We rest. Lean into the profound words of Tricia Hersey and recognize Rest is Resistance. We also heed the call of Adrienne Maree Brown to look to nature for examples of resilience in her movement best seller "Emergent Strategy" As she writes, "In nature collaboration is much more common than competition. When geese fly in a V formation, they don’t have one leader, but rather, take turns to lead at the front as it is a tiring experience."
We heal. Prentice Hemphill's book "What it Takes to Heal" was written for this moment. As she shares "I believe we can decide to transform every system in which we are embedded - our families, our communities, our places of work, our schools, our organizations, our institutions - if we seek out and are given the support to heal and act."
We listen. Rather than pretend to know what a person or a community needs right now, pause and take time to listen. Center the voices of those who are and will continue to be disproportionately impacted by the violent rhetoric and dangerous policies and systems that we already inherit and that will no doubt increase and worsen.
We gather. Sign up to join the Post-Election Healing Circle on 11/13 hosted by The Revolutionary Love Project. And create your own safe spaces and healing circles to gather in pain, in grief, in reflection, in hope, in vision, and in solidarity.
We receive. We reflect on what we need and we ask for help. If we don't speak out, we can't be heard. For so many of you who always take are of everyone else first, it's your turn to receive the love, the comfort, the joy you need and deserve. Especially when it comes to your mental health, reach out for support by calling the National Mental Health Hotline - 988.
We become the change we want to see. Check out this post from She Should Run - "6 Ways You Can Make a Positive Change in Your Community". Go ahead and round up at Goodwill, donate blood and platelets with the Red Cross, volunteer with a local nonprofit - remind yourself that positive change is still possible and we can each do our part to bring light into this darkness.
We triple down on our values & vision. In the fall of 2016, Kristin Garvey handwrote the first #KindnessIsEverything sign following that shocking and heart wrenching time. Kristin Joiner then created the design that coalesced a unify message and vision for our communities. This official design was then gifted to the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health - now Embolden WI - and ALL proceeds from the sales of the #KindnessIsEverything products go to support health equity, civic health, radical imagine, and community power building!
We prepare. Tap into resources and opportunities from groups like Health Begins and sign up for their 11/9 webinar "What's Next for Health Equity?" We must all have our eyes wide open to the very real and threatening proposals in Project 2025.
We also invite you to join us on Tuesday, December 3rd at Noon CST to learn about Embolden WI and our imperative to bolster communities, to elevate their voices, eagerly engage in advocacy, and build a resilience and persistence to create permanent community-led change.
