We live in times of extreme partisanship, increasing divisions between the rich and poor, the working class and upper class, experiences of people of color vs. whites, and disconnects of people from nature. In the US, our current political process and social media tend to amplify divisions and generate more discord rather than consensus on common ground,… Read more
Category: Racial Equity
Uncovering the Blind Spots of White Privilege
The phrase “privilege is blind” is one I think about often. I’m participating in Food Solutions New England’s 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge for the second year because I need to see beyond the blinders of my experience. I recognize that a person of color would not have to set an intention to learn about racial… Read more
Finding New Ways to “See Systems”
The imperative to work for change at a deeper more systemic level is arising in many areas, such as addressing the systemic roots of racial inequalities, or making large scale system transitions away from fossil fuels. Many recognize that we need to get beyond quick fixes and shift deeply ingrained patterns if we are to… Read more
Seeing Systems and Getting to the Roots – Lessons from Ferguson
In the stream of tragedies and controversies that come through the media, certain stories seem to “get to me” and I have to follow them further. The death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, the response on the streets, and the response to the response on the streets, was one of those stories. The national and… Read more
A Dangerous Unselfishness
“Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.” – Dr. Martin Luther King In the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray plays a TV weatherman who travels to a small town and gets stuck there in a snowstorm. He goes to bed and the next morning he wakes up to the same day and has to… Read more
Collaborating to Ensure Transit-Oriented Development Works for All
The City of Somerville, close to Boston, is about to undergo the kind of land use transformation not likely to be seen again in decades, with the Green Line subway adding 6-7 new stations to Somerville neighborhoods and a new Orange Line station in Assembly Square. With this opportunity, comes the challenge of how to… Read more
Opportunity Mapping: The Geographic Footprint of Inequality
In the days after the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans, there was criticism of those who had stayed behind – “they had warning, why didn’t they leave?” However, it came to light that 50% of the African Americans in the city did not have cars. They did not have the means to leave. The… Read more
Oppression vs. Innovation
The coverage of the oppressive conditions in the Middle East and Obama’s recent speeches about cultivating our innovation potential at home were a striking contrast. A New York Times article described Egyptian leader Mubarak’s rule saying: “His brand of despotism produced an authoritarianism that suffocated his people, a bureaucracy that corrupted the most mundane transaction… Read more