This week we'll be addressing the two last chapters of the book. It's hard to believe we're at the end of our 10-week journey! But remember! This is a circle, and the work doesn't end when we finish the book. These last essays sum up perfectly our final action item. With everything we have learned during these last weeks, we should be able to find a way to get involved that fits our needs and abilities.
The essays for this week remind us to start where we are, and however, we can. We don't need to create massive movements from the ground up, we can start by advocating for what we believe, and helping our immediate community.
I am immensely grateful to my friends who joined for this first round of the AWCS circle. There was a lot of me figuring out stuff, even though the material created and provided by the AWCS Project team made it very easy and exciting to lead the circle.
This week's authors include Alexandria Villaseñor, Colette Pichon Battle, Alice Walker, Leah Cardamore Stokes, Mary Oliver, Sarah Stillman, Christine E. Nieves Rodriguez, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, and Katharine Wilkinson. You can find more material from these wonderful authors here.
"To me, the responsibility to save and protect our planet for ourselves and future generations is not a burden. I think it's a blessing, and I believe we were chosen for this job because we are the ones who can make it happen."A Letter to Adults - Alexandria Villaseñor
"We have to live
differently
or we
will die
in the same
old ways."
Calling All Grand Mothers - Alice Walker
"It turns out that communities are the most important force that allows humans to weather great storms, literally and metaphorically. The climate crisis will intensify, but our communities will continue to rise - because they were always standing. Community Is Our Best Chance - Christine E. Nieves Rodriguez
"There must be those among whom we can sit down and weep, and still be counted as warriors." Adrienne Rich
Illustration: Madeleine Jubilee Saito