The author reflects on a week spent in Beaver Dam, WI, their hometown, discussing the concept of belonging. Reconnecting with the community, they participated in a program by AAUW and enjoyed heartfelt interactions with locals, including old friends and neighbors. Despite the loss of parents, the warmth of the community reaffirmed their sense of belonging. Continue reading My hometown
A Peace of My Mind is launching a fall fundraiser to support its growth and upcoming projects in 2026. The organization has expanded operations, upgraded equipment, and initiated new storytelling endeavors. Donations are crucial for sustaining and enhancing these efforts, as new content creation is not revenue-generating. Support from donors shapes the future of the initiative. Continue reading Help A Peace of My Mind Continue Its Impact in 2026
Executive director, Sankofa Community Development Corporation, Lower Ninth Ward After Rashida Ferdinand earned her master’s degree in ceramics, she considered moving to New York for its energy and professional opportunities. “But I wanted to also be in a warm environment, physically and culturally,” she says. “Being around blue, purple, yellow houses. Being around my family. My grandmother was getting older. So it was a no-brainer.” … Continue reading Rashida Ferdinand
Restoration programs senior manager, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana Darrah Fox Bach cultivated her love for the outdoors in her native San Francisco, where environmentalism flourishes and Saturdays were devoted to hiking. She moved to Louisiana to study at Tulane University, and stayed for an AmeriCorps position with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL). When a job opened up at the non-profit advocacy group, … Continue reading Darrah Fox Bach
Rosina Philippe, an elder from the Atakapa-Ishak/Chawasha Tribe, resides in Grand Bayou Indian Village, an Indigenous community facing environmental challenges. As traditional food sources diminish and storms increase, she emphasizes the importance of policy inclusion for community input and inspires others to advocate for their heritage and future. Continue reading Rosina Philippe
I spent a good part of the summer in the north of Ireland. It’s a beautiful country filled with lovely people, who spent three decades at the end of the last century at odds. In true, understated Irish fashion, they called their season of sectarian violence The Troubles, and in those years, more than 3,700 people were killed, 50,000 wounded, and an entire nation was … Continue reading A Cautionary Tale
Coastal scientist, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium During the Covid-19 lockdown, while others baked sourdough bread, Alex Kolker was studying satellite images of the Mississippi River Delta. As an oceanographer, geologist, and climate scientist, he is interested in how the Louisiana coastline loses land, and also how it builds that land back. As he examined the images, Alex noticed a channel connecting the Mississippi River to … Continue reading Alex Kolker
Professor of plant genetics, Louisiana State University Prasanta Subudhi grew up near India’s Bay of Bengal, in a village surrounded by rice fields. From a young age, the crop fascinated him. He considered careers in medicine and engineering, but rejected them both in favor of rice genetics. Prasanta came to the United States to do research at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. In 2001 he … Continue reading Prasanta Subudhi
Ebony Woodruff, an agricultural attorney from Chalmette, Louisiana, uses her legal expertise to combat Black land loss, a legacy of discrimination and heirs’ property issues. Inspired by her professors, she combines her passion for food and civil rights, helping families retain land and raise awareness about systemic injustices in agriculture. Continue reading Ebony Woodruff
