There’s so much to share from this conference I attended in New Orleans last week. NCORE is the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education. Thousands of DEI professionals, practitioners, and activists convened on the edge of the French Quarter to learn, connect and compare notes. It’s an interesting time to be doing this work. In some ways, more people than ever are … Continue reading NCORE
A Peace of My Mind visited North Central College and worked with the Leadership, Ethics & Values program. We asked students and staff, “When have you made your greatest impact?” And here’s what they said. How would you answer that question? Continue reading Impact
It was an abrupt interruption of a sound sleep when my alarm went off at 5:30 am today. I had worked hard at the farm for the weekend and my 56-year-old achy body wanted to stay in bed. But that wasn’t the deal I had made with myself. This is the ninth day of a 40-day journey. Waking up before dawn and walking for an … Continue reading Day 9
We could all use a little hope. It’s the belief that something better is possible. That we have the ability to make a difference. That there are solutions available to our complex challenges and that we can find them together. That whatever today is like, tomorrow can be better. We traveled to Alexandria, Virginia to work with LEAD21 on the culmination of a year-long staff … Continue reading Hope
We are settling into a new rhythm. It’s hard to think of compiling a 2022 recap without it turning into a review of this entire journey. As we come off the road, there’s a lot of processing to do. A lot of planning. A lot of adjusting. With all the questions swirling about, I am equal parts eager for some clarity and patient for it … Continue reading 2022 recap
December 21 is the winter solstice. The shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. The longest night. In Minneapolis, where I live, that means that there is only about 8 hours and 47 minutes of daylight. We celebrated with friends over the weekend. Reconnected with some of our community after two years on the road. We walked up a snowy path and gathered … Continue reading A light in the darkness
Last night, Karen and I went to see Till, the movie of the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till. It is a powerful retelling of a difficult and important story in our nation’s history. I’ve been twice to the site where Emmett Till’s body was found , and I wrote about it in Portraits of Peace, Searching for Hope in a Divided America. The passage below … Continue reading Till
It’s Give to the Max Day and we hope you will consider a gift to A Peace of My Mind to help us grow. Our programming is self-sustaining. Exhibit leasing fees and speaking fees keep us engaged with communities, leading workshops and installing art, but it is our donor base that allows us to gather new stories and expand our work. A small but mighty … Continue reading Give MN
I’ve been really interested in this question of community lately. Especially as we come out of the pandemic, where our experience of community was so drastically changed. Especially as we go into mid-term elections where our sense of a common vision is challenging. Especially as we have spent these last two years on the road, constantly reimagining what it means to belong in a place. … Continue reading Building community
Saturday was a beautiful fall day, much like that other one, a little more than 21 years ago. We had an open schedule and had wrapped up our programming at WVU, so we drove from our campground in West Virginia, through a corner of Maryland and into the hills near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to the site of the Flight 93 Memorial. 7 crew members, 33 passengers … Continue reading Flight 93
