Within the constant violence of the systems of oppression that structure our lives, there are infinite reasons for us to be enraged. As we recorded this conversation, hundreds of thousands of us were (and still are) taking our rage to the streets and to the page, protesting police violence and white supremacy around the world. Our righteous anger, as we can see clearly in this historical moment, exists as a sacred and necessary ingredient to our power and collective liberation. In this...

EXCITING NEWS! Irresistible is welcoming its first-ever Co-Director, the inimitable BJSTAR. We are so excited for you to get to know them in this episode & beyond! BJ joins Co-Director Kate Werning for a conversation about sharing leadership, what brought them into movement and healing work, their political homes, why lowering expectations is awesome, and putting their favorite foods on their resume. Transcript & more info at www.irresistible.org/podcast/67 ---- Become a sustaining...

In participation with the week of action In Defense of Black Lives, we’re republishing a practice that was shared under our previous name, Healing Justice, in April 2018. Kandace Montgomery and Miski Noor of Black Visions Collective in Minneapolis took time to share some reflections with us about how to practice incorporating healing and wellbeing into the preparation for action, during direct action itself, and in aftercare. You’ll hear stories, examples, and important questions to ask...

In participation with the week of action In Defense of Black Lives, we’re republishing a critical conversation that was shared under our previous name, Healing Justice, in April 2018. Kandace Montgomery and Miski Noor of Black Visions Collective in Minneapolis took time to share with us about the 18-day police station occupation that followed the police murder of Jamar Clark in Minneapolis in 2015, and how healing, escalation, and direct action need to go hand-in-hand. We desperately wish...

In a time when many of our biggest visions for 2020 feel turned upside down, we're hungry for some inspiration. Enter youth voices Athina Amanor, Daniel Cook, Sary Barrios, & Theo Cooksey. In this episode, we hear four winning essays read by their authors from the YES! Magazine student essay contest this spring. The prompt was about students' Wildest Dreams for 2020, inspired by our New Years Practice with Alicia Garza here on the podcast. 1,342 students submitted essays, and these were...

Emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic create the conditions for accelerated political realignments. This creates an enormous threat for bold moves toward authoritarianism, but also creates major opportunity for our movements to put forward our vision for the future and shape a new common sense about what we deserve. In this episode, we face the reality of what is happening politically. We engage with how our power building strategies need to adapt to our current conditions, and also pace...

This week we are diving into the grief, loss, intimacy, and possibility available in the unknown - all the time, and especially now in this moment of pandemic forcing great transition. How may we engage with this time as a rite of passage? You'll hear from Roshi Joan Halifax; a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care; along with Reverend Jennifer Bailey & Carinne Luck of Faith Matters Network. Transcript, further resources, & full...

Stimulus checks from the US government are starting to hit bank accounts for qualifying citizens this week. What is going on with those checks, and if we don't need them for our own immediate survival, how can we think about redistributing for justice & mutual aid right now? We spoke with Yahya Alazrak (Campaign Director at Resource Generation) and Dara Marquez (volunteer field organizer with Movimiento Cosecha) about the #ShareMyCheck campaigns they're leading. They share with us some...

The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing real and significant disruptions to our lives, our communities, and our organizing. The scale of this shift in our social fabric is new, but these are challenges that disability justice organizers have always faced. How can we organize in a state of constant uncertainty and limitations on physical movement? How can we protect people with compromised immune systems as we work to build people power? How do we get the work done while leaving no one behind? This...

Kazu Haga of East Point Peace Academy leads us through a Metta Meditation, as part of our spiritual training for nonviolent discipline. Join Book Club to read Kazu's new book, "Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm," with others all over the world. You'll also get further resources, including a live conversation with Kazu this May, at http://www.irresistible.org/BookClub Buy the book from Parallax Press with code PODCAST for 15% off Transcript and full show notes with...

Organizing trainers & practitioners Kazu Haga (East Point Peace Academy) and Carlos Saavedra (Ayni Institute) join us to talk about Kingian nonviolence, spiritual discipline, restorative justice, and healing for the long haul. (And a little bit about food.) Join Book Club to read Kazu's new book, "Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm," with others all over the world. You'll also get further resources, including a live conversation with Kazu this May, at...

How you holding up? We're joined by facilitator & circle keeper BJ Star to check in about the ways we can support each other in community during this intense time. Sign up for an Irresistible Care Circle (Thursdays 8p ET) at www.irresistible.org/circle Transcript and full show notes with sources & thank yous at www.irresistible.org/podcast/59 Sign up as a sustainer before 3/31 to get a gorgeous Irresistible sticker and postcard in the mail! http://www.patreon.com/irresistible Join us...

It's here - our new name for Healing Justice Podcast! We are Irresistible -- a community of practice in collective healing and social change. In this episode, hear founder Kate Werning & Advisory Circle member and past guest Ilana Lerman talk all about our name change process, inspirations, and sources for this new name. Transcript and full show notes with sources & thank yous at www.irresistible.org/podcast/58 Sign up as a sustainer before 3/31 to get a gorgeous Irresistible sticker...

It's here - our new name for Healing Justice Podcast! We are Irresistible -- a community of practice in collective healing and social change. Together, we celebrate the many traditions of movement leaders, cultural workers, and spiritual teachers who remind us to embody the liberation we are pursuing and who show us that our movements for justice can and must be expansive, vibrant, and fully alive. Because we are so much more than resistance. We are irresistible. Sign up as a sustainer before...

Should we be cancelling our events and travel due to COVID-19? In this mini bonus feature, we expand upon our previous episode "Coronavirus: Wisdom from a Social Justice Lens" to bring you advice about how to adapt your travel and gatherings. We share from the perspective of organizers and folks participating in social justice movements, and the decisions we need to make about our own plans and plans for our groups, teams, and campaigns. Host Kate Werning is joined by Maryse Mitchell-Brody to...

In this bonus episode, we bring you timely medical information, invocations, grounding practices and reflections from the March 7, 2020 webinar: COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Preparation for People Living with Chronic Illnesses in the United States.  Unlike much of what we’re seeing in the media and public discussion, this virtual gathering centered the wisdom and life experiences of people who live with chronic illnesses and disability.  The voices you'll hear are:- JD Davids, strategist and...

Kate drops in to share stories from the community, and updates about what's coming next.   This is our last episode under the name "Healing Justice Podcast." The next time you tune in, you'll see our NEW name, which is launching on March 16, 2020. The library will remain connected, so if you subscribe now and join our email list at http://www.healingjustice.org , you won't miss a thing.   To get in on the *first run of swag* from our new name, join our Patreon at at...

Alicia Garza, principal at Black Futures Lab and co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter, offers a visioning practice to guide us through the transition from 2019 into 2020 with focused personal & political power.   You'll need 30 minutes, and ideally a printed version of the accompanying visual guide (though it also works with a piece of paper and something to write with). This practice can be done alone or in a group.    Download the visual guide, read Alicia's full bio, and access the...

Podcast founder & host Kate Werning shares an update on our project's internal life, the lengthening timeline of our name change process, and our upcoming healing & hibernation season.   You'll also hear about our upcoming Book Club selection & a preview of our special New Years Practice from Alicia Garza, coming your way on 12/30!   Find all show notes & access the transcript of this episode at http://healingjustice.org/podcast/53   To send us ideas, encouragement, stories,...

As the Generation Transformation Series draws to a close, our series host Taj James offers an original poem as a love letter to young leadership. May our young leaders continue to inspire and bring forth a world rooted in justice. For the full text of the poem, visit http://healingjustice.org/podcast/generation4 -------- This series is in partnership with the Next Gen Fund, a response to a growing call from frontline organizers to learn from restorative & transformative practices in order...

How do we invest in leadership and political development in our communities and believe in our people’s potential to grow, while simultaneously protecting the most vulnerable as others are in their learning process? Kabzuag Vaj, Zon Moua, and Bianca Gomez from Freedom, Inc. offer some of their practices for recognizing how we may cause harm as we are learning and building together, and how to implement policies and structures centering the well-being and leadership of those most impacted by...

Freedom Inc. staff Kabzuag Vaj, Bianca Gomez, and Zon Moua join us for a conversation about the complexities of building a multi-generational, multi-racial, multi-gender organization working to end violence and advance gender & racial justice in Madison, WI. Their real talk about building leadership long-term, and enacting accountability while welcoming members to grow, embodies disciplined, graceful, transformative base-building. For full show notes, transcript, bios of our guests, and...

In this practice episode, Carolyn Nguyen and Emily Wong of Chinese Progressive Association’s Youth MOJO (Movement of Justice and Organizing) offer us a practice they use with young folks to cultivate cultural humility. They dispel the myth of cultural competency, inviting us instead into deep listening and reflection on what it takes to build deep cross-cultural and cross-generational trust and understanding. When you're ready to practice, you'll need a journal and something to write with....

Lai Wa Wu, Emily Wong, Angela Zhou (also known as Zhou Rui Fang), and interpreter Adrian Leong of Chinese Progressive Association & Youth MOJO (Movement of Justice and Organizing) in San Francisco join series host Taj James to reflect on the challenges and victories of intergenerational organizing, the complexity of cross-cultural work across generations, and the importance of incorporating mental health supports in youth organizing.  For full show notes, transcript, bios of our guests,...