Love, Compassion and Other Outrageous Forms of Activism
Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Saturday, Jun. 22 1:30 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Saturday, Jun. 22 2:45 PM (Eastern)
Activists tend to be motivated by a powerful, inclusive sense of connection to all beings and the planet. Yet guilt, frustration, weariness and internal conflict can remove us from the sense of purpose we need to work for the long haul. When activism is disconnected from a deep understanding of interdependence, we may unintentionally create some of the very conditions we are fighting against—persecution instead of justice, hatred instead of compassion. The vital source of reconnection to a larger vision was called “the love that does justice,” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi called it satyagraha, or truth force. The Netroots offers an unparalleled opportunity to create a community of change that is aligned with our deepest values of a more just and sustainable world. This panel will explore in-person and online tools for resilience of body, mind and spirit to help support a sustained, transformational activism.
Moderator
Carla Goldstein
Carla Goldstein, JD, is Omega Institute’s chief external affairs officer and co-founder of the Omega Women’s Leadership Center. An attorney with 25 years of experience in public interest advocacy, she has contributed to more than 100 city, state, and federal laws, and has worked extensively in city and state government on issues related to women’s rights, poverty, public health, and social justice. As a pioneer in spiritual activism, she advocates for a holistic approach to social change. She is a commentator for WAMC’s show, 51%, writes a column and serves on the advisory board for Feminist.com, and serves as an Advisor to Women Without Borders.
Panelists
Michael Kink
Michael Kink is Executive Director of the Strong Economy for All Coalition, a labor-community coalition focused on economic fairness & income inequality.
He has helped lead campaigns to win a state “Millionaires Tax,” increases in the state minimum wage, reduce the impact of big money on politics, and organize with fast-food and low-wage workers in the “Fight for $15.”
He has organized and participated in dozens of civil disobedience and direct action protests with HIV/AIDS, Occupy and disability, antipoverty & civil rights coalitions. He studied meditation at Dai Bosatsu Zendo and has worked to bring faith, activist and mindfulness communities together for political and social activism.
He is a public interest attorney with degrees from Brown University and the NYU School of Law and has worked on economic justice, poverty, HIV/AIDS, homelessness, disability and children’s issues in New York City, Albany and Washington DC.
Leslie Salmon Jones
Leslie Salmon Jones is an Alvin Ailey trained professional dancer, certified holistic personal trainer, wellness coach, yoga instructor, seasoned public speaker and founder of Afro Flow Yoga™. She works with clients to create a well-balanced life. This includes developing mastery over physical, emotional and mental well-being. She has served as a board member for the organization, Free Arts for Abused Kids, NYC, the United Nations Association of New York (UNA NY), while continuing to act as a facilitator and mentor for various outreach and empowerment programs in Boston and New York. Leslie understands the importance of incorporating wellness into all aspects of life and attributes her strong foundation and core values to her mother, Beverley Salmon, former nurse and grassroots politician, and her father, Dr. John Douglas Salmon, Canada’s first black Chief of Surgery, both civil rights activists.
Jamia Wilson
Jamia Wilson is a feminist media activist and storyteller. Wilson is the executive director of Women, Action & the Media, and a staff writer at Rookie Magazine. Her words and works have been featured in and on ABC, Alternet, CBS News, Forbes.com, Fox.com, GOOD Magazine, New York Magazine, GRIT TV, In These Times, Ms. Magazine, The Today Show, The Washington Post, Huff Po Live, The New York Times and more. Jamia serves on the Omega Institute, Groundswell Fund, and Feminist.com Boards of Directors.