Your article last week did compel me to make a small donation to a group in Mpls helping those who were facing evictions. So thank you for raising the issue. As you state, we live in bizarre times: we see individuals and neighbors stepping up in amazing ways, while the larger corporate and philanthropic groups seem to be on the sidelines. There's so much chaos and fear right now, and it seems to bring a sense of disconnection and inability to be bold or to stand proudly on what we once touted as our values in America. This shows up in our money choices. sigh.
Oh, this makes me SO happy to hear, Karen! THANK YOU for giving! And yes, I'm with you: isn't something out-of-whack when all of us "little people" are giving everything we can... while the Big Dogs are giving... next-to-nothing? They are community members just as much as we are... but they sure don't act like it.
To your last points, I genuinely believe that community is the way. The chaos and fear, the disconnection and inability to be bold or stand proud in our values... happen when we are isolated from each other.
When, alternatively, we are deeply in solidarity with one another... these things come so much more naturally. Ask me how I know!
The past few weeks (months) in Minneapolis have been SO hard... and yet, they've been SO inspiring, because we've been proving JUST HOW POWERFUL solidarity within community can be (against weapons, positional power, money, you name it!).
Your article last week did compel me to make a small donation to a group in Mpls helping those who were facing evictions. So thank you for raising the issue. As you state, we live in bizarre times: we see individuals and neighbors stepping up in amazing ways, while the larger corporate and philanthropic groups seem to be on the sidelines. There's so much chaos and fear right now, and it seems to bring a sense of disconnection and inability to be bold or to stand proudly on what we once touted as our values in America. This shows up in our money choices. sigh.
Oh, this makes me SO happy to hear, Karen! THANK YOU for giving! And yes, I'm with you: isn't something out-of-whack when all of us "little people" are giving everything we can... while the Big Dogs are giving... next-to-nothing? They are community members just as much as we are... but they sure don't act like it.
To your last points, I genuinely believe that community is the way. The chaos and fear, the disconnection and inability to be bold or stand proud in our values... happen when we are isolated from each other.
When, alternatively, we are deeply in solidarity with one another... these things come so much more naturally. Ask me how I know!
The past few weeks (months) in Minneapolis have been SO hard... and yet, they've been SO inspiring, because we've been proving JUST HOW POWERFUL solidarity within community can be (against weapons, positional power, money, you name it!).