In interviews with spiritual leaders from a diverse array of backgrounds and faiths, Lucia Martinez seeks answers to her own questions about what motivates working for social change, and how to balance personal, spiritual and professional demands.
In a blog about the series on the Generation Justice website, Lucia says:
I interviewed four organizers and spiritual leaders who had many of the answers I was looking for and then blogged in reflection. My first interview was with Reverend Martha Quintana, Senior Minister at the Rio Grande Center for Spiritual Living. Rev. Quintana helped me to understand that if I want peace in the world, I must first know what peace looks like within myself. As organizers, we must have a vision of the world we are working towards and “a mental equivalent” of this world within ourselves.
My second interview was with Reverend Daniel Erdman of the Presbyterian Faith. He articulated to me something he learned while working in Nicaragua during the civil war: the value of celebration, especially when in crisis. Life is precious and time is limited, it is important to celebrate the people we love and the moments we have with them. Reverend Erdman also talked about the value of creating conscious relationships in forming a sustainable organizing culture.
My third interview was with Reverend John D. Hill of Grant Chapel African Methodist Epicopal Church. He spoke about how faith and organizing are about meeting people where they are at, even if that place is entirely different from your own. My fourth and final interview was with Shash Yazhi, a transformational organizer and founder of Spirit in Motion and Eagle Evolution. Shash Yazhi re-affirmed for me the importance of creating an organizing culture that reflects transformation and incorporates spirituality. He expressed the importance of bringing your whole self to the table, including your spiritual self. In our world, there has always been oppression in some shape or form, and there have always been those who work to counter oppression in their organizing and their everyday lives.
http://www.generationjustice.org/2013/08/30/organizing-and-love/ Hide full description
In interviews with spiritual leaders from a diverse array of backgrounds and faiths, Lucia Martinez seeks answers to her own questions about what motivates working for social change, and how to balance personal, spiritual and professional demands. In a blog about the series on the Generation Justice website, Lucia says: I interviewed four organizers and spiritual leaders who had many of the answers I was looking for and then blogged in reflection. My first interview was with Reverend Martha Quintana, Senior Minister at the Rio Grande Center for Spiritual Living. Rev. Quintana helped me to understand that if I want peace in the world, I must first know what peace looks like within myself. As organizers, we must have a vision of the world we are working towards and “a mental... Show full description
