vision and practice for transformative social change
Is the focus on self care driving us away from community care? Or not? B. Loewe’s article, which calls for the end of self care as a means towards collective change, gives us all something to think about. I’m going to say it. I want to see an end to “self-care.” Can we put a [...]
Like we do every summer, this past July XC hosted our Inner Justice Intensive retreat (IJI), one of our signature offerings for agents of change. It’s a retreat that’s meant to support activists in connecting to their inner selves so that the work they do comes from a place of true alignment, because how we [...]
Written & contributed by Shepherd Bliss Occupy Wall Street (OWS) began using public space in New York’s Zuccotti Park on Sept. 17, which stimulated hundreds of similar encampments around and beyond the United States. During the past six months, this mass movement has been assaulted by police and by the corporate media. It has also [...]
“The late poet was a patriot who wrestled for the soul of her country.” This tribute to Adrienne Rich reflects on the power of her ability to offer hope and wholeness through poetry. I know you are reading this poem listening for something, torn between bitterness and hope… I was 19 when I first read [...]
Though some of the following events have come and gone, there are plenty of big actions Occupy will be taking up in April and in May. For instance, the worldwide general strike on May Day. Occupy changed over the winter from outdoor camps to internal work and debates. But that laid the groundwork for a [...]
“Feminism, unlike almost every other social movement, is not a struggle against a distinct oppressor — it’s not the ruling class or the occupiers or the colonizers — it’s against a deeply held set of beliefs and assumptions that we women, far too often, hold ourselves.” Kavita Ramdas Kavita Ramdas, former president and CEO of [...]
A nationally respected social justice educator, Victor has conducted seminars, workshops, keynote speeches, and “train the trainer” programs across the United States, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Germany. He is best known for his inspiring leadership role in The Color of Fear, an unusually powerful video about racism, which received the [...]
University of Southern California (USC) has a report out that addresses the value of organizing, especially as a way to build movements further and in substantial, transformative ways. They also talk about how funders have begun looking to movements as ways to broaden their capacity to support social change. Their report, “Transactions – Transformations – [...]
Original post “without manipulation” written by adrienne maree brown and posted on The Luscious Satyagraha blog, January 27, 2012. For the rest of 2012, and hopefully beyond, we will be featuring a floating column with contributions from adrienne maree brown’s Luscious Satyagraha blog. Except to see her featured in various sections of the blog. Enjoy this [...]
i believe that if you just do your little bit without thinking of the bigness of what you stand against, if you turn to the enlargement of your own capacities, just that in itself creates new potential.
Visioning gets folks beyond their current reality by focusing on what the group wants and where it is going. As Stout writes in her book, “if you can imagine a better world, you can make one.”
Being able to advocate by moving toward your intention is more skillful than advocating by moving against the opposition.Taking a stand for justice also means that at times you may have to stand alone.
