Literature Link 9·25·22 — Inclusion vs Belonging
• john a powell Building Belonging in a Time of Othering. “john a. powell (who spells his name in lowercase in the belief that we should be “part of the universe, not over it, as capitals signify”) is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, structural racism, housing, poverty, and democracy. He is the Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, a research institute that brings together scholars, community advocates, communicators, and policymakers to identify and eliminate the barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society and to create transformative change toward a more equitable world.” Here is a riveting video of him delivering a keynote talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7swI6jZ0rd4
• “A Poem in Three Parts “The Othering & Belonging Institute commissioned poet Michelle Lee aka “Mush” to write and perform a poem in three parts on bridging and belonging for the 2021 Othering & Belonging Conference. We premiered this poem and accompanying visuals — featuring an array of dancers, aerialists, and performers of all kinds — in three digital shorts directed by filmmaker Yoram Savion, with creative direction from conference emcee Sarah Crowell.” Very Powerful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0m1larlKrc
• Learning and Teaching from the Heart in Troubled Times Learn ways to embrace curiosity and celebrate questions by Rabbi Dr. Ariel Burger [essay] “Many of the structures of society appear to be organized to maintain the patterns of behavior that have led us to this mess. Hate is on the rise. National politics has not helped us solve the epidemic of gun violence in this country. International summits have not led to sufficient responses to the climate crisis. War is still a feature of human life in so many places, in spite of repeated and sustained attempts at negotiated solutions to conflicts. The current moment calls for moral ferocity.” https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/essays/learning-and-teaching-heart-troubled-times
• “Sawubona” [4 min video] Youth worker and community leader Orland Bishop explains the meaning of the Zulu greeting Sawubona (“We see you”) as an invitation to a deep witnessing and presence. This greeting forms an agreement to affirm and investigate the mutual potential and obligation that is present in a given moment. At its deepest level, Orland explains, this “seeing” is essential to human freedom.” It reminded me back to the move Avatar which uses the Zulu meaning.
https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/interviews/sawubona
In faith,
Dale Dunnigan