Community Conversations

Every day the news seems to be more distressing then the day before. A growing sense of national instability is driving high levels of anxiety in our communities. Action is the best antidote for anxiety, and non-violent action with compassion is the tool we have available to us for healing our social fabric.

On 19 February, Compassion Forward hosted a program at the Thomas Memorial Library in Cape Elizabeth, called Community Conversations. Our small team of four (Anne Cass, Jodi Lerman, Anne Cranshaw, and Chuck Donnelly) planned the event and the library allowed us to use their space without cost. The title of the program was how can we use compassion to strengthen our communities? Toward that end, we asked two questions: 1) what have we seen that works, and 2) what can each of us do moving forward? The attendees broke into small discussion groups of five people each and focused on these two questions. Following a discussion period, the groups came back together and opened discussion with the whole group.

This simple program, if replicated in community centers across the country could seed the return of decency in America. We should not fear each other. As Dr. Martin Luther King so eloquently stated—People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”

Anyone interested in replicating a program like this in your community can reach out to us at our web site and fill out our contact-us form. We will respond by email and we can provide you with materials and guidance on how to promote and structure your program.

February is Black History Month

We must never forget. America was founded on two ideals: all people are created equal, and thus have agency in determining their individual future. Second, government derives its power from the people, not from an elite class of rulers.

However, our constitution did not abolish slavery, in fact it codified it. It would take eighty-seven years following the signing of the Declaration of Independence before slavery was formally abolished in 1863. Following abolition, the struggle for self determination, freedom, equity, inclusion, and equality have continue to this day. Black leaders, such as Frederick Douglas, Ida B. Wells, Dr Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers, Jesse Jackson, John Lewis, Ta-Nehisi Coates , and many others have led struggles for equality against an entrenched order of institutional racism maintained by a system that grants privilege to the wealthy and well-connected.

Much of America’s wealth traces its roots back to forced labor, where black people were treated as property of white slave holders. In fact, enslaved people even played a crucial role in building the White House between 1792 and 1800. The list of atrocities against African Americans is too long for this newsletter, but let it be said, that the struggle for black freedom continues and has grown to include all people of color.

We now find ourselves confronted with a new reality— a government with an unaccountable secret police force attacking our citizenry and the foundations of our democracy.

As we struggle to build a more perfect union based on the American Ideals we must be vigilant and active. As we resist and rebuild, we must act without violence because our end is nation at peace with itself (a paraphrased quote from Dr. Marin Luther King).