Cheerleaders are Never on the Field
I am a provocateur. I like art and ideas that stir the heart, mind, and soul. I like being moved. When I watched Beyonce’s video, Formation, last weekend, I was stirred. It was, at once, a celebration and a call to action. It was loving, hopeful, defiant, and angry, and it said get your shit […]
Ripples of Change 2014
It has been a productive, complicated, difficult, and blessed year. I had the opportunities to work with people at Rollins College, University of Nebraska, UC Merced, and the Sierra Club. I am blessed to work, and grateful for my exceptional partners: dr. becky martinez and Amber Mayes. As part of my annual commitment to use […]
White Man Rules
As we have previously discussed, systems have consequences. And when we create nested systems within larger systems, often times those who benefit in the large system receive the benefits of the nested system, unless we account for it to be otherwise. Case in Point–A few years ago, Southwest Airlines revised their boarding system from a […]
On Mike Brown, Darren Wilson and the Deadly Intersection of Race and Masculinity
by Eric Mata and Craig Elliott A couple of days ago, we had a conversation about the shooting death of Mike Brown. As a man of color and as a father of an infant son and a white man and a father of two boys, the events that have unfolded in Ferguson, MO have resonated […]
Songs for Social Change, Love and Empowerment
We are at a crisis. The kids are aurally out of control in our house, without direction, or without foundation. They are listening solely to…<gasp>…POP MUSIC. This intervention was born out of necessity, and out of a loving desire to save the kids from audio hell. Okay, maybe that is a bit of hyperbole. But […]
Change is Possible
My work in the social justice movement is with organizations who want to change, want to be more inclusive, who want to create learning environments where people can thrive and feel respected. But that really means, I work with a lot of people. While I am not alone in this work (there are many brilliant […]