Dismantling the Master’s House

When Audre Lorde wrote, “The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house,” the door opened again to the dismantling of the systems that oppress us – if we let them.

And just what is the master’s house? The patriarchy that continues to subjugate women the world over are the pillars. In the walls are hidden the abuse of women and children and the inhumane secrets of generations. The floors are made of capitalism dependent on extreme extractions of the earth and of human blood, sweat and tears. And religions, that abandon simple truths in order to align with power, are the roof of the master’s house. The master’s house is a tight little package that we have accepted and we continue to support – until we don’t.

And what are the tools that we should not use to dismantle this prison? The lies of scarcity, that there is not enough; that life is about ‘dog eat dog’ and ‘might is right’. That heaven can only be found in dying and life is about sacrifice and pain and that we are separate from one another and all Creation. These are the tools the master has used to build his house.

What then are the tools to dismantle this prison? Knowing who you are is key. Recognizing the preciousness of life and the connection we all carry to our Creator and to one another sweeten the effort of dismantling. Love and compassion are our strengths. Courage and clarity are essential. And the hope that is born on this effort is never forsaken. It carries on.

“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free”. Let us join the host of human beings who have traversed this course. Enough of inhumanity. It’s time we depart the master’s prison and bring the willing home.

For inspiration, courage and clarity:

Fannie Lou Hamer – “Until I am Free You are Not Free Either”

Angelou “No One of Us is Free until Everybody’s Free“

Dignity and Grace

Don’t Let Them Bury My Story is the book by the oldest living survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Viola Ford Fletcher passed from this life on November 24th. She was 111. Her story will not be buried.

If you know of the Tulsa Race Massacre, it’s likely because of the lifelong effort of Mother Fletcher and others who suffered the haunting memories of White hate. It’s said ‘history is written by the victors’, but those who survived the two-day massacre in 1921, are proving that wrong.

Mother Fletcher was seven years old when the White mob began the massacre that slaughtered at least 300 Black people and burned down the affluent Black Community of Greenwood.

None of the White mob were ever convicted of the killings, lootings and torching of businesses and homes. Authorities deputized lynch mobs and harassment by Whites continued. Viola’s family escaped with only the clothes they wore. Many of the homeless families spent the winter in tents. Human perseverance and advocacy refuse to allow the erasure of truth.

Mother Fletcher’s lifelong quest for reparations was never fulfilled, but her words continue to echo giving way to truth telling and the possibility of healing. Her life and legacy is one of hope and much more than survival.

On May 19, 2021, she testified before Congress, “I will never forget the violence of the White mob…I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams.”

The first Black mayor of Tulsa, Monroe Nichols, has proposed June 1, 2026 as a Day of Observance with a plan to raise $105 million for reparations. This hope for healing will include releasing documents related to the massacre.

Viola Ford Fletcher’s Foundation will continue to “operate for the Good of humanity, believing we are stronger together.”

May dignity and grace continue to lead.

Viola’s Vision for Leadership

-from the Viola Ford Fletcher Foundation: To humanity’s leaders:

Fundamentally people are the same. We need clean water, air, quality food, safe spaces free of violence to rest our heads, raise children, learn; love, be loved, and respected. We want to belong to our communities because they allow and support us to explore our best. When our basic needs are met, we become freer to dream and learn… to read more of Viola’s principles

photo of Viola Ford Fletcher is from her foundation.

There Are More of Us

While I was handing out “No Transmission Corridor” flyers, I learned again the adage, ‘There are more of us’. The majority of folks didn’t know about Dairyland’s proposal to bring what would be the highest transmission line in Wisconsin through the Driftless, but they were glad to find out, and thanked me for letting them know.

There were a few who didn’t care, but they learned something that will hopefully be nagging at them as they drive through our precious landscapes. And of course there were the very, very few who weren’t opposed to it – not for it, but not opposed to it. They’re the ones who don’t court independent thinking and are content not rocking the boat. But nonetheless, there it was again – that sweet knowing that we are the majority.

We, the ones who care, the ones just waiting for that precious piece of knowledge and inclusion that allows us to stand for something. The ones who are still capable of feeling dignity and who love the earth unquestioningly.

Corporate media has done a great job keeping us placated and ignorant. We’ve been fed lies about what is necessary and what is progress for decades. We’ve been told what is inevitable and have lost our clarity and our voice in the process.

But now as we witness lies exposed, as we learn of neighbors viciously stripped from families and communities, as we see the extend the powerful will go to hide the grooming and raping of children, and as our earth is rocked by extraction, we are also witness to the rise of this: There are more of us. And I say bring it on.

Use time wisely. Look for people who want to know. Let’s widen the circle of our humanity with those who are waiting to be invited.

AND IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

“Another packed night, with probably over 600 people coming out in Charlotte, NC to be trained to join the safety patrols who are fanning out across the city each day to make sure that everyone can get to work and school safely… and home again at night.
Every night, hundreds more people come out to find out how to plug in.
And while CBP and ICE expanded their operations to other cities, so did we.” – Gwen Frisbie – Fulton

Read about the COP30 Climate Summit with over 1,000 Indigenous people registered for the event and their impact.

Survivors speak out in this video: World Without Exploitation. Bring abuse out of the shadows.

And learn more how to protect the Driftless:

I know no other way

In Chinese medicine, as with Indigenous healing there are principles that direct the course. One is to go to the root of the illness, not simply treat symptoms. Ideally, we should get to the source before the dis – ease has materialized in the body. That is how observant we should be about health; taking notice of all nuances that lead to disharmony.

Another principle is that disease is never isolated to one individual. The healing often includes family and community. If an individual displays dis-harmony, it’s understood that it is also present in their associations. Community plays a large part in healing and adversely can contribute to illness.

We live in unharmonious times. Hatred and violence are normalized and accepted. Our children live in fear of other. Biases and judgement keep people in isolation, never learning about or from each other. Media, politics and religion contribute to this reckless inhumanity. People are rewarded for their hatred, falsely seen as piety or patriotism.

My Dine mentor taught traditional weaving. It was prayerful and deliberate. We were encouraged to dream and to replicate the dreaming into the weaving. Weaving taught discipline. You learned what mistakes you could live with and the ones you could not. One of the most significant understandings was to always have a way out. Traditional Navajo rugs always have that way out woven into them.

So, what is the way out of this mess we have woven?

The way out I choose is to discover my humanity and recognize it in others. To celebrate humanity in all its splendor and to be grateful for the gift of life. That is my way out. I know no other way.

I have zero tolerance for the denial of my humanity…or the denial of the humanity of others. And I cling to the reality of my breathe as a source of hope, healing and courage.

When People Care

Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, there are signs that life has been drastically altered. The federal financial aid cuts hitting our local counties are shattering lives. Often referred to as “safety nets”, we are beginning to witness the severity of these cuts on our differently abled population, our children and our elderly. Local food pantries have been forced to cut fresh produce and milk and the numbers of people in need keep growing.

To some extent, this had been happening, but the end of aid is now rippling through and the harm is startling. What comes from despair? What comes from hopelessness? As we watch the forced starvation of Palestinian people in a man-made crisis, and people here being rounded up in inhumane ways, it’s apparent humanity must reclaim empathy.

Pointing fingers of blame is senseless when you witness the destruction of lives, near and far. Instead, we need to assess what we have, collectively, that cannot be lost. We need to think anew, creating systems and pathways that allow each individual to thrive. We’re being challenged to become human once more.

There was a time when land was not owned, when people could “make a way out of no way”. But human hands created economic systems that stripped dignity away from simple living, and now those same systems are choking many lives.

The choice before us is to recognize what is worthy of saving and what can be discarded. The effort is to rise in our collective humanity and trust again the earth can feed us – with our care. And to realize that we are worthy.

There are many local organizations and people in government ready and willing to make this turn. It’s up to us to help.

Here are some things that informed me this week. I hope you find inspiration here, to care and to act.

You can find a recording of a recent gathering of caring people at VernonReporter.com The event was billed as a non-partisan, educational, community exchange of information. It is worthy of your time to listen.

You can also listen to my podcast Changing the Narrative with author Elspeth Hays on her new book Feed Us With Trees – an important read on how we can reclaim our relationship with the natural world – and why we – or at least some of us – lost it.

And What’s in Our Future? on Life’s Essentials with Prem Rawat can be heard on Spotify as he reminds us of the power of being human.

And the photo is of Forget Me Nots…from my mother.

Be well, Everyone.

Stop the Madness

I ventured out to a field where I had planted twenty tamarack saplings. I only found half alive, but you never know, after winter sometimes things awaken again. So, I’ll wait and hope.

I wanted to tell you all about the miracle that is Spring. I wanted to speak of rebirth, and resilience, of awakening from dormancy and of new life. And then I saw a video posted on Alt National Park Service of white vigilante men, possibly ICE, no names, no badges, no warrant, smashing a car window of a terrified husband and wife who were waiting inside. The couple videoed the entire episode – we must all do that these days – and you could hear them asking in Spanish to wait for their lawyer. You could hear their fear and as the unknown men smashed the window of the car they were sitting in. This is state sanctioned terrorism.

The husband was taken to an undisclosed location. His wife is here as an asylum seeker. Her husband is in the process of becoming a legal resident. They have one child. May he be reunited with his family, but given the reckless lawlessness that has taken over our country, no one can be certain justice will prevail.

Due process mans nothing to this administration as they claim to do the bidding of MAGA voters.

So, this is what you, MAGA champions, overwhelmingly voted for? Trump declared a mandate, but that is a lie, and it is the lie shoved in our face every time Rubio and Vance get to a microphone. Less than 50% voted for either Trump or Harris. The largest percent of eligible voters did not vote. That should tell us something.

You, who claim MAGA allegiance, voted to give the authoritarian free rein over the entire nation. How long will it take for families and communities to mend from this harm cascading all around us? How long will you allow this administration to continue unchecked?

You think your prayers and righteousness will cover it? God gave you free will. Use it. You have been duped. Admit it. Your husbands, fathers, and sons and even daughters are caught in this downward spiral of hatred, racism, homophobia and greed. What good are your prayers, if you have no voice to say, “Stop this madness.” I pity your lack of courage and I am ashamed for your cruelty. Wake up while there is still time.

And to those choosing anger and blame and not recognizing we have all allowed this regrettable moment, it is time to reconsider. Righting this ship will take the majority of us. United. Let’s find a way.

Changing the Rules of Engagement

If you are speculating on how dire things will be and not taking action to stop the harm, you are missing an intrinsic reality: This is still within our power to change.

Most recently I learned of the president of Namibia, who let it be known that western travelers and others will now be required to pass through a visa process to enter her country. The 72-year-old is changing the rules of engagement and requesting dignity for her people. I was heartened by the clarity of the declaration. It was not made in retaliation. It was made in reclaiming humanity that has been in imbalance far too long.

It has long been said that patriarchy is in its waning days and we should expect a backlash. I guess we are in the midst of that backlash at this moment. But it does not make it right, nor does it mean we have to surrender our values and all that we have come to learn. We do not have to bow and grovel before ignorance.

This is a time that requires a fierce trust in humanity’s best angels. It requires a courage that withstands the grotesque distortion of values and remains resolute to higher truth.

It demands that we reach the reachable. And what should we invite them to consider? I would argue that we need not try indoctrination into a political party, or another religion. We should invite people to discover the strengths that we each hold, encourage everyone to celebrate their uniqueness and to honor the earth, our collective home. We need to beat the drums of our mutual humanity and call for the reachable to come back to the simplest of truths. We are alive and the power of peace is still available.

In her new book Defund, Black Lives, Policing and Safety for All, Sandy Hudson invites us to re-examine our understanding of policing and to consider what gains can be made as we re-invest in humanity with dignity for all. This is a lively and compelling conversation that highlights the necessity for change. Take time to listen here.

You can find more of my podcasts on the transition to restore humanity at Changing the Narrative on WDRT. Thanks for listening and sharing.

Change Course

There’s no doubt we’re in for a ride as the chaotic upheaval of the government continues. Certainly, there’ll be people in need and hopefully we’ll find a way around failing systems to help. If you’re still falling in line with Republican or Democrat talking points, it may be time to consider the talking point that suffered the most in both parties’ rhetoric: our humanity.

When a government abdicates its responsibility to protect the welfare of its people by choosing instead to build wealth through military industry and resource theft, that government is not worthy of its people’s allegiance. Since October 2023, we have witnessed a government unyielding in its support of genocide. The hand off from Biden to Trump was seamless and now we are expected to complete the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by a single decree of our president / king.

And just as South Africa and others accused Israel of genocide, there is now a request for the International Criminal Court to investigate Biden, Blinken and Lloyd for their complicity in genocide by “aiding and abetting” Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

European nations are uniting in fierce opposition to Trump’s erroneous statements on Ukraine. And we must reckon with what appears to be another US resource grab in disregard for the sovereignty of Ukrainians – and what it could mean for other nations if Putin’s aggression continues with US approval.

As the United States wealth gap increases and countless marginalized people face the terror of hatred unleashed and run amuck, we shouldn’t ask, “How did we get here?” In a country whose entire history has been one of attempted genocide of Indigenous people, cruelty of enslaved people and the scapegoating of anyone who challenged the normalcy of the “divine right of kings” – the question should be: “How do we emerge from this horror?”

It’s beyond time for us to acknowledge, challenge and change the storyline of empire that has been our history. Yes, we have been led by high ideals but time and again we have surrendered those ideals. Whether out of fear of the powerful or the desire to climb the ladder, we have squandered beloved community. We have sacrificed our humanity, our individuality and our human family and for what? Changing course is still an option. It will require a commitment toward peace and peace building. It will require a truth telling and courage to face the backlash that will surely, is surely, coming. It will require a restoration of each individual’s humanity and the reinvigoring of community. It is possible and it is happening for some of us. We can remain frozen in the fear of this moment of violence and repression or rekindle and support the ideals of liberty and equity for all. Choose.

From Vision to Reality

This is the month we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, his wisdom and his humanity. We reflect on his vision of a country united in compassion, love, justice and peace. We do this in stark contrast to the vitriol of division that has swept through and consumes our land.

We do this as ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) seeks to locate itself in our communities in fulfillment of the campaign promise to have swift deportations of our friends, neighbors and co-workers on day one. We do this as the federal government ignores international laws of human rights. By detaining people accused of crime, but not allowing due process through our judicial system, we are not only disregarding international law, but the laws of our own Constitution.

As current anti-immigrant legislation is passing through Congress, we witness our elected officials sign on to mandatory detention for minor offences and empower states’ attorney generals to weaken immigration policies and block visa programs.

Driven by unjustified fears and old bigotries, too many of us will be ignoring the inhumanity that will be ushered in.

This, as the media continues to squelch the cost to our economy as we lose this vital workforce. This, as we will thrust human beings into illegal and inhuman conditions while they await their fate. This, as we forgo our own humanity and diminish the humanity of our friends, neighbors and co-workers.

There are many working to ensure migrant workers are aware of their rights in this reckless time. One is WISDOM WISCONSIN. It’s a faith based, predominantly Christian, statewide network of volunteers who are refusing to be complicit.

From their website: Support Immigrant Rights in Wisconsin! No matter where we come from, what our color, how we worship, or what our immigration status is, we are all in Wisconsin, and we all want to provide for our families.

WISDOM brings together people from across racial, geographic and economic lines to demand fair and safe immigration processes for all families, just like we won civil rights in our past. By joining all in together, we can make Wisconsin a place that honors all families, no exceptions.

From ZETEO: Challenging the mischaracterizations and lies.

Know Your Legal Rights When Dealing with ICE Immigration Enforcement: The US Constitution provides rights for everyone, regardless of immigration status. Right against Unreasonable Search and Seizure (4th Amendment) is based on personhood, not on citizenship.

1. Right to Due Process

2. Right to legal counsel

3. Right to be with family

4. Right against unreasonable search and seizure

5. Right to education

“I do not consent to any searches, I will not speak without a lawyer present”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

― Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., center, leads a group of civil rights workers and Selma black people in prayer on Feb. 1, 1965 in Selma, Alabama after they were arrested on charges of parading without a permit. More than 250 persons were arrested as they marched to the Dallas County courthouse as part of a voter registration drive. (AP Photo/BH)

For What Its Worth

Young people are at it again. Stirring up trouble and making us think. How dare they have peaceful protests about genocide. How dare they demand an end to their college’s funding of militarism and the slaughter of innocents. The hubris. The arrogance. Challenging the United States’ long held worship of war is not easy. Just ask those who stood up in the 60’s. Or at least ask the ones who remember how good it felt to be on the side of humanity.

Once again young people are forcing us to remember the creeds we extol. Freedom of speech being among them. It’s very hard to reckon how any of us can still believe the self defense claims of Netanyahu while we watch the horror unfolding and the lies exposed.

Now we’re learning that the Israeli claims of terrorists in UNRWA have no foundation – this after the US led the charge to defund the only consistent humanitarian aid available to Palestinians. And how long will it take Congress to reenact that aid?

Remember the pier the US was building to bring relief? Whatever happened to that? Yet the international humanitarian flotilla carrying 5500 tons of aid may not be allowed to leave Istanbul. And children starve to death.

What must it be like to be a Palestinian in this moment when revenge is promoted on a grand scale and the western world silently utters thoughts and prayers and watches. We were lied to from the beginning of this slaughter, both by the ranking Israeli government and by our President.

But too many of us are saying, “Don’t rock the boat”, not realizing the boat sank a long time ago.

“It’s time we stop”. Listen to the youth. Remember our humanity.

For What Its Worth. This picture is of Jewish students enjoying and celebrating Passover Seder – while protesting the slaughter of innocent Palestinians at the hands of the extreme right wing government of Israel.

It is worth a lot. we must keep overcoming our ignorance to uphold our humanity.

Please take some time to listen to my conversation with Alan Chavoya on militarized police, the need for community control over policing and humanistic activism. It holds groundbreaking information for those ready for change.

Tag: Humanity