The eyes of the future are looking back at us

There is a native concept of considering what the effects of decisions made today will be on seven generations into the future. The following quotation makes a two-way connection between us and future generations. Looking at each other over the generations. The eyes of the future are looking back at us and they are prayingContinue reading “The eyes of the future are looking back at us”

Wet’suwet’en 1/11/2022

The last time I wrote about the Wet’suwet’en was January 2nd, RCMP Invasion expected on Wet’suwet’en territory. It’s not that the RCMP have left, but there has been a change in tactics. The threat continues. There’s no question that I am guilty of painting on the street because the reason is so important. Shawn SelwayContinue reading “Wet’suwet’en 1/11/2022”

Mutual Aid stories

For the past week I’ve been thinking and praying a lot about Mutual Aid in preparation for a discussion we plan to have at my Quaker meeting tomorrow. As I have nearly every Saturday for the last year, I was with my Mutual Aid friends this morning for our weekly food distribution. Here are aContinue reading “Mutual Aid stories”

More notes on Mutual Aid

I’ve been preparing for a discussion my Quaker meeting will have this weekend about Mutual Aid. At the end of this is a table of posts I’ve been writing to help me organize my thoughts. I am not satisfied with how this post has turned out, but these are notes, not a finished document. SteppingContinue reading “More notes on Mutual Aid”

Notes to myself continued

Yesterday I wrote about preparing for a discussion about Mutual Aid at my Quaker meeting this Sunday. Describing the use of queries, and then coming up with an initial series of questions. Now I’m outlining the major topics to discuss. An hour isn’t much time, and the point of queries is to allow people timeContinue reading “Notes to myself continued”

RCMP Invasion expected on Wet’suwet’en territory

Readers of my blogs know what an influence the struggles of the Wet’suwet’en peoples have had on my life. It was at a vigil for the Wet’suwet’en in February, 2020, that I met Ronnie James and became involved in Des Moines Mutual Aid. Links to articles about the Wet’suwet’en can be found below. I amContinue reading “RCMP Invasion expected on Wet’suwet’en territory”

What I don’t know about Mutual Aid

Disclaimer: Before getting to that, I think I should make a disclaimer, especially since I shared the 2021 Peace and Social Concerns report of my yearly meeting, Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative). I included that because Mutual Aid is mentioned in the report. “These injustices are some of the effects of systems of white supremacy. TheContinue reading “What I don’t know about Mutual Aid”

Resolve to be always beginning

Resolve to be always beginning — to be a beginner. –Rainer Maria Rilke I’m hoping some Friends might consider Mutual Aid to be part of their new story this new year. Yesterday’s post was an introduction. This is a link to a lot more information about my experiences with Mutual Aid. Mutual Aid in theContinue reading “Resolve to be always beginning”

A Call for Quakers to Embrace Mutual Aid

I am writing to make the case for the adoption of Mutual Aid as a framework for Quaker justice work. This comes from my perspective of a White, Quaker, male (he/him), settler on Ioway land, in the country called the United States. When I refer to Quakers here, I mean White Quakers. Black, Indigenous, andContinue reading “A Call for Quakers to Embrace Mutual Aid”

Prairie Not Pipelines

Tonight, my friends at the Great Plains Action Society will present Episode 1 of an Indigenous web series related to climate, water, and resource extraction on the Plains. “Currently, the majority of the media and public pushback is coming from white landowners. However, these pipelines are being proposed to be forced through stolen land andContinue reading “Prairie Not Pipelines”