Author Archives: Jeff Kisling
Abolish White Supremacist Monuments in Iowa
Yesterday I saw some of my friends speaking in an online conversation about removing monuments to white supremacy in the state of Iowa. This is something they have been teaching me about over the past year. Links to those posts … Continue reading
Combating State Repression
The title of the article, Defending Standing Rock, Combating State Repression, caught my attention this morning. I remember how shocking it was to see police in full riot gear and military vehicles facing nonviolent, often praying people at Standing Rock. … Continue reading
Crossing the Divide
My friend Ed Fallon, and Bold Iowa are engaged in an important project to bridge the extreme polarization in this country today. NOTE: The following is from a blog post related to this I wrote in 2018. I’m thinking more … Continue reading
Hear My Plea
My friend, Avis Wanda McClinton continues to challenge and educate us about both the history of enslavement and the continued oppression of black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC). She shared some of her experiences in the Friends Journal … Continue reading
Settler Colonialism as Structure
This morning my Quaker meeting will be discussing resources in preparation for upcoming meetings related to the question, How Is White Supremacy Keeping Us From Hearing God’s Voice? Following is the abstract of one of those resources. AbstractUnderstanding settler colonialism … Continue reading
Property
I continue to struggle to convince others that we cannot make progress toward justice as long as we are content to remain in systems that continue to cause injustice. Racism is built into the social, economic and political structures of … Continue reading
M-Muhammad / Matt Bruce talks about the BLM Movement in Iowa
I’m just beginning to learn about abolishing police and prisons. abolition | Search Results | Quakers, social justice and revolution (jeffkisling.com) I’m aware, as a white person, that I need to be careful that I don’t write about things that … Continue reading
Mutual Aid and Black Liberation
As I was learning about Mutual Aid over the past year, one of the things that impressed me was in addition to work related to food and shelter, Des Moines Mutual Aid also manages a bail fund. I was glad … Continue reading
Introduction to abolition and Quakers today
I used to think of abolition in terms of slavery, or the death penalty, or nuclear weapons. Today discussions about abolition are more commonly about abolishing police and prisons. I’m just beginning to learn how that might come about. This … Continue reading
Divided by Pipelines
A Pipeline Runs Through It. Part one of an ongoing series by Indian Country Today Divided by pipelines. Demand for jobs clash with traditional teachings, split families and friends along the Line 3 pipeline route. Mary Annette Pember, Indian Country … Continue reading