We have a complicated relationship with hierarchy. We tend to think they are a form of oppression. But there is an important distinction between dominant hierarchies and “nested” or developmental hierarchies. We learn things. We grow. We get better at doing the things that we practice.
We go from not knowing, to novice, to apprentice to master. This does not mean we exert dominance over anyone. But it does mean that we have ascended up a developmental hierarchy.
My last work trip before this pandemic was in February of last year. I went to Nuqí, in Colombia’s Pacific Coast. I had the privilege of facilitating Skylight’s AfroColombia SolidariLabs. It was magical. It was transformational work among people devoting their art and passion to a more just and inclusive society. It was an effort to face racism and right past and current wrongs.
Read MoreOn March 30th we invited you into a call to talk about what adaptive change looks like in this moment. You brought your hearts and your wisdom. This is a synthesis of our conversation. This post brings together the reflections that you shared using zoom’s chat function during the call.
We sang, we moved, we shared, we prayed. We turned our gaze to what is possible now that was not possible before. Let us cull from what is being learned about how and what to practice now, in these days.
How do we breathe and live our way into the future that wants to emerge?
How do we do all of this while also holding space for grief, and opportunities for mutual care?
Read More2020 has been quite the year. Today is the winter solstice and it’s time to turn our face towards the light. We want to get our bodies and our minds ready for what is new. We want our hearts and our souls to align with our highest intentions. This is a time to align. And to create.
Read MoreJoin me and others who believe in the power of connection, of community, of people, of movement, of song and of prayer.
Let’s gather this coming Tuesday, October 27, 3PM to 4:30PM EST. Register here.
This is not a campaign rally. It is not a get out the vote effort. This is an “our care” session. It is an opportunity to ground and connect and get perspective. It is a way to bring our attention to who and how we are being in this moment. AND it is a way to take the long view. A way to practice how to be better ancestors for our descendants.
Read MoreHere is the clearest articulation of how I think about what we are doing.
Read MoreI have long been frustrated with the way we have been holding the racial justice conversation. As a facilitator, I am painfully familiar with the places in which it always gets stuck. I have been wanting to try something else. Something different. More open. More likely to move.
And now we are ready to hold a conversation about race. A conversation geared towards white people who want to learn, to take responsibility and to do something.
Read MoreOn March 26 we partnered with NEO Philanthropy to host a National Voting Rights Convening. We were supposed to spend two days together in Austin. We had a four hour virtual conference instead. We were almost 200 people from all over the country. Lawyers, activists, advocates and organizers who spend their every day working to protect and expand the franchise.
Read MoreKathryn Ramey is a filmmaker and anthropologist who is making beautiful and important work about Puerto Rico.
I met Kathryn when I facilitated the orientation of the 2019 Creative Capital Awardees. Her work is personal to me. I grew up with a nationalist father. But surrounded by uncles, cousins and grandfathers who have served in the military.
I grew up visiting “La Base Ramey.” I have vivid memories of the spartan place, and of it’s tropical surroundings. Kathryn learned that the military base was named after a relative of hers. And she turned her gaze towards that which too often unseen when we think of Puerto Rico.
Meet Lawrence Barriner. A story teller, facilitator, circle holder and friend. He is a member of the Evolutionary Leadership community as well as a part of the Better Men Project. I love learning with him in these spaces and am happy to share some of his wisdom with you. In this series he speaks of his personal journey growing up queer in the south. About the toxic patterns of patriarchy he was able to avoid by growing up outside of the cis/hetero societal structure and the patterns he is still trying to unlearn.
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