We’re joining the 2021 MUSE UNConference for “An Afternoon of Radical Love” featuring a keynote from Sonya Renee Taylor, a panel on indigenous wisdom featuring Pixie Lighthorse, Twila Cassadore, Brigette McConville, Spring Alaska Olson and a special after (dance) party featuring movement by Acosia Red Elk, meditation by Oneika Mays and a DJ set by Tasha Blank! Event is pay-what-you-can and everyone is welcome!
There is a beautiful article by Ann Patchett on the practice of letting go, because she says “possessions stood between me and death”.
A similar trend is playing out in our “house” with a slew of political clutter standing between us and democracy. Between big money in politics, gerrymandering, voting restrictions and the filibuster, the US is looking a lot less like a democracy and a lot more like an oligarchy. How else could we have a democratically controlled House, Senate and Presidential administration and be unable to pass a much needed COVID relief plan and a long overdue $15 minimum wage? And despite 76% of Americans supporting the #AmericanRescuePlan, not a single Republican voted for it.
Meanwhile, 43 states are pushing 250 bills meant to restrict voting access. If we do not act now, the cycle of disenfranchisement and disempowerment of the people will continue. Democracy only works when it works for everyone.
Yesterday, the House passed the #ForThePeopleAct - a radical bill of essential reforms that would transform our democracy and allow for a more inclusive, responsive and representative process. HR1 has been coined as the greatest civil rights bill since the civil rights movement and would protect/expand voting rights, reduce the influence of money in politics and create an ethical and accountable government (yes, please).
Making this bill the law of the land is the next great fight for the future of our democracy. And we’re here for it. More below.
Kerri (she/her)
State houses are trying to prevent trans youth from participating in female sports programs and restrict medical care. The new wave of anti-trans legislation sure looks a lot like eugenics. [click to tweet]
Rep. Pramila Jayapal on how the Senate is broken and why we have to come to terms with the fact that there are no bipartisan solutions, there is only fighting for what’s right. [click to tweet]
The campaign to cancel wokeness and how the right is trying to censor critical race theory. [click to tweet]
Reimagining a Regenerative Future by scripting new stories, seeking the unseen, unheard, unknown, unacknowledged…[click to tweet]
When Something Breaks, Moms Pick Up the Pieces. Moms—especially moms of color—have been pushed to the brink of economic, social, and emotional collapse. What Happens When Moms Break? [click to tweet]
The #ForthePeopleAct is America’s next great civil rights bill. Beyond voting reform and protections against discrimination, the bill is a roadmap to an inclusive, diverse, and equitable democracy. The bill would:
End gerrymandering
Set up public financing of elections
Expand early voting
Prevent voting purges
Counter citizens united
Enact auto-voter registration
While Democrats hold a majority in the House and Senate, Republicans will likely call a filibuster (an old Jim Crow relic that allows Republicans who represent a shrinking minority to block bills). Call your senators and demand that they end the filibuster and pass the #ForThePeopleAct.
Art by @lwvmarin
Navigating 500,000 deaths is no small feat. All of us are navigating the grief and fear in different ways and many of us are not ok. Nor should we be. But how do we meet one another in our pain and suffering? How do we meet ourselves? Despite the impulse, cheering people up doesn’t work. In fact, it often makes things worse. We tell the people we love to look on the bright side, to pull up for their children, to try acupuncture. But you can’t heal someone’s pain by trying to take it away from them. To support your friend, you must let things hurt. That’s right. Acknowledgement is the best medicine we have because it makes things better even when it can’t make things right. Check out this amazing resource on how to show up for grief.
You’re doing the best you can right now. Be gentle to yourself.
Art by @fleurdelisspeks
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