Pause
Just before sunrise, birds begin their “dawn chorus,” singing melodic, jubilant songs in the first light of morning. The music of birdsong welcomes the sun all the way around the globe each day, as it has for over 25 million … Continue reading Pause
Gentrification Hurts
The intention behind my work is to illuminate, amplify, and fortify transformative ideas and action. To shine honest light on what binds us while tuning into positive possibility. On this sunny spring day with a periwinkle sky, I will write … Continue reading Gentrification Hurts
Complexities
I almost left a few minutes into last week’s Citizen’s Police Advisory Committee (CPAC) meeting. The overwhelming emotion that filled the room poured over me like boiling water. After a deep breath, rather than running from the scalding, I stood still … Continue reading Complexities
Horrific History Repeats
Our horrific history of racial oppression continues to repeat itself. Case in point: we learned last week of the completely unjustified and brutal beating of Johnnie Jermaine Rush, a black man, by members of the Asheville Police Department. This incident … Continue reading Horrific History Repeats
intersections on my path
Intersectionality guides me. Collective liberation requires undoing all systems of oppression. If our movements lack intersectional awareness we will fail. And failure is not an option, for, as Assata Sakur said to her fellow black freedom fighters, “it is our … Continue reading intersections on my path
Radical Imagination
We live within the imagination of others. Within made up narratives that skew our reality. Within crushing systems of oppression that began as opinions. The white cis capitalist patriarchy is an invention. Rather than staying within constructs that do not … Continue reading Radical Imagination
Whiteness, Grief, and Belonging
White friends, we get to work. We get to wallow around in the wilderness of our whiteness. Bushwhack through our b.s. Ferociously face our roots and fissures. Do you feel aversion to this? Good. Let’s feel some productive pain. Because … Continue reading Whiteness, Grief, and Belonging
The Sweat of Truth
“I believe in the fire of love and the sweat of truth.” – Assata Shakur. In my continual study of systems of oppression and movements for collective liberation, I seek insights which expand my understandings. Sometimes the shifts are small, … Continue reading The Sweat of Truth
Community Media
Who shapes our collective narrative and how? Today I’m fired up about the positive potential of community media. According to Wikipedia, “Community media is any form of media that is created and controlled by a community, either a geographic community or a community of identity or interest. Community media is … Continue reading Community Media
Perfectionism, Protests, Plans
Being an activist takes bravery. It can be frightening to fight for social change, challenge the status quo, or intentionally expand your network. Lately I’ve been thinking of the “performance anxiety” I often experience when I step up for justice … Continue reading Perfectionism, Protests, Plans
Ami Worthen 