team and were so moved as to declare, “I’m out this season.”     I’m focused today on those football fa...

Seeds, seeding, seed-thoughts, sinking down to that seed, working the soil that the seed might break open healthy .  I find that I return to seed imagery again and again as I examine my personal and professional life.  Seeds have always fascinated me and ever moreso once I began to learn some facts about their nature.  For me, a most fascinating fact is that the essential elements of the mature tree or plant are contained within the seed from the start.  Another is that, seeds carry within them many of the necessary nutrients they must consume for healthy growth.  I find it amazing to know just how long many seeds can remain dormant (up to 2000 years!) waiting for conditions that are conducive to germination.  The needed shift in conditions to move from dormancy to budding can be internal to the seed itself or germination might require that external environmental conditions change dramatically.  What does this say about the focus of our work in the ...

 [In the previous (Nov. 12) blog post, I talked about the connection I see between justice work and healing work – acknowledging the reality that our society is built upon acts of brutality and actively maintains systems of domination. I promised to next offer practical steps for dismantling oppression and to create and sustain liberation for all.   I hope that you will take one or two of these to begin practicing within your movement or organization.   Please do share what you learn!]   EQUITY WORK IS HEALING WORK (PART 2) Important and critical practices for any group intending equity and justice falls under what I’ve named: Systematic Repair – Living Equity .   These are concrete steps that, through practice, cultivate a culture of truth – a repaired foundation upon which we can institutionalize equity and justice. Systematic Repair Practices 1.      Make sure that your team has as a part of its training...

I was talking to a friend and colleague last night.   He shared a bit about how his facilitation teams were beginning to run into conflict as they worked together.   Tensions were building, demanding attention. The issues that were rising to the surface were issues of power associated with race, class and gender.   His facilitation teams work as a part of a program designed to develop strong community leaders who are committed to building equity and justice.   It has run for over 10 years and has never seen this level of dissention.   His question was, how have we gone all of this time without ever making conversations about oppression and power a deliberate part of our work?   How have past leaders of this program managed to smooth all of this over?   Thinking about a recent Training for Trainers that I’d facilitated, I began to respond, “The stuff just hits the fan in this work.   I’ve yet to le...