Dear John,

We’re reflecting on love and power this week, grounded in a quote from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that we often dig into in our organizing trainings about building power. Here’s the full quote, from King’s book Where Do We Go From Here. Tell us what it sparks for you!

“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.”

Here’s what we’re reading, watching and listening to this week.

1. Power and love and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We shared reflections about the quote above on our TikTok this week, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

2. Paid Time to Care: “It will happen this year.”

This week, Minnesota Democrats who control the state Legislature will continue advancing their proposal that guarantees all workers with paid time off if they or a loved one need medical care. As Governor Walz shares, “I just want to be very clear. There's absolutely no data to support that not having [paid leave] improves the economy. In fact, it's just the opposite." If paid sick time is something that matters to you and your loved ones, fill out our survey.

3. Peru protests

Indigenous and rural residents continue weeks of protest against poverty, wealth inequality, and excessive military force, as they confront a political system they declare dysfunctional.

4. Clean energy is heating up

This bill to reduce Minnesota’s reliance on fossil fuels, create clean energy jobs and move Minnesota to 100% renewable energy by 2040 just passed its first committee. The bill is drawing support from clean energy advocates and labor unions.

5. Food safety classes are funding anti-minimum wage lobbying

The National Restaurant Association – the restaurant industry’s lobby –  uses mandatory food-safety classes to turn waiters and cooks into unwitting funders of its battle against minimum wage increases, reported in The New York Times.

6. Maya Moore: Basketball champion and changemaker

I (Jessica) am a huge WNBA fan (#loslynx forever) and feel bittersweet to see one of my favorite players, Maya Moore, decide to retire from her basketball career this past week. The Minnesota Lynx great stepped away from the WNBA in 2019 to help her now-husband Jonathan Irons win his release from prison by getting his 50-year sentence overturned in 2020. Read more about Maya’s incredible career on and off the court.

7. Changing the ‘world as it is’ into the ‘world as it should be'

We’ve started the year with lots of reflection about vision, and the painful - but also motivating - tension between what we have now and what we need, and yearn for. This essay digs into this tension thoughtfully.

8. Healing and abolition

In this episode of Finding Our Way, Prentis sits with activist, organizer, educator, and author Mariame Kaba to discuss abolition and its connection to healing work. This conversation asks us to confront difficult truths about our enacting of relationship, our striving for innocence, and how much we might actually draw pleasure from punishment.

9. Robots and tea

I (Katie) finally read the much-celebrated Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers this weekend, and couldn’t recommend it more. It’s perfect for a little break on one of our chilly winter nights - and yes, it’s about robots and tea. 💖

10. Lake Chipotle

It’s… really big this year!
 

And that’s a wrap!

Send us what you’re reading, watching, and listening to.

Until next time,

Katie Blanchard (she/her)
Basebuilding Director

Jessica Zimmerman (she/her)
Development Director