Category: Beloved Community

Juneteenth

Let’s celebrate that which is worthy of celebration!

Some things never took on me. As a teen I had a fierce reaction against the Vietnam war when most people were blindly in support, before the narratives changed and the body count rose. I remember at even younger years, I was not willing to mistreat or even speak poorly of children less advantaged. And I never understood the disregard and dehumanization of Black children who I counted as friends. I hated the stigmas on diversity or anything that smacked of difference issued by “God fearing, church goers”. Their hypocrisy was repugnant to me. It chased me from religion, but not from my Creator. 

A favored aunt tried to help me “see the plight of white people”, offering books that spoke of being outnumbered and more. I felt sorry for her. I didn’t realize at the time she was unwittingly warning me of what was yet to come. That those Sunday worshiping, people of God were about to unleash hatred so vile as to make me want to withdraw from society as a whole.

But that’s not my fate. I choose instead to champion the truly Good in all of us. And however desperate the times appear; I’m committed to fulfilling my life’s purpose: to be fully human, fully alive. I’ve lived a life of questioning and choosing. And my choices, while not easily executed, have allowed a love of humanity and of the earth that I cherish.

Baraboo, Wiscsonsin will be celebrating Juneteenth for the third year. It’s a community refusing to surrender to the racism that has haunted it. Haunted all of us. I’ll be there again. This is what we need. To celebrate our stories of victory, to revel in the colors of the rainbow and to delight in our diversity which is our strength.

It’s time for the silent to waken. The line is drawn. We are either human or we are not. There is no other choice. Time to dance.

Abolish ICE. End racism. Choose humanity. Celebrate Juneteenth.

250 Years

And we are still here…

As the swirl of BS continues and it seems harder to find hints of humanity, compassion and kindness, remember this: The United States was born as a republic led by an aristocracy of white men. Yet the Declaration of Independence offered some of the highest human ideals ever written: All men are created equal and the right to the pursuit of happiness – unless of course you were Indigenous, a Slave, or a Woman. For these lofty ideals to become true for all required that equality, equity and the pursuit of justice would become a relentless effort. Two hundred and fifty years of blood, sweat and tears from some of the most courageous and passionate people brought us tremendous victories.

This struggle made by (primarily) marginalized Peoples must be the pride of this nation, not its castaways. And while the arrogant attempt to erase our history and whitewash our struggles, it’s incumbent upon us to celebrate the 250 years of valiant courage and unbridled wisdom of those who resisted injustice.

The stories of persistent valor that are handed down, whether written or verbal, in song or in art, must be held as sacred and continue to be shared. Teach our children the legacy of which they can be proud. Remind them that our Native siblings are still here despite attempted genocide. Remind them of the resiliency of all who were brought here against their will to be enslaved. Help them understand that socialism, feared by the elites, gave us fire departments, the post office, public schools, unions, better working conditions and so much more. 

Let’s stop wasting time on the small minded, the greedy and the power hungry.  They have risen from time to time, but have never triumphed. We know their history intimately. We carry the scars. It is time to uplift and honor those who never allowed ignorance to win. However daunting the challenge, we cannot sacrifice the gains that humanity has made. We must persevere.

Let’s come together to celebrate the true victors. The ones who never surrendered their love or their humanity. Let’s begin again. And all that is now being done to destroy human dignity can be undone. Do not despair. We will rise stronger; our light will be brighter.

And let us acknowledge that this country was and remains imperfect, and rather, see it as a work of art, perhaps never to be finished but always available for our love and corrections. We are living in a time of correction. Your voice and your clarity are needed.

Find one another. Humanity is calling.

Take a Dive in the Deeper End

If your media intake is limited to FOX, MSN, CNN and the like, you’re being lulled into aggression or passivity. Facts in these arenas are designed to distract and divide. I want to direct you to your humanity.

In my seventh decade, I’m still learning about the exploitations and manipulations of the United States throughout its history, but better late than never. A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn is a great primer.

If you’re among those holding your breath in hopes that some divine hand will reshape the current course of insanity, I would tell you to stop wasting your time. There’s no hero coming to save the day. The hope is that we, as individuals and collectively, will take the time to learn how we got here and find creative ways to revolutionize our communities, our nation and the world.

If the fire in your belly has been all but extinguished, I would suggest to you to find the fighters among us who have not given up. The clear eyed, passionate truth tellers. The marginalized who are no longer controlled by corporate money and the empire. Free your mind and your heart will thank you.

Because we’re not born to be enslaved. We’re born to enjoy the magnificence of this creation. We’re not born to enslave others or to control their uniqueness in any way. We’re not here to destroy the garden, but to co-create with it.

There are people challenging the status quo of hate and fear. I count myself among them. I seek out their wisdom. Not to follow or mimic, but to fuel my thirst for peace and justice, so I can carry on.

If you haven’t yet discovered Democracy Now, do it. And “Steal This Story, Please!” is an excellent documentary on the disciplined activism of Amy Goodman. 

Lastly, I have come to appreciate the independent journalists and creative minds on Substack. Many have been driven from corporate media of their outspoken criticism of inhumanity and injustice. Danielle Moodie, Wajahat Ali, Joy Reid, Jared Yates Sexton, Katie Phang, Trita Parsi and Alisa Valdes-Rodriquez are a few of my favorites.

Still other are artists and activists seeking community and the chance to be heard. Take time to catch the poetry, photography and heart of Mustava Santiago Ali and Justin Mott. You can find all of these and many more on my profile page at Substack. Discover and share the diversity of thought and will that is our right and our heritage as human beings.

When we know one another, when we see each other’s humanity, we will change course.

May 15 is the International Day of Contentious Objectors. You can listen to my podcast, Changing the Narrative with CO David Kopitske from the Vietnam War which aired on WDRT.

May 15 is also Nakba Day, which began 78 years of ethnic cleansing of Palestinian People. Let us help grow the movement of BDS to stop the genocide. You can learn more at Grow the Movement from Visualize Palestine.

The photo of Slave Narrative books was taken at Whitney Plantation.

What Every Gardener Must Know

There are things that show up in your garden that just should not be there. Wisdom tells us to pull weeds or put up a fence to keep varmints out early in the season. If we don’t, the effort it will take at harvest will be overwhelming and disappointing. 

These days I spend cutting wild rose and autumn olive in the orchard. Years ago, someone warned me that the wild rose could take over. I ignored his plea to take action. A little aromatic rose couldn’t be that bad, right? I was wrong. Like grape vine, the tentacles of the wild rose reach into the apple branches and are destructive. They tear through clothing and no animal cares to eat them.

photo: wild rose encroaching on a young oak….but not for long.

Not catching the encroachment of autumn olive on the perimeters was another mistake. Both invasives take their toll on the diversity of indigenous wildflowers and luscious greens. Now as I spend time clearing away what should not have been, I delight in the variety, and the increased abundance of wildlife tells me I am on the right path.  

Another bonus of tending the orchard is the respite from the madness that surrounds us these days. And I have to acknowledge the obvious. The seeds of colonial destruction and the cruelty of capitalism should never have been allowed to take root in the garden of the Americas. 

We must do all that we can, in whatever ways that we can, to stop the encroachment of ignorance into our lives and our communities. Truth telling and not recoiling from the backlash that will surely come is an antidote. Finding like-minded souls willing to forge a new way is essential. And key is the enjoyment of the discovery of what has always been: being human in this glorious home we call earth. 

Hope to see some of you here in Madison on Sunday, May 10, 6 pm. Independent journalism and beloved community. Carry on Amy Goodman!

To Bear Witness

Sometime during the course of the Wisconsin winter, I decided it was time to visit an old friend and to explore a bit of New Orleans. Amtrack is becoming my favorite mode of travel and it is a straight shot to the Big Easy from the Driftless. Nothing disappointed in the wonderings. Smiling faces, warm greetings, amazing food and vibrant colors told the stories of a city still finding its way after Katrina. The community spirit was deeply touching and the diversities of interwoven cultures and lifestyles were absolutely refreshing.

But it was on this day that the reckonings of the past brought the inhumanity of the present in sharp focus. We made the hour drive to Whitney Plantation. This is not your storybook wedding venue kind of place. This is, as our guide told us, a place to “become comfortable with the uncomfortable”. This is not a glorified walk through Antebellum South, where opulent displays of wealth hid the violent and cruel underbelly of slavery. This was a dignified accounting of the life of the enslaved, much of it told in their own words. And as I found myself drawn into the lives portrayed there, the parallels of modern kidnapping, detention centers and prisons became more relevant. The storylines of racism, sexual abuses, and of separated families, while enslavers continue to amass wealth, are far too familiar.

Yet what was most striking were the people who are keeping the stories alive. The caretakers of this place and of the memories. The ones who honor the names, the tears and the hardships and in doing so they offer us a chance to bear witness.

There is responsibility in witnessing inhumanity, should you accept it. It is to become human and then to find a way to be accountable.

That is our collective path to freedom. 

Photo by Elsa Hahne and found at Media – Whitney Plantation

Transformation

It’s easy to say, “We need transformation’; it’s yet another thing to be actively engaged in it. Transformation, by its nature, implies urgency to move from one state of being into another. Nature repeatedly shows us this. The butterfly is not alone in this emerging. Whether nature’s rapid transformations of insects and amphibians or the slow altering of the seasons, these shifts are essential for survival and the balance of life’s systems. And what are the consequences of not transforming?

Stagnation does not serve us. In traditional Chinese Medicine stagnation refers to restriction that hinders vital energy and ultimately causes pain and dis-ease. That’s why people seek movement in the forms of Tai chi and Qi Gong, to avoid stagnation and to maintain health’s optimum balance. And to a great extent it works.

But when we are identifying disease within our communities, our state and world, movement alone will not suffice. There must be clear thinking and honest assessing of the conditions causing our illnesses – literally and figuratively.

Wisdom would dictate that no single individual should be saddled with the obligation and responsibility of what we have come to know as leadership. Marx had it wrong, following is in fact the opium of the masses, organized religion is only a symptom. The giving away of our individual accountability to ourselves, our communities and the earth has led us to this imperiled moment. Handing our power to a leader brings a stagnation that we can not afford in this urgent time. Cooperation and community where everyone assumes responsibility to the whole is what is needed now. And that will be a transformative step that we have not yet tried.

Many of us prefer status quo thinking and are not prepared to rock the boat. Understood. There are people desperate to crown a new king to follow, both on the left and the right. Tucker Carlson and Pete Buttigieg come to mind in this delusional attraction. But transformation requires immediacy and I would say to you, if this is not your moment to be accountable as a human being, capable of clear thinking and decisive action, please step aside.

There are many brilliant minds and stellar hearts seeking to bring more than hope back to our existence. There are communities of people readying for the transformation needed for all of us to create better ways forward. Look to the ones creating community. Look to the ones invigorating more than resistance; look to the determined, to the unrelenting. The people refusing to accept ‘this is how it must be’. And maybe then you will realize you are an essential part in this massive shift – for all of us.

Waking From a Bad Dream

When the evils of humanity come so close that you can feel the stench of their breath on your neck, you know you better wake from the nightmare. We can no longer wait for the right moment to counter the ignorance that has swept this country. Manipulated from the pulpit and driven by greed, perhaps enough of us have now understood that the “American Dream” has been the world’s worst nightmare, and we are prepared to change the narrative. As the president scores points with gamers on the oil market and the rest of us hold on for dear life, this roller coaster ride of destruction has seemed endless.

But the truth is we can wake from this bad dream. It will not be one action, one march or one election that will stop the tide of delusion. It will require that enough of us, wake to find that we are still here. That our hopes for ourselves and our children are still here. That our aspirations of peace and equity are alive and well. That our love of the Earth is defiantly refusing to allow the continued raping of our Mother. When enough of us realize there are choices that do not include “drill baby drill” or distance ourselves from the threats of annihilation that keep us in fear, we will change course.

We must find strength in our mutual history from those who have defied the lawless laws of corruption and have encouraged us to never give up. The fearless ones, who could see that the nightmare has an end – and worked tirelessly to show us the way. Not any one of us have the solution, but together we are the solution.

Most recently Minnesotans taught the power of “we the people”. May we realign with our humanity however we can. 

Ten years after her murder, indigenous leader Berta Cáceres remains a beacon of hope in Honduras

“She Didn’t Die, She Multiplied.”The words and vision of slain human rights activist, Berta Caceres, reverberate throughout this podcast on Changing the Narrative. Bryan Rogers shares his passion for the environment and humanity in his role as Environmental Justice Director for The Webb at Milwaukee’s Walnut Way. The overwhelming number of data centers springing up in Wisconsin require a statewide and organized resistance to protect our water, our communities and our health.

It’s OK to Change Your Mind

15,000 people sang (this) to ICE at the conclusion of the “Be Human” Brandi Carlile concert last week in Minneapolis. The concert was livestreamed and raised $600,000 for immigrant families. It was a powerful statement of loving resistance and the words keep echoing in my mind and heart. They sang, and I found myself singing too, “It’s OK to change your mind, and you can join us, join us anytime.”

Singing Resistance is growing across the country. As Minneapolis faced immense pain, rage, and grief, they found the courage to “fight back with love”. Calling upon the conscience of these mercenaries of hate, Minneapolis dared to invite ICE agents to walk away from the path of violence. and to “take accountability for harm they’ve caused”. There are now 95 chapters of Singing Resistance calling for Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1 to be nationwide singing actions. They will be coordinated in locations such as Dilley Detention Center in Texas, or in corporate locations that have contracts with ICE.

The Minneapolis Singing Resistance Instagram, posted that they were inspired by Otpor the Serbian Civil Resistance movement who overthrew dictator Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Regularly arrested and beaten by police, the protestors would then show up to police stations and officers’ houses chanting “You may not join us today, but you can join us tomorrow”. In the final hours of their revolution, hundreds of thousands of people marched on Belgrade. Milosevic ordered the police and military to fire on the massive crowds. They refused. They were done being on the wrong side of history.” 

There are singing resistance groups springing up throughout the Driftless region. And whether you are able to join a group sing or not, there is no doubt that song has always been used to help us overcome hardships and oppression. Find your voice, give it your love and resist inhumanity.

photo from Michael Tisserand, Facebook

The Unraveling

The twisted threads of violence and hate are not new to us. They’ve been woven into the fabric of this nation from its beginning. To continue to deny the presence of white supremacy or to whitewash it in any way only prolongs the agony of its existence. To ignore misogyny or the usury of capitalism as destructive forces in our society keeps us from stepping into our rightful place as human beings, capable of choice and of peaceful coexistence.

Learn from the modern abolition movement and the wisdom of uplifting communities to abolish the need for policing. It makes total sense. There is hope there. There is courage there. There is vision.

It’s weary making listening to politicians argue the necessity for militarized police or insist that change must come slowly. They invite us into their complicity with a system that has fed class struggle. A system that has divided us through artificial stereotypes of race. A system that rebukes those who challenge it by imprisonment and worse. And now they are debating the reform of ICE and too many are refusing to demand it be abolished. Kicking the can down the road to surface once more. There is no way to reform a policing system that has roots in slave capture or of Indigenous genocide. The roots of ignorance run deep and we must not be tricked again.

The police state is a profit-making machine and we, through our government, are footing the bill, both financially and in the damage to our souls. To continue to allow the very loud but very few voices to dominate this transition is foolish at best, self-destructive at worst. Both political parties have benefited from allowing militarized policing to thrive. Our collective willingness to supply and and fund the genocide of Palestinian people was a precursor to what we are witnessing on our streets today.

Ask yourself why you believe and have faith in militarization? Do you recognize that fear has been induced into our psyche and shaped our decisions for generations? Can you see how it keeps us from our humanity and fuels this moment of violence?

The money poured into militarization and ICE could go a long way towards the healing that we desperately need.

Kudos to the people who are coming to these understandings and putting their bodies on the line. Kudos to the ones who are standing up to family and friends who have bullied with fear and untruths. Kudos to all who are taking a stand, in whatever way, for our mutual humanity.

There is no easy path towards our healing. There is no more waiting for those who refuse to live in a good way. We must, with everything in our beings, forge on. We must participate in this great unraveling, this untangling of the threads of injustice, and reject the leadership of hate and deceit.

We must acknowledge our history and make a conscious choice to live differently. It is not only possible. It is essential.

Resistance Bird compliments of The Aunties Dandelion. Permission given to share.

Stand for one another.

Demand accountability. We are still being played. Removing one henchman for another as the head of ICE in Minneapolis yet the grotesque acts of violence continue. Main stream media remains complicit, as do the leadership of both parties.

Listen to Senator Klobachar make her milk toast case for ICE reform on PBS. Not abolishing ICE, reforming ICE. Why?

Listen to marginalized voices. For once. Step into your humanity.

I gain strength listening to the voices of those unafraid to speak truth. However hard. I gain strength acknowledging what I have known all along. It will take more of us to bring about the change we know must surely come. Pay attention. Participate in this transformation. Wherever you are.

Every Winter Carries Seeds of Spring

The Return of Light is upon us. People celebrate this season in many different ways yet universal themes prevail: good will to all, sharing abundance, the need for community, and a recognition of life’s evolving seasons.

Solstice, the darkest time of year, is known as a time of reflection and renewal. Some cultures celebrated for as many as fifteen days, coming together for communal strength to face the bleakness of winter. They came seeking warmth, for feasting, to share the stories of their becoming and to illuminate the possibilities and dreams of what may still be.

Winter is known as the oldest season. It’s a time of passing and of death. It reminds us of our finite nature – that as much as we are beings of spirit, we also live in temporal time, with a beginning and an end. We welcome the return of light, but also reckon with endings and the recycling of life. We come together to celebrate and also to mourn. 

Winter, if we allow it, demands withdrawal from frenetic energies so that we may take solace in the quiet stillness that envelops us. And if we are fortunate and can give our attention to it, we’re gifted with stillness within us as well.

Winter draws us inward. It’s this inward pull and outward need for community that instructs us as human beings. It’s the recognition that light will come again and this is not merely a faint hope. It is our knowing. We know the light will come because we have witnessed it. In this way, knowing is a vital human trait that protects us from doubt. Now more than ever we need to wake up to our knowing and to the seeds of becoming that await us. 

In many cultures time was marked by winter, and the questions were asked: “How many winters have you lived?” Or “How many winters have you been a human being?”

This question and recognition of our humanity may be the most important one we can ask ourselves and answer now. As the vestiges of uprightness are being mocked and stripped away, it is imperative for each of us to reclaim the better angels of our humanity. Because we can. Every winter carries seeds of spring. Nurture those seeds.