Resistbot

Hey ,

Have you heard of this Resistbot thing?

I just started using it, and it’s great.

Super simple, easy, and efficient.

All you do is Text “RESIST” to 50409 and then they guide you through the rest.

Here’s an article about it too.

Also, a fantastic group of people showed up on Sunday, May 7th for our last Gather To Talk to spend a few hours diving into the messy world of privilege under the tutelage of Glenda Russell.

If you were one of those people, thank you!

I sent a similar email to you this morning, so no need to keep reading.

If you weren't able to make it on May 7th, take a look:

I sent a thank you email to Glenda the day after our event, and she responded back:

"I genuinely enjoyed working with your lovely group on Sunday. The group's awareness and investment have so much more to do with how the event went than did I."

So kudos to everyone who showed up with courage, honesty, and awareness: We are rippling.

In regards to where Gather To Talk goes from here:

I'd like to move forward with this topic of privilege, at least for awhile.

Everyone I have spoken to who attended last Sunday's event said it felt like a beginning. 

It was privilege 101, as Elizabeth Crowe said, and we need to continue on with 201, 301, 401, etc., etc,.

So I'm going to move forward with the idea of continuing our work with Glenda, if she is willing.

She will be contacting me in a few weeks to set up a time to meet and talk about all of this.   When that happens, I'll let you know.

To me, the work we did with Glenda last Sunday was the beginning of understanding a root system that has been driving the direction of this country (and world) for a long long time.  

If we are able to gain more awareness of the workings of that root system and how we all are a part of it, then we can begin to change it so that it becomes a root system of our own making.  

This process will be long term, slow going, and not very fancy.

My sense is that the group who decides to continue to show up for this work around privilege will be small.

That's okay.  

At this point, I'm more interested in having those of us that choose to show up get the opportunity to dive deep rather then skimming the surface with large groups of people coming and going.

Gather to Talk could have gone in a million different directions -- and may still at some point -- but for now, continuing our work around privilege seems sustainable, exciting, and essential.

If you this is of interest to you too, let me know.

Talking and gathering, and then talking some more.

With Warmth,
Joanna

PS:
Thank you to everyone who contributed to The Chinook Fund.  Elizabeth said she raised over $500 from our group on Sunday night.  YAY us!

PPS:
I can't find the name of the person who created the image at the top of the page.  If you have seen this before, and know who the artist is, let me know so I can credit them in the next email.