If we act as community...

Are we the only ones worried, it seems as if the collective is feeling it all? In multiple ways we are experiencing constant stimulation and demands for our attention. For many across the country, it is the beginning of the new academic year. COVID-19 numbers are on the rise and our Earth, well she is still trying to grasp our attention to make change and NOW. Our global siblings in Afghanistan, Haiti and Lebanon still need our support and there are dishes in the sink, while our government tells our neighbors to stay home. Who is America for and who do we allow to decide?

In this week’s WELLREAD, we are invited to go within to acknowledge all of the things that are swirling around us. Some of it causing us to want to retreat, others inducing anxiety and some encouraging us to push for the return of ‘normal’ even if it was not serving us all. No matter what is being enforced by legislature or mandate, it is we the people that are able to determine what is true and important for us, the global community.

Rob Hopkins reminds us “if we wait for governments, it will be too late. If we act as individuals it will be too little. But if we act as communities, it might be enough and it might be just in time”. We may need a reminder to place our hands on our chest, inhale feeling our own heartbeats and exhale remembering our interconnectedness.

Kennae (she/her)

Words by Rob Hopkins

1. It was a mistake to believe that bombs and missiles and drones and tanks could ever bring peace. William J. Barber II on “why the war needed to end”. [click to tweet]

2. Border walls aren’t necessary, and neither are the borders themselves in a world built on justice and equality. What purpose does a border serve? [click to tweet]

3. It has been a record breaking summer with temperatures across the globe and the environment can not wait. These environmentalist are looking to a Historic $3.5T Spending Bill for bold Action while Big Oil blames our carbon footprint for the climate crisis. [click to tweet]

4. School is in session and masks may not be on the school supplies lists. One School Administrator shares, “Somebody HAD to do it’ while many are asking if covid isn’t leaving, how can we live with it and reduce its impact. [click to tweet]

5. The Supreme Court handed down an order Tuesday evening that makes no sense. Its decision on Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy upends decades of precedent warning that judges shouldn’t mess with foreign affairs. [click to tweet]

Once refugees are able to leave their home, they’re met with their second challenge: rebuilding their lives in the United States.” This is where you come in. Here are some ways you can help refugees make a home here:

Miry’s list: The Los Angeles-based organization relies on crowdsourcing and social media to connect people with a new refugee family whose needs might not be entirely met by the organizations that sponsor them. Miry’s List supports families with temporary housing, emergency supplies, rides to appointments and more.

International Rescue Committee: International Rescue Committee has been providing humanitarian aid and relief in Afghanistan since 1988. It has offices in Northern California, Los Angeles and San Diego. Stanford Prescott, the network communications officer for the organization, said all of the offices are currently serving recently arrived Afghan refugees and Afghans with special immigrant visas. 

Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay: Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay offers a resettlement program that has long focused on refugees who have experienced persecution based on their religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity. The majority of refugees it works with are Afghans who served as translators or provided support services for U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.

UC Berkely Crowdfunding: The university’s Human Rights Center, in partnership with San Jose State’s Human Rights Institute and the UC Berkeley Afghan Student Assn., created a crowdfunding campaign with the initial goal of providing immediate support for a leading women’s rights activist and journalist with five small children. The campaign’s goals were surpassed, so new donations will be used to support other Afghan refugees.

Art by @theworldwidetribe

This week’s CTZN podcast is with Hala Khouri, a brilliant yoga teacher and somatic counselor specializing in trauma. She just wrote a book called Peace from Anxiety: Get Grounded, Build Resilient, Stay Connected Amidst the Chaos -- which is probably most people’s desire these days. One of the things we were thinking about leading up to this conversation is how “hurt people hurt people”; and given that people make up systems, it’s no wonder they are so messed up and harmful. But if we can become more informed about how trauma lives in all of us, perhaps we can skillfully navigate our personal and collective hurt and work towards healing and repair. In the podcast, Hala asks “how good are we at repair? Because unless we get good at that, we can't be in this messiness and stay united”. This podcast is about trauma and anxiety, but it is also about how we take care of ourselves and one another, how we navigate the chaos of this moment with creativity, and how we practice change in small and big ways.

Art by @ryan_lemere

Rest is vital for us to care for ourselves and each other. When we are unable to find rest, our collective creativity is impacted and we find more of us burned out. We’ve learned so much from Octavia Raheem and are excited for her upcoming book, Pause, Rest, Be (available for pre-order now!). Also, check out this recent CTZN Podcast episode with Tracee Stanley on Rest being Revolutionary.

Art by @OctaviaRaheem

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