November 2007 Event
A DVD evening with Van Jones:
Spiritually Fulfilling, Ecologically Sustainable AND Socially Just?
Spiritually Fulfilling, Ecologically Sustainable AND Socially Just?
Wise Awakenings Orca Room
314 E. Holly Street - Bellingham
7 p.m. - Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
314 E. Holly Street - Bellingham
7 p.m. - Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Van Jones is the founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a racial justice organization based in Oakland, California, that works for positive alternatives to incarceration and violence in urban America. He is also a passionate advocate for the environment and for responsible business. Van has served on numerous governing boards, including Rainforest Action Network, WITNESS, Bioneers, the New Apollo Project, and the Social Venture Network. His efforts have earned him many honors, including the Reebok International Human Rights Award, the Ashoka Fellowship, and the Rockefeller Foundation “Next Generation Leadership” Fellowship.
See the New York Times interview: Van Jones' The Green Collar Solution
Highlights from Van Jones speech at the the Pachamama Alliance Awakening the Dreamer Global Community Gathering. Reprinted with permission from the Pachamama Alliance.
So we live together in these bubbles that touch, and we call that diversity, but we don’t know each other. And when that bubble breaks for just a second and we’re face to face with each other, it’s very, very hard to hear that reality.
Spiritual practice & environmental commitment
Now, it is literally impossible for most white people to hear people of color speak about our pain, just literally impossible. The only people who have a chance to pull it off, are people who have a spiritual practice, who have a meditation practice, who have a contemplative practice, who have the ability to stay present, even when it’s difficult and know that if I can just stay present, if I can just keep my mind calm and at peace and still through this painful moment, some wisdom is going to emerge. And there’s going to be some insight that I had no idea was out there for me, if I can just stay present. So your spiritual practice and your environmental commitment, are the two rocks, the two anchors, the two pillars that will let you move through this.
Now, it is literally impossible for most white people to hear people of color speak about our pain, just literally impossible. The only people who have a chance to pull it off, are people who have a spiritual practice, who have a meditation practice, who have a contemplative practice, who have the ability to stay present, even when it’s difficult and know that if I can just stay present, if I can just keep my mind calm and at peace and still through this painful moment, some wisdom is going to emerge. And there’s going to be some insight that I had no idea was out there for me, if I can just stay present. So your spiritual practice and your environmental commitment, are the two rocks, the two anchors, the two pillars that will let you move through this.
What I’m saying is that when you really get what it’s going to take to turn this thing around, the politics of inclusion, of solidarity, of love, of empathy—it’s not optional, it’s the only way we’re going to survive.
What’s next: giving up our ignorance
There’s a pathway back to community that we have to walk. I have to give up something, I have to give up my right to be mad at white folks, ‘cause that’s not going to make a difference for my child. But white people have to give up something too, which is their right to stay ignorant about all of this. You have a perfect right to be ignorant about all of this and you’ll be great people, honestly. You could lead big environmental organizations, you could lead spirituality retreats, you could do all kinds of stuff and you will get cookies and congratulations and people will cry at your funeral. You have a perfect right to not care about any of this. There just won’t be any human family left.
There’s a pathway back to community that we have to walk. I have to give up something, I have to give up my right to be mad at white folks, ‘cause that’s not going to make a difference for my child. But white people have to give up something too, which is their right to stay ignorant about all of this. You have a perfect right to be ignorant about all of this and you’ll be great people, honestly. You could lead big environmental organizations, you could lead spirituality retreats, you could do all kinds of stuff and you will get cookies and congratulations and people will cry at your funeral. You have a perfect right to not care about any of this. There just won’t be any human family left.
Nov 7, 2007 - Pegasis Conference - Seattle
Multiplying Our Impact - Van Jones
In the last century, the model change agent was the powerful speaker, as exemplified by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. In the new century, the model change agent will be the powerful listener. By being truly present, deeply listening to others, and intently trying to put ourselves in their reality, we can transcend our differences and find a “third way out” of our common challenges. Drawing on his experience in building powerful coalitions against social injustice and environmental degradation, Van will share his thoughts about what it takes to amplify our power through meaningful connection with others.
