Today I am going to share some inspiration and opportunities to invest in transformative work happening in our community, plus a call to action.

Help CPC meet their goal by this Friday, November 15!

As I shared in my last post, the Center for Participatory Change (CPC) is raising funds for a second session of their interCAMBIO/exCHANGE program. The program provides a space for Black, Brown, and Latinx people to learn about each other’s languages, identities, and cultures and build meaningful relationships together. Every dollar they raise by this Friday, November 15 – up to $20,000 – will be matched! At this writing, they are at $10,722, or 53% of their goal. You can watch this video to learn more:

Please click here to donate if you can!

Thanks in advance for investing in CPC’s work to ignite collective power, transform systems of oppression, and heal in community.

Addressing complex social change

In her recent, powerful TEDx Asheville talk, Tracey Greene -Washington challenges us to address complex social issues and activate leaderful movements. As model of this work, she shares about the inspiring work of the CoThinkk giving circle. “Addressing complex social change is like piecing together a complicated puzzle; it’s messy, it’s hard, and it requires new perspectives, muscles, and models. The CoThinkk model challenges the very idea of how we address complex social change by shifting the widely accepted idea of what a traditional ‘philanthropist’ is by co-creating a shared leadership platform that is led by African-American and Latinx leaders that are working collectively to address systemic issues, support healing, and spur innovation.” Here’s a video of her talk:

You can find out more about Tracey’s work and sign up for her mailing list at indigoinnovationgroup.com.

On Living in a Flood Plain and an Internet Desert

The screenshot above is from Lydia See‘s photo essay, “On Living in a Flood Plain and an Internet Desert,” which can be found on Dilettante Army. I’m honored to be quoted in this thought provoking collection of photos and observations. Check it out!

Call to Action Re: Written Consent

The City of Asheville police department is finally moving ahead on implementing a policy of getting written consent for searches. In accordance with the 4th Amendment of the Constitution, written consent is a clear communication to that a person may consent or say no to a consent search when stopped by the police. This policy was tirelessly advocated for by many groups and individuals working on racial equity in our community. However, as it stands now, the policy will only apply to people in vehicles, leaving out many of the people who are most vulnerable to police harassment.

Please contact City Manager Deborah Campbell at 828-259-5604 or dcampbell@ashevillenc.gov and Police Chief Bailey at 828-259-5813 and urge them to include pedestrians in the written consent policy immediately.

Delta House Fundraiser this Saturday, November 16

Delta House Life Development of Asheville is holding a fundraiser this Saturday, November 16 at the Mission AB Tech Health Conference Center. It will feature a retrospective of the work of artist and teacher Shirley Whitesides, as well as live painting by Miya Bailey and music by the Free Flow Band. Click here for tickets. If you can’t make the event, you can click here to donate to Delta House to support their programs including the Delta House Jazz Band, which is particularly dear to my heart.

NOTE: There are many more terrific community events on this calendar, which is curated in collaboration with The adé PROJECT.

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