Category Archives: Uncategorized

Abolition of police and prisons

I’ve been participating in Zoom discussions of the Quaker Abolition Network, initiated by Mackenzie Barton-Rowledge and Jed Walsh. The following is from an article they wrote for Western Friend. Mackenzie: Let’s start with: What does being a police and prison … Continue reading

Posted in abolition, Black Lives, civil disobedience, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Mutual Aid, police, prison, race, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Revolution will not be televised

On this day, April 4, 1968, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Yesterday I wrote about the speech Senator Robert F Kennedy gave to a predominately African American crowd in Indianapolis, announcing King’s death. Those days … Continue reading

Posted in abolition, Black Lives, capitalism, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Kheprw Institute, Martin Luther King Jr, race, Robert F Kennedy, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

What happened in Indianapolis the day Martin Luther King was assassinated

Each year on April 4th, a solemn ceremony takes place in Indianapolis. Two things of historic significance occurred that day in 1968. Martin Luther King, Jr, was shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. And Senator Robert Francis Kennedy delivered what … Continue reading

Posted in Martin Luther King Jr, race, Robert F Kennedy, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

#NoDAPL IOWA 7 years

I am grateful for the video at the end of this that my friend Christine Nobiss and the Great Plains Action Society created about the work of so many to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). A decision is expected … Continue reading

Posted in #NDAPL, abolition, American Friends Service Committee, Black Lives, capitalism, Dakota Access Pipeline, decolonize, Des Moines Black Lives Matter, Des Moines Mutual Aid, Great Plains Action Society, Indigenous, Mutual Aid, Native Americans, police, Quaker, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Indigenous Youth in Washington, DC ask Biden to Keep Promise

This was a big day of action in the fight to stop the Dakota Access and Line 3 pipelines. On the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Sacred Stone Camp, Native youth runners delivered petitions along with a 200-foot … Continue reading

Posted in #NDAPL, climate change, Dakota Access Pipeline, Indigenous, Native Americans, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Decolonizing, Soul Repair and Mutual Aid

One of the concepts Vanesse Julye spoke about during Quaker meetings last weekend was that in order for healing among groups to occur, there needs to be acknowledgement of the common history among those involved in the trauma. Between those … Continue reading

Posted in decolonize, enslavement, Indigenous, moral injury, Mutual Aid, Quaker, race, soul repair, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Frontline Indigenous Youth Washington, DC April 1

Tomorrow, April 1, is the day of action for the youth from the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Nations, who have arrived in Washington, DC. Along the way they stopped at the Meskwaki settlement in Iowa, where my friend Donnielle … Continue reading

Posted in #NDAPL, climate change, Dakota Access Pipeline, Indigenous, Native Americans, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A path away from racism

This past weekend I participated, via Zoom, in a series of sessions where mainly White Quakers heard presentations by an African American Quaker woman, Vanessa Julye. Her presentations, and our small group discussions were on the subject of Quakers and … Continue reading

Posted in Black Lives, decolonize, Mutual Aid, Quaker, Quaker Meetings, race, Uncategorized, white supremacy | 2 Comments

Standing Rock Youth Council to Washington, DC to #ShutdownDAPL and #StopLine3

Indigenous youth are on the way to Washington, DC, to #ShutdownDAPL and #StopLine3. In a photo below are three of my friends, Mahmud Fitil, Trisha CaxSep GuWiga Etringer, and Donnielle Wanatee, who walked on the First Nation-Farmer Climate Unity March … Continue reading

Posted in #NDAPL, climate change, Dakota Access Pipeline, decolonize, First Nation-Farmer Climate Unity March, First Nations, Great Plains Action Society, Indigenous, Native Americans, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Personal experiences regarding racism and privilege

Yesterday’s post was related to a weekend gathering of Friends (Quakers) to consider the question “how is white supremacy keeping us from hearing God’s voice?” It was pointed out that what I wrote about that came through as judgmental, and … Continue reading

Posted in Black Lives, enslavement, Kheprw Institute, peace, Quaker, race, solidarity, Uncategorized, white supremacy | Leave a comment