What's in a Name? Introducing Roots of Change!

The first newsletter I wrote was on the deadly Texas snowstorm in 2020. At the time, thousands of Texans, some of whom were friends, were without power, drinking water from bathtubs, and scouring empty grocery shelves.

I was compelled to write because I saw both the humanity and inhumanity in the moment. Many neighbors were showing up and supporting each other during unprecedented devastation, while the Texas GOP abandoned the very premise of what the government’s role is in supporting its citizens. It perfectly illustrated the current moment that society finds itself in.

Since starting this newsletter two years ago, I have been writing about the current state of society and politics in the context of our moment of vast inequality, a looming climate crisis, a pandemic, and right-wing extremism. The goal of my writing has always been to bring more empathy for people around us and for people to recognize the power they hold to change our societies for the better.

And that’s why we’re introducing a new name that better reflects our mission! Please welcome…

Roots of Change: The Newsletter

💡 Exploring the roots of society in community to build lasting social change. A weekly 5-minute read rooted in communal learning, empathy, imagination, & activism.

Roots of Change will continue to explore major societal topics over a month-long series touching on different angles of the topic for us to dig into, understand how it’s impacting us, how to think differently about it, and what we can do. If you’re new to us, you can reference our individualism vs community series or the loneliness epidemic series.

And no newsletter will be more than 5 minutes! Life is busy with too many demands. Our goal is to help make the work of changemaking accessible to more people no matter where they are on their journey. It’s the spark notes for change.

Components of Change

Over the course of my work, I’ve explored the various aspects of changemaking. Historical successes, our current challenges, the psychology of change, self-discovery, storytelling, and more.

I don’t claim to be an expert or to have spent years in school studying this work, but that’s exactly why I do this work. We all should be in partnership to build lasting change and we each have unique talents that we can bring. To build a lasting movement we all must invest in change together. There’s no shortcut.

There are four core components of change that this newsletter will be focused on. There are many aspects of change but, to me, these are the core elements.

Self-healing

• Self-healing is one of the most important steps to collective change. We each hold so much whether it is societal pressures, racism or bigotry, childhood wounds, or generational trauma that affect how we show up in the world. By healing ourselves, we empower ourselves to live freely, strengthen ourselves in our work, and lead by example.
• “When we heal our world we heal THE world. When we see ourselves we start to see other people.” - Alex Elle on We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle

Community

• For us to not only survive but thrive in our lifetime, we need community. We need to be connected to our fellow humans to see each other’s humanity and build solidarity for the inevitable change ahead.

Imagination

• A true multi-racial democracy where the planet and people are prioritized has never been done before. We are working towards a future that hasn’t happened, which means we need to help everyone imagine a better world. Imagination helps us both to heal and live in a White-Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy society and to move closer to a world without those harms.

Collective Action

• Did you know that if only 3.5% of a population participated in sustained, nonviolent protest, change is possible nearly every time? That’s according to research from protests since 1900 by Harvard professor, Erica Chenoweth. A trickle can lead to a waterfall if we all work together.

Each of us has the power to make real change! Together we can become empowered people and build a better society. Thank you for the incredible support and I look forward to continuing this journey with each of you!

Finally, I encourage anyone who hasn’t yet to consider a paid subscription for only $5/month. This newsletter and upcoming premium content and opportunities to connect are all reader-supported. More support means greater resources for the whole community.

We want this community to be open to all who want to participate. If you’re a student or an extra subscription is too much in the monthly budget, please let me know and we can work something out.