Two years ago today, I stopped drinking. It was my 55-1/2 birthday and the old habits weren’t serving me well any more. In the process of making some changes, I’ve recognized a whole new world of need, and met good people working to meet those needs. Last weekend I celebrated my upcoming anniversary by attending a sober powwow on the Fond du Lac reservation, just … Continue reading Two years
My friend Jason Anderson told this story during one of his sessions at The Montana Summer Institute in Big Sky last week. I want to make sure he gets the credit, and because I’m going to paraphrase it the best I can, there’s a chance I won’t do the story justice the way he did. I do remember that Jason got a little emotional as … Continue reading This is who we’ve become…
Afton Thomas is the Associate Director for Programs at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. Afton talks about Oxford as the progressive south, and the importance of continuing to share stories of the past so we can live better today and in the future. At the time of this interview, Afton’s involvement and voice in the community … Continue reading Afton Thomas
Mitchell Atencio is the associate news editor at Sojourners. Born in Atlanta, he now works out of the Sojourners D.C. offices on Capitol Hill. I interviewed Mitchell three days before the Supreme Court released its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. We spoke about his work in media, his ongoing process of challenging his own assumptions, and his decision to be discalced out … Continue reading Mitchell Atencio
It has been a busy fall! Here’s a little mid-month recap on what’s going on in our world and what comes next. Supply Chain We have spent the last two weeks north of Seattle waiting on some repair parts for our trailer. Everything is functional but the last two parts are delayed by some covid supply chain issues, so we have hunkered down at an … Continue reading Bits and Peaces
Noemi Aidee Tungui Aguilar comes from the Purépecha people of Michoacán, Mexico. She is an activist and an educator, on a journey to celebrate her culture that was nearly wiped out through colonialism. I met Noemi at a Water Protectors camp near Palisade, Minnesota where she went by the camp name Luna. She traveled there from her home in California to protest the construction of the Line … Continue reading Noemi Aidee Tungui Aguilar
It’s raining tonight. It’s a sound that I love, the drops falling on the camper roof, a thin veil between inside and out. The skies have been filled with heavy, autumn clouds all day, and now as daylight edges toward dusk, they are releasing the frequent rains that keep the pacific northwest so green. It’s warm and cozy in the trailer. The fireplace is on. … Continue reading One year in
The gallery below is meant to supplement the story you will find in Portraits of Peace: Searching for Hope in a Divided America. The book is available now, anywhere you love to buy books. Enjoy. Continue reading Book illustrations
Bazile Panek is majoring in Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University. He is an enrolled tribal member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Red Cliff, Wisconsin. “There’s all sorts of barriers to existing as a native person. Ever since colonization in 1492, things have been hard for native people. It’s hard just to even exist sometimes. So the power and … Continue reading Bazile Panek
This one’s going to be raw and unpolished. What’s new, you might ask. As we pack up to leave southern Louisiana, my mind is full. It’s a complex region full of complex challenges. But like most things, these are not Louisiana’s problems. They belong to all of us. What follows is less journalism than it is reflection. It’s a Cliff Notes version of the science, … Continue reading Where the water meets the land
