Learn more about Deepa Iyer's Social Change Map:
Today, I was lucky enough to attend a webinar with Deepa Iyer, an activist and advocate, a writer and leader whose work has been a great influence on me. I took many pages of notes, but I'm using this Slice to reflect, to journal, to be in conversation with myself.
Dear Lisa,
Today, you refreshed your tired mind with this beautiful graphic, and had the chance to hear Deepa talk about each role in her Social Change Map - how important they all are, how they work together, how they live in a ecosystem, and how they are grounded in values (the center). It was helpful to hear the (re)explanation of each role, because you carry bias. You often overvalue the disrupters and frontline responders and builders - and this means you often find yourself attracted to organizations and movements that prioritize that work. But in the face of "inhumane policies" that seem so far from your values, you're hurting and you know others are hurting, too.
Deepa said "we all need healers, healing all the time. We all need caregivers, all the time." What a moment for you, to take this truth from the page and hear it spoken aloud and resonate deeply, as you scribbled her exact words in your notebook. Deepa said our rage and our grief is important to face - that it can be fuel, but also, we need to regularly check-in with each other - for healing and caregiving.
What a powerful reminder for you, Lisa. A reminder that movements require art, beauty, hope, connection, music, dance, breathing. You believe this truth about life in classroom, and you are poised to bring this truth to other spaces, too.
It does feel like we all need to be disrupters right now, doesn't it? She unpacked some deep truths about the attacks justice movements are facing, and your hand shook as you wrote those notes, and realized how scary this moment is. Deepa also talked about Dr. King's line, the "fierce urgency of now" being oh-so real. She named the cognitive dissonance. The pain.
AND.
AND.
You can walk away with both urgency and the question of how you can continue show-up in these days. Finding alignment with your energy. Naming the need to refuel. Preparing for a long game, guiding others in joining the movement.
Breathe, Lisa. You can definitely do hard things, and stay engaged, deeply in your purpose.
Wow. This strikes me as a revolutionary way to take notes. Writing such a compassionate and stirring letter to yourself, reminding yourself of the values you share with this speaker, surely it reinforces what you heard more than just listening, or jotting notes. Perhaps students should try it. perhaps I’ll try it. And your opening! “Today you refreshed your tired mind with this beautiful graphic…” so lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Fran. I really really needed this boost, and it was pure luck that it's also Slicing season AND that I didn't Slice yet today AND I had 30 minutes in my schedule to actually think and write. Deepa's work is ah-mazing. Thank you again for the TLC here :)
DeleteThank you so much for sharing this graphic and your reflection. These are important ideas! "A reminder that movements require art, beauty, hope, connection, music, dance, breathing. You believe this truth about life in classroom, and you are poised to bring this truth to other spaces, too." You are already bringing this truth to other spaces, so we can carry the ripples forward. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteNatasha, definitely check out Deepa's work. It's inspiring and actionable. And yes to carrying the ripples forward... I love that language. TY!
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