This moment was made for us.

It feels like America is having an identity crisis. On one hand, you have a President who has demonstrated unprecedented progressive action in his first seven days. On the other hand, you have a congress in gridlock and a Republican minority evading responsibility and pledging allegiance to white supremacy.

But the question is not “what will they do?”. The question is “what will we do?”. How will we hold ourselves and one another accountable for our actions? How will we fight for our right to thrive? And who will we choose to be in this next chapter of our story?

As Alicia Garza reminds us “America is deciding who it will be, not just for ourselves, but for the rest of the world.”

This moment was made for us. Let us meet it.

Kerri (she/her)

Art @zeaink

1. Humans are designed to touch and be touched – which is why so many who live on their own have suffered during the pandemic. How a year without hugs affects our mental health. [click to tweet]

2. To Move Forward, We Need to Redefine 'Normal'. Alicia Garza on why we can't let the comforting dawn of a new administration lull us into complacency. [click to tweet]

3. Just Stop It With the New-Age, Hands-Off Approach to Fighting Racism. A new year of whitewashing social justice. [click to tweet]

4. Donald Trump Is Out. Are We Ready to Talk About How He Got In? Ta-Nehisi Coates on“The First White President”. [click to tweet]

5. Calls for unity after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol are misguided. Only by engaging in conflict through nonviolent means can we ever transform society. [click to tweet]

Biden’s latest executive orders are the most aggressive moves on the climate change of ANY president. Now, we’re pushing for Congress to pass the THRIVE agenda which presents a bold vision to revive our economy awhile addressing the interlocking crises of climate change, racial injustice, public health and economic inequality. Here are the eight pillars:

1. Creating millions of good, safe jobs with access to unions.

2. Investing in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.

3. Combating environmental injustice and ensuring healthy lives for all.

4. Ensuring fairness for workers and communities affected by economic transitions.

5. Building the power of workers to fight inequality.

6. Strengthening and healing the nation-to-nation relationship with sovereign Native Nations.

7. Averting climate and environmental catastrophe

8. Reinvesting in public institutions that enable workers and communities to THRIVE.

Call your representatives and demand that everyone deserves to thrive!

Art @birdandstone

As we navigate the real time consequences of white supremacy at the Capitol and beyond, the debate about “cancel culture” resurfaces. But accountability only feels like “cancel culture” when you’re not ready to acknowledge how your behavior harms others. In her most recent TEDx talk “Let’s Replace Cancel Culture with Accountability”, Sonya Renee Taylor explores the impact of calling out and calling in people who have caused harm. She offers us a third alternative - “calling on”. Sonya proposes that those who are the source of suffering, in any given interaction, should bear the responsibility for managing their own change and transformation. We all have a part to play in building a culture of accountability; and it starts with taking responsibility for our part and doing the work.

Happy Birthday, Angela Davis.

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