Connecting The Movement(s)...
How are we going to connect #DisobeyingWithGreatLove, #OccupyTheFarm and #BlackLivesMatter?
Anchoring us in stillness, fearlessness, compassion and radical love. That is, merging the outer (r)evolution with the inner (r)evolution. Another way to put it is trying to fully integrate Constructive Programme and Obstructive Program.
So how does all of it apply for this time of dramatic climate change, rampant racism and insatiable-profit-driven corporations, here, in the Bay Area?
One doesn't need to dig deep to find that healthy, organic local food is the foundation of social justice. It doesn't take much to see that our dignity and our effort to become holistic love warriors are fully connected with the land. Take a look at what the Gill Tract community/Occupy The Farm has been working on for the last few years. Here's a bit of background from the sing-up invitation to keep this public farmland to farm:
While the administration of the University of California illegally clearcut 60 trees of the mini-urban forest at the Gill Tract --and then is planing to participate in another devastation to clearcut ~450,000 trees in the Berkeley/Oakland hills with the partnership of Monsanto-- we at Occupy The Farm have been organizing star parties, serving as case study for ongoing (r)evolution, creating medicinal gardens, having Classrooms Under the Clouds that offer workshops, harvesting thousands of pounds of local organic delicious food --today we are in harvest #406, here is a photo sequence of some of the fist ones--, hosting a farm stand ever Sunday and healing plant stands, fomenting intercultural and intergenerational collaborations, and connecting with our hearts, our minds and the land, (and more!) --as you can see at our Real Sprouts satyagraha/direct actions, including several hours of meditation.
Thanks to our satyagraha, the Whole Foods Market withdrawal was a success. They were the original chain store in partnership with the UC regents but decided to not continue with the deal and now they have a full operating store just two blocks from the Gill Tract. It seems, though, that the UC regents have a different plan in mind that has nothing to do with the heath of people, since they really want to privatize public land and now they are working to pave the Gill Tract with another chain store based in Arizona, "Sprouts". That's why lately we've been spreading the word and walk in Earth First and involved in an intense campaign to boycott Sprouts.
Another way the constructive programme is manifesting at the Gill Tract is the Classroom Under the Clouds. For example, this is the description of the Yarrow workshop:
Many people from the Occupy The Farm group Hormigas Orgánicas (Organic Ants in Spanish, some of them involved in the Soil Not Oil coalition) have said that their lives have been transformed since they started to garden in their homes and eat fresh healthy organic food, all inspired by the Gill Tract Organic Farm community. A sister even fully recovered from first stages of diabetes just by eating organic healthy food, a lot of it coming from the Gill Tract Farm and her garden.
This connects with the other piece of the puzzle. We must stop the murdering of our so called "people of color" --term only understood in the part of the Planet we call the U.S.A.-- without exacerbating the fractures of society. We must change the junk food GMO (Genetically Modified) diet that is killing us all along with ending the New Jim Crow systems of oppression that are destroying our collective soul. We are here to celebrate life, to honor our youth and, in the process, become the peace and the radical love we want to experience in this Earth. That is why Occupy The Farm is joining forces with Africa Town; that is our motivation to be hosting BART to HEART in Fruitvale. Planting seeds of solidarity between #OccupyTheFarm and #BlackLivesMatter is a kind of giftivism.
All in all, we contribute in small and big ways to our interconnectedness. That's why the Gill Tract is not only an Albany's residents issue. That's why Oscar Grant is not only an Oakland's residents issue. They are whole Bay Area and planetary issues to continue our collective healing to move towards a more harmonious, courageous, peaceful and wise Earth.
In this time of climate change and for the sake of our children and future generations, it is imperative to put principles before titles and profits. Let's facilitate the growth of organic-local food and healthy entertainment in this precious land to co-create an urban oasis where people can meditate and practice real Science, a mini-food forest where future generations of all colors of skin can soak in our radical love for all beings because #AllLivesMatter!
And because #AllLivesMatter --including non-human animals-- we better put, first, our fierce attention on #Black/BrownLivesMatter now, as it is well explained in Herstory of #BlackLivesMatter. From the same brave queer women a quote from this article::
Jai Jagat!
Anchoring us in stillness, fearlessness, compassion and radical love. That is, merging the outer (r)evolution with the inner (r)evolution. Another way to put it is trying to fully integrate Constructive Programme and Obstructive Program.
So how does all of it apply for this time of dramatic climate change, rampant racism and insatiable-profit-driven corporations, here, in the Bay Area?
One doesn't need to dig deep to find that healthy, organic local food is the foundation of social justice. It doesn't take much to see that our dignity and our effort to become holistic love warriors are fully connected with the land. Take a look at what the Gill Tract community/Occupy The Farm has been working on for the last few years. Here's a bit of background from the sing-up invitation to keep this public farmland to farm:
For over 15 years, faculty, students, and local community have protested the commercial development of the historic Gill Tract Farm and research site, managed by the University of California (UC) at Berkeley. These concerned stakeholders have crafted several alternative proposals, advocating for its preservation as an educational resource (like the 1997 BACUA Proposal). In 2012, after neighbors and students occupied the land in protest of its commercial development, a 1.5 acre section called "Area A," now called “Gill Tract Community Farm” was transferred from Capital Projects to the College of Natural Resources and became a pilot project for a new community-UC collaboration. That project is flourishing, and we hope to see it grow to all 20 acres rather than the commercial development.
​Meanwhile, the commercial development that would pave over the southern portion of the Gill Tract is slated to begin any day. This development design, with its vast parking lot, big-box grocery store, and high-end housing project is out of touch with community and student needs. A new (Whole Foods)grocery store was built just two blocks from the Gill Tract, making it unnecessary to build another national chain store that trucks in produce from across the globe. Furthermore, the additional diesel from delivery trucks and the removal of bioremediating trees and green space-- in a neighborhood whose air quality is already highly impacted by industry and roadways -- would be damaging to the public health of the surrounding community.
While the administration of the University of California illegally clearcut 60 trees of the mini-urban forest at the Gill Tract --and then is planing to participate in another devastation to clearcut ~450,000 trees in the Berkeley/Oakland hills with the partnership of Monsanto-- we at Occupy The Farm have been organizing star parties, serving as case study for ongoing (r)evolution, creating medicinal gardens, having Classrooms Under the Clouds that offer workshops, harvesting thousands of pounds of local organic delicious food --today we are in harvest #406, here is a photo sequence of some of the fist ones--, hosting a farm stand ever Sunday and healing plant stands, fomenting intercultural and intergenerational collaborations, and connecting with our hearts, our minds and the land, (and more!) --as you can see at our Real Sprouts satyagraha/direct actions, including several hours of meditation.
Thanks to our satyagraha, the Whole Foods Market withdrawal was a success. They were the original chain store in partnership with the UC regents but decided to not continue with the deal and now they have a full operating store just two blocks from the Gill Tract. It seems, though, that the UC regents have a different plan in mind that has nothing to do with the heath of people, since they really want to privatize public land and now they are working to pave the Gill Tract with another chain store based in Arizona, "Sprouts". That's why lately we've been spreading the word and walk in Earth First and involved in an intense campaign to boycott Sprouts.
Another way the constructive programme is manifesting at the Gill Tract is the Classroom Under the Clouds. For example, this is the description of the Yarrow workshop:
Not unlike the farm itself, this workshop series will be a community-focused resource, put on by the community for the community to address our needs and desires by calling on the skills and resources available between us. This particular workshop will focus on the medicinal uses of yarrow, and along with experienced herbalist, we invite participants to bring their knowledge to share with the group.​
The Latin name for yarrow is Achille millefolium (millefolium, meaning "million-leaved plant") Yarrow can be easily identified by its many leaves and little white or lavender flowers near the top of the stalk. Additionally, according to legend, warrior Achilles used yarrow to heal his soldiers' wounds and painted himself with a yarrow tincture to make himself invulnerable to arrows. We hope to harness some of this protective energy in an effort to protect the Gill Tract community and the 20 acres of public land itself.
There is much to learn from the plants and the diversity of cultural uses of these plants. It is essential to revitalize and pass on our traditional wisdom and consciousness that might otherwise be lost. We have planted a medicinal garden in order to learn to use these plants and to heal ourselves traditionally and consciously, without having to resort to pharmaceuticals or investment in that industry.
Many people from the Occupy The Farm group Hormigas Orgánicas (Organic Ants in Spanish, some of them involved in the Soil Not Oil coalition) have said that their lives have been transformed since they started to garden in their homes and eat fresh healthy organic food, all inspired by the Gill Tract Organic Farm community. A sister even fully recovered from first stages of diabetes just by eating organic healthy food, a lot of it coming from the Gill Tract Farm and her garden.
This connects with the other piece of the puzzle. We must stop the murdering of our so called "people of color" --term only understood in the part of the Planet we call the U.S.A.-- without exacerbating the fractures of society. We must change the junk food GMO (Genetically Modified) diet that is killing us all along with ending the New Jim Crow systems of oppression that are destroying our collective soul. We are here to celebrate life, to honor our youth and, in the process, become the peace and the radical love we want to experience in this Earth. That is why Occupy The Farm is joining forces with Africa Town; that is our motivation to be hosting BART to HEART in Fruitvale. Planting seeds of solidarity between #OccupyTheFarm and #BlackLivesMatter is a kind of giftivism.
All in all, we contribute in small and big ways to our interconnectedness. That's why the Gill Tract is not only an Albany's residents issue. That's why Oscar Grant is not only an Oakland's residents issue. They are whole Bay Area and planetary issues to continue our collective healing to move towards a more harmonious, courageous, peaceful and wise Earth.
In this time of climate change and for the sake of our children and future generations, it is imperative to put principles before titles and profits. Let's facilitate the growth of organic-local food and healthy entertainment in this precious land to co-create an urban oasis where people can meditate and practice real Science, a mini-food forest where future generations of all colors of skin can soak in our radical love for all beings because #AllLivesMatter!
And because #AllLivesMatter --including non-human animals-- we better put, first, our fierce attention on #Black/BrownLivesMatter now, as it is well explained in Herstory of #BlackLivesMatter. From the same brave queer women a quote from this article::
Love is what sustains us through all the hardships that come with this work. Even love for people who disagree. Love is what will ultimately get us to a place where we can change the World we live in.
Jai Jagat!
Posted by Pancho Ramos Stierle on Jul 31, 2015
On Aug 3, 2015 kara j lincoln wrote:
You are new to me although we all seem to be tapping into the same consciousness of training + sharing.
It is sad to even have to mention what you do, in retaliation to negative energy, after humanity has worked so hard to achieve such great solution oriented options, for us all to co_evolve with..
I agree w/the reality that facing the issues of the times should be a collective cooperative work force part time as we all organize. + If you review what - i come to talk story is about, we feel focus directing w/ones students networking via like ecosystem/season + subject, all can exponentially address + prioritize to live local, sharing in solidarity globally.
Meanwhile celebrate as each center, working w/in supporting each to become aware to `boon w/the natural world, only then it becomes pristine, as the Amazonians have proven so well over time.
Simultaneously all must enjoy this earth + beyond vs allow the issues of the times to be unsorted stealing from ones energy, that is needed by ones organs to do what we all must do, as in support each other to build ones path as one walks it into ones opening, leaving no footprint.
We feel 1 global sound science is a great tool if each community defines it by do_in ones local `plan, land fresh water flow to sea use review. Giving each awareness to work within the natural rule of enhanced ability respecting all life, as Prof Miguel Altieri speaks of enhanced w/his agro_ecology curriculum, he creates working w/indigenous still living it thru out the world.
I will not repeat, but invite you to come take a review of how he fuels us to perfect a platform, sharing links as we offer to students networking to seek options to bring home eye to eye. So each community can fine tune what works for each. No longer living w/limitations due to thinking we know what is, but rather patches of goodness sharing w/pockets without.
Fueling all to work w/ones neighbors as we address the global priority issues, as w/Iran`s ability to take part as a human family to resolve the Nuclear Global contamination we face now in the N hemisphere + if secrecy + manipulation continues, perhaps waste is also being shipped to the S hemisphere.
Each community can be fueled to sort all this out as i ask you to come link + together we seek questions like holding our Govs/UN accountable to use their resources for research to rid the waste properly + end all use of any Nuclear, globally as our experiences show many telling us how the Nuclear plants are mismanaged.
Do i still cry at times, yes as an activist researching putting all this on our spreadsheet now, so as for each to support each to harmonize while we do this. For each have to work ones emotions + knowing we have such goodness that humanity offers makes my cries shorter.
Thank you for what you do + we are presently reaching out for donations to perfect our platform, so please have patience w/much work needed to do.
If interested in sharing your link please do so in appropriate place for we are in the process now of putting on our spreadsheet updated links that can help us all rethink as we naturally restore ones ecological sustainable working community.
We can only support localized systems of alternative energy as supplements to awareness of simple natural living, along w/recycling w/natural building once a community comes together reassessing ones local biome(s) w/neighbors, to rethink how one can sensitively work what has been set aside wrongly, as in parks for tourism, etc.
When yet all can become aware + we suggest starting w/what is most familiar, as in a local grown, natural wild food/fish/animal potluck, setting the table w/great smells/recipes/music filling the air, as options to the GMOS as well even the labeling as we suggest is not worthy of the energy + people should rethink as many do now that already label NO GMO/organic, etc.
Ok i'm repeating + i do need to go on, so here is a recent post of where we at[View Link] is at, as we continue to work mindfully ending the Nuclear/war modes + false green economies.
So we appreciate your link on our spreadsheet + you should be able to self register, as well seeking Nuclear research as we say, along w/many are still in frame of mind divesting from fossil fuels into large grids of solar + wind, which we cannot agree with, but if you can prove us wrong, we are open. As well share to those that are unable to stay in real time, living local, gaining humanities best to work w/traditional ethnic engineers creating as many do now in patches, the great offerings our earth + beyond gives us now.
This helps us all fine tune ones own direction, stopping the unknown support of being part of the problem. For all can become part of the solution, harnessing the disassociated energy once we each take self responsibility, as well hold others accountable, locally + afar.
We try to post w/La Via Campesina on facebook, hoping to reach communities in Africa, as well the global community + welcome you to share as we build on humanity's greatness, not to mention share needs + offerings.
We ourself are living on a small sailboat in Charleston, Oregon trying to sell it, so we can continue networking to where we yet have been. As we built a catamaran in past + started circumnavigating the Pacific then to come back to help dying family members. Twice we have sold our s/v etak, + both times people ran not paying us what was agreed upon. Which you may of seen on news in San Francisco Bay as Jordon + Ashly Needham hit a barge on the way to pull out, minor problems, then to have CG call Marine Patrol + then they hit it accidentally ending up on beach damaged more. + Would not pay , for they subrogate only once All State Insurance pays claim, which they lied + failed to do it ethically. To cut this short a lengthy battle of All State Insurance lying manipulating made it worse. Then to have Needhams unable to stand behind their word, stopping our payments cold turkey w/no notice as they fail to see the truth of their commitments, being supported from Jan the surveyor due to them failing to see the contract, nor willing to talk to us..
So our plans changed 360, yet we continue our activism w/limited resources. Google has come aboard giving us as a US 501 cs non profit an Adgrant, + to days total showing our ads from end of Feb is 3,309,796 + we still learning as they continue to try to help us, when we yet to receive funding for perfecting/salary/equipment, etc.
We supported our own activism learning, research + exchanges up until 2008, when as many corruption took our working ability so that is what inspired us not to give up, so we obtained a Non profit status + still working it. For we had to go thru the realities of US Gov doing so much damage globally + we continued to hold Barack accountable + still do. So we recently decided to use the non profit as a tool to hold US Gov accountable as well ourselves. + Ask all to do the same as we face many issues of the times + yet many are in the fog, while yet others work w/sharp sensors. Which all is capable of learning as we address early signs, for our lessons have been hard + we continue as we have seen many unable to continue.
Please see recent post in response to invite to Pres. Barack Obama teleconference on Iran Agreement; [View Link]
Your feedback is appreciated + we thank you for your review + look forward to learning more of your offerings + great work. Your support is appreciated.
Our combined `effect makes a difference, lov kara + misha
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