Originally published in 2020 It is with great hope that I write today.  Hope for a better tomorrow and for a better future.  Because of the work I do I get the privilege of seeing huge wins and changes happening […]  »  Read More

Like many people who grew up in poverty in this country, I was embarrassed and ashamed about my background. Not until after I had spent time in Nicaragua in the 1980s, where people understood poverty in a very different way, […]  »  Read More

Originally published in 2020 As we sit here in anticipation of an election that will change our history for generations to come, I feel both excited and afraid of what could happen. The divisiveness of our country, the fear of […]  »  Read More

Not all ways of working for change appeal to everyone. Some organizers disdain reform, which involves changing laws and policies.  In many cases, reform means trying to protect current policies that serve the public. These are what Joanna Macy calls, […]  »  Read More

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 […]  »  Read More

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 […]  »  Read More

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 […]  »  Read More

Originally posted in 2020 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 […]  »  Read More

Originally posted in 2020 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 […]  »  Read More

The November (2020) 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 […]  »  Read More