Spirit in Action

Tyler Norman and the folks of the Mutual Aid Disaster Relief network are exploring and implementing a new way to deal with the rising number of disasters that have been demanding rapid response, including those caused by climate change, like floods, hurricanes, and fires. Using a horizontal and co-conspirator model of organizing, they've leveraged lots of solutions to bring people together in strength. Their motto is Solidarity Not Charity.

Our justice system is deeply flawed, and one of the forces working to repair the breaks is MOSES (Madison Organizing in Strength, Equality, and Solidarity), a congregation-based community effort to transform the criminal justice norms of Madison, WI, as part of a statewide organization, WISDOM, which is affiliated nationwide with Gamaliel.

Our democratic republic has been seriously undermined, particularly over the past 10-15 years, but fortunately there are people like Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause - Wisconsin, working diligently to rebuild the structures of democracy. Common Cause works nationally for government of, by, and for the people by fighting against gerrymandering, voter suppression, & buying elections, and working for ethics, accountability, & voting rights.

Racial Color-Blindness & Diversity Training can't get us to MLK's Dream, but maybe Race-Conscious Parenting can. Jennifer Harvey is the author of Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America, with both practical & philosophical guidance for those who would like to make the dream real. Jennifer's Ph.D.

In the land of "he who dies with the most toys wins" and where we're taught that more-and-more possessions will make us happy, it's hardly a surprise that hoarding is of epidemic proportions.

While the nation & the state have veered into conservative and even regressive social directions, there has been refuge & hope locally in the Eau Claire City Council, which included a strong progressive majority as of spring, 2018. Even while others were dragging their feet, work was proceding locally on sustainability, reducing the incarceration system, and increasing responsiveness to citizen concerns.

Too many people ignore the power of local government to transform the most crucial aspects of our world, focusing only on our national government. A groundswell of local activism tilted the county board of Eau Claire, WI, in the progressive direction, and the lessons & possibilities are promising around the country. We speak with 3 recent members of the board of supervisors about their experience & motivations: Martha Nieman, Sandy McKinney, & Don Mowry.

Ecologist Huda Alkaff is a founding member and director of Wisconsin Green Muslims, a volunteer environmental justice group based in Milwaukee. She uses her advanced education and her Muslim faith to educate others and forge interfaith collaborations in the service of sustainability.

Throughout his career, Dwight L. Wilson has held many jobs: educator, administrator, chaplain. In each role, he worked to advance equality, opportunity and understanding. He continues this work in his carefully researched historical fiction series Esi Was My Mother, which follows the lives of an enslaved black family from 18th century Africa to the American Civil War. He strives to portray triumphant examples of black stories that will make history come alive for readers.

Host Peterson Toscano visits with 3 Evangelicals fighting climate change, Kyle Meyaard-Shaap, Corina Newsome, & Rev. Josh Gibson. Comic creation, Tony Buffusio from the Bronx, talks climate change in the Bible. Scientist Dr.