Imagining past what we’re told is possible to create a future beyond our wildest dreams. This is #WELLread.

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where wellbeing meets politics


** We can walk and chew gum at the same time.
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At Tuesday's Democratic debate, Julian Castro said that "we can walk and chew gum at the same time." And that pretty much sums up the spiritual practice of this moment.

Because unless we are willing to stretch our perspective and build a capacity to hold the many complex and often contradictory truths of this moment, we are in for more of the same.

We cannot have a conversation about gun violence without discussing white supremacy and state violence. In the same way, we cannot have a conversation about climate change without having a conversation about capitalism.

We can do hard things. We have the capacity to hold many truths simultaneously and discern the very difficult path forward. And the idea that we must continue to resort to "electability" and "get it done" politics is the very thing that got us into this mess.

As our friends Mark Gonzales and adrienne maree brown have taught us: we need to imagine better ([link removed]) .

Imagine beyond white cis male leadership.
Imagine beyond insurance-sponsored healthcare.
Imagine beyond a gun culture perpetuated by the NRA.
Imagine beyond prisons and police violence.
Imagine beyond the criminalization of drugs.
Imagine beyond the inevitability of poverty.
Imagine beyond. Period.

We need bold, out-of-the-box ideas that stretch our comfort and our imagination. Why? Because we deserve it. And because we have to.

Kerri (she/her)
HOW WE SHOW UP - a guided meditation - is now available ([link removed]) on Patreon!

When you join our Patreon community, you're helping our team create WELLread and CTZN Podcast. And every month, we share exclusive benefits like these guided meditations and more. [art via Amplifier]
JOIN US! ([link removed])

DEBATE
Things are heating up in the Democratic primary. Here's the run down in four charts ([link removed]) . After almost three hours of debate Tuesday night, not a single question on immigration, climate change, voting rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, housing or the threat of white nationalism. Oh...but there was a question about Ellen DeGeneres and George W. Bush's friendship. Go figure. Some highlights worth noting:
* Kamala Harris turns the conversation towards repro rights
* Pete Buttigeg presses Warren on Medicare For All. Here's what he gets wrong ([link removed]) .
* Julian Castro mentions Atatiana Jefferson and points out that police violence is gun violence ([link removed])
* Andrew Yang makes a case for universal basic income
* Warren and Sanders defend a wealth tax and everyone else defends billionaires
* Candidates pile-on Elizabeth Warren who is like a rubber band: resilient

And after Tuesday's debate, Marianne Williamson says "there's no way I'm dropping out" ([link removed]) . Good.

STATE VIOLENCE
Early Saturday, a Texas police officer shot and killed Atatiana Jefferson in her own home ([link removed]) . This comes just weeks after former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was sentenced to ten years in prison for the shooting death of Botham Jean, a Black man, in his home. WTF. Five years after Ferguson, we're losing the fight against police violence ([link removed]) . Presidential candidate Julian Castro said it: police violence is gun violence. But we don't have to wait for the next election to take action. Travis Washington created a petition for the Hand's Up Act ([link removed]) that creates a mandatory minimum sentence for the police killing
of unarmed civilians. And Movement for Black Lives is calling for divestment from police and law enforcement ([link removed]) and instead the investment in the health and wellness of targeted communities. And finally: what to do instead of calling the police ([link removed]) . [art by @ameyamarie ([link removed]) ]

DECOLONIZING
We did not celebrate genocide and the homicidal tyrant who murdered, raped, and thieved native peoples. Nor the crazy-ass, white-washed version of history that our school systems teach (here's the real story ([link removed]) ). Instead, we honored those upon whose land we intrude ([link removed]) and those who suffered immensely as the original earth guardians. It's worth mentioning that our Indigenous People's Day instagram post ([link removed]) was both the most liked and most debated in our history, inviting a parade of trolls, misinformation, and hate speech. While we invite vigorous and healthy conversation, we won't tolerate hate speech EVER. Nor will we debate basic truths about the colonization and genocide of
indigenous people in the "taking of America." So save your breath. Thank you.

ON PRONOUNS
Yesterday was the first-ever International Pronouns Day. Why do pronouns matter? Here's a crash course. ([link removed]) Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is basic to human dignity. Sharing your pronouns when you meet someone makes space for others to share theirs, AND it normalizes the process for everyone. Here are some tips:
* While misgendering may be unintentional, it's still harmful. Take responsibility when you make a mistake and practice so that you can do better next time.
* If you are cisgender, add pronouns to your bio and your email signature as a display of solidarity.
* Do not assume a person's sexuality or gender identity based on their appearance and/or the appearance of their partner
* When someone is misgendered, it's exhausting for them to correct people. Be an advocate for them by intervening.

IMAGINE BETTER
We're still buzzing after last weekend's Accessible Yoga Conference. Here was our big takeaway: How we understand access is how we understand imagination. It's how we dare to dream beyond the status quo. It’s how we boldly break the structures and stigma and invent new ways of being and being together. In some ways, leaning into access is leaning into the great unknown. It's the future beyond our wildest dreams. And it's the America and world we are yet to become. bell hooks said “The margin is more than a site of deprivation, it is also a site of radical possibility. A space of resistance...it offers to one the possibility of radical perspective from which to see and create, to imagine alternatives, new worlds.”

WELLread is produced by CTZNWELL, a collective that's mobilizing the wellness community to take action for the health and justice of all people. Was this email forwarded to you? Find out more about our organization and subscribe ([link removed]) .
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