Healing through art & therapy! I used to be depressed and codependent with very low self worth and many unhealthy habits. But several years ago I started the healing process and am sharing what I learned with gratitude and hope for each of us. Peace & hugs, Leah
The other day I read a very useful post about the Saboteur Archetype from Candess Campbell. She talks about the ways we unconsciously sabotage our lives with little decisions, through ignoring our intuition, and most popularly with fear.
I’m learning (and practicing) to stop my inner saboteur with my intuition and courage. There’s no way I could commit to traveling across the country on my budget without lots of courage. Every time I follow my intuition instead of caving into negative thoughts or easy fixes I feel so much better. Whether it’s choosing healthier food, doing work that improves my skills, or taking a wild leap to follow my dreams. Since I’ve become conscious of my thoughts those moments really stand out for me and stick with me. Read her post at Candesscampbell.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/saboteur-archetype
Yesterday was the 94th anniversary of the 19th ammendment, granting women the right to vote. August 26th is officially known as Women’s Equality Day though I don’t remember hearing about it in school or very often as an adult. To celebrate, my brother and I attended a celebration of Women Suffragists at the Kate Sessions Statue at Balboa ParkPark which was presented by the California Womens Museum. Local women dressed up as famous suffragists in historical clothing and read biographies pertaining to those women whose work spurred the suffragist movement.
My only disappointment, other than such a small turnout, was the lack of any representation of women suffragists who were Native, Mexican, African, or Asian American. We all know about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony, but there were so many more women who sacrificed and risked their livelihoods to give all women equal standing to men. The history, or “herstory”, of women in America is very rich and interesting; here are some of my favorite heroes of the past 100+ years.
Prior the 1920 federal law proclaiming women could vote, California granted women this right in 1911. The first Chinese-American women to vote were Emma Hoo Tom and Clara Chan Lee in Oakland, CA. This is a really impressiveimpressive feat since in 1882 the U.S. government passed the totally racist Chinese Exclusion Act basically prohibiting Chinese from becoming citizens or gaining entry into the country.
Maria Latigo Hernandez was a Mexican-American civil rights activist and midwife in the early and mid 1900’s. She marched, lectured, and rallied for equal rights and education. She refused to accept the idea that assimilation meant only speaking and writing in English and she continued to include Spanish in her speeches.
Ida B. Wells was an African-American woman born enslaved just before the Emancipation proclamation. She was a teacher, journalist, and lecturer. In 1884 she refused to give up her seat for white passengers on a train, long before Rosa Parks, but was still dragged off the train. Her journalism focused on lynchings and racism and she was actively involved in the suffragist movement.
Adelina “Nina” Otero-Warren was one of New Mexico’s first female government officials, an educator, businesswoman, historian, and activist in the early 1900’s.
In the late 1800’s Sarah Winnemucca, an educator an interpreter of the North-American Paiute tribe, lectured across the country about Native affairs and the mismanagement in the hands of the government.
Susan La Flesche Piccote was a Native-American activist of Omaha and European descent, and the first Native women physician. She founded a hospital on the Omaha reservation in 1913.
Josephine St. Pierre was editor of The Womens Era newspaper and an activist in the late 1800’s through early 1900’s. Despite her success creating organizations for colored women and knowing Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe, she faced racism from mostly white women’s organizations and sexism from African-American males.
This is just a sampling of women suffragists in the U.S.. If you know of an amazing native, Asian, African or Mexican American women please leave a comment below. The suffragist movement spread far and wide from West coast to East and everywhere in between. In 1890 Wyoming became the first state to ratify voting rights for women. You can see a map and timeline of he suffrage movement at constitutioncenter.org/timeline.
There isn’t much I can say about Ferguson, MO and the killing of Mike Brown that hasn’t already been said. I will say that it sickens and disturbs me when someone is killed amidst violence. It’s important to speak up, sign petitions, have peaceful protests, and write about what happened to a young man and a whole community. We must speak up to create change. Let’s tell the world that violence against black men, against native women, against youth, against LGBTQ, etc., etc. is wrong and that we won’t stand for it anymore.
We need to let go of our prejudiced views that how we dress or the color of our skin defines our character. Stop being scared of young non-white men dressed in baggy jeans and hoodies, stop blaming rape victims for wearing short skirts or having a drink, stop expecting whites to be racist, stop believing that someone’s religion means they hate yours, stop assuming that immigrants are poor and uneducated. Everytime we allow our thoughts to define someone we don’t know, we encourage others to react in kind.
It’s hard to find a positive light when tragedy strikes. The recent murder of Mike Brown by police has not made life better for anyone. His death created riots, anger, sadness, and pain. The ongoing institutionalized racism that threatens non-white women, men, and children in the United States is heartbreaking. Even though a hundred years has passed since slavery was abolished we are still living with stereotypes and prejudices that automatically make us fear others because of how they look. It’s completely ridiculous.
Thankfully people are speaking up and showing support for the injustice that plagues our streets. When it comes to the deep-rooted violence of prejudice we can only fight back with peace and compassion. Below are some ways that people are coming together to show support in the face of this tragedy.
-58 groups in the LGBTQ community has also shown support. “The LGBT community cannot be silent at this moment, because LGBT people come from all races, creeds, faiths and backgrounds, and because all movements of equality are deeply connected. We are all part of the fabric of this nation and the promise of liberty and justice for all is yet to be fulfilled.” http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/americas-lgbt-community-supports-family-of-michael-brown-with-58-groups-joi
This tragedy has also shined a light on the plight of inadequate food availability in Ferguson with a fundraiser called Feed the Students of Ferguson, that will give all the money raised directly to a food bank for the greater San Louis area. https://fundly.com/m2/feed-the-students-of-ferguson
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve heard the term food desert, an area with inadequate access to fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy foods, causing ill-health and food insecurity. Thanks to an innovative idea in New York, vendors are selling fresh fruits and veggies on city streets. While most of us equate food vendors in the big apple more with hotdogs and pretzels than mangos and broccoli, the Green Cart program is changing that by offering a healthier alternative. A Green Cart ONLY sells fruits and vegetables, usually accepts EBT(food stamps), and targets areas with high rates of obesity, diabetes and disease. With minimal costs and training anyone can apply to sell fruits and veggies with the official Green Cart umbrella.
Watch the video about the program “NYC Health: Shop Healthy NYC- Green Carts”.
Last Sunday I attended a free viewing of the food documentary “Forks Over Knives“, at the Leichtag Foundation, a local center in Encinitas, CA. After the movie we separated into smaller groups and it was both enjoyable and interesting listening to everybody’s take on the information presented in the movie. The movie is about a whole foods plant-based diet and features Dr. Collin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselton. The film follows their research around the globe. While both were raised on a diet rich in meat and dairy, their research of diets around the world eventually led them to trade beef for beets and milk for milkweed. They found that a diet rich in fiber and nutrition from plants can stop degenerative and chronic diseases. Now this is not a claim that vegetables are a silver bullet. Not every sickness can be cured with a change in diet, but the healthier our bodies and the higher immunities we possess the easier our bodies can fight illnesses.
In addition to the research of Drs. Campbell and Esselton, the film follows several people who switched over to a plant-based diet and cured or reduced many of their health ailments such as diabetes, blood pressure, fatigue, and While only one of the people claimed the diet cured her cancer, that is a main focus in the film. Cancer starts as abnormal cells that are triggered by something and then multiply quickly. Studies show diets rich in animal proteins, processed foods, and refined sugars can cause cancer cells to grow. A toxic environment also plays a part in growing and spreading cancer cells.
Like breaking any habit, it’s difficult to change your diet, but it can be done. From personal experience I know that switching to a vegetarian diet 4 years ago has helped my health. I don’t get sick as often, feel better overall, and have more energy. Also when my mom was given a cancer diagnosis of 4 months to live her use of a whole food plant-based diet via the Gerson Therapy improved her health and extended her life another 2 years of living.
One point made during the film that really stood out to me, was how sugar, caffeine, and energy drinks mask fatigue as opposed to helping our bodies. One of the major concerns over our current healthcare system is the prescription of drugs and the prevalence of over the counter medication that makes us feel good, but doesn’t get to the root of illnesses. It’s important to ask yourself what you are feeding your body. Can you reduce the amount of meat and dairy you consume or can you cut it out completely? Do you really want to put more artificial flavors and colors in your body? Is all that sugar and caffeine helping you in the long run or has it become an addiction that only temporarily lifts you up? Now is the time to self reflect and critically think about your health choices. The choice is up to you.
After the movie we separated into smaller groups and shared our take on the information presented in the movie. Much of the audience were vegetarians, vegans and people who had already reduced the amount of meat they consumed. The community center has gardens on site and will continue hosting movies on food justice each month. The next community movie and discussion is “The Garden“, about the fight to protect a 13 acre community garden in Los Angeles, on September 14th from 5-7:30pm. Delicious vegan refreshments are provided. If you are or will be in North San Diego county on the 14th, I hope to see you there. I really enjoyed being able to chat with locals about our food choices and hope to see more movie nights that include discussions become a popular past time around the world. Sharing knowledge is how we will empower everyone to live a healthy life.
Empower yourself and do your own research, here are some started links related to diet and illness.
The United States has been offering educational aid for college students since 1965 when the Higher Education Act(HEA) was signed into law. In just about every career having a degree increases your financial and advancement options. It’s also really fun to study a subject that you are passionate about. Education is not just about financial success, but personal growth. So why not extend federal aid to students who want to attend High School, but are uninspired? It took me a while to understand how important education is so it’s no surprise that others would have similar experiences.
The Family Rewards Program was created to entice youth into going to school by seeing real payoff in the form cash. Originally started in New York it expanded to Memphis, TN with the support of both federal and private funding. The incentive program is only available to families who are receiving public assistance and awards youth with cash for earning good grades and attending school. It also supports parents by providing them with a monthly cash bonus for working full-time and attending regular dentist and doctor visits.
We have a few of social programs designed to lift people out of poverty such as food stamps, rental and employment assistance, and farm subsidies, but education is what’s missing. Around the world it has been shown again and again that educating people gives them a chance to end the often generational cycle of poverty. As expected with new ideas there are those who criticize the idea for philosophical reasons and because it’s hard to measure an exact monetary payoff, but we know that lifting people out of poverty reduces tax dollars spent on social safety net programs, healthcare expenses, and crime. People aren’t perfect and neither is everything we create. Regardless of the naysayers, this program is coming into its third year with proof in the youth who are staying in school and attending college.
Watch the PBS video about this new social program.
In 1919 Luisa Capetillo, a labor and human rights activist wore pants in public and was thus sent to jail for her crime. In 1969 Charlotte Thompson Reidwas the first woman to wear pants in the U.S. congress. When Title IX passed in 1972 it was no longer required for girls to wear dresses to school. Creating change in every social issue, even seemingly simple ones like women being allowed to wear pants or being allowed to drive, takes time and effort.
In 2011 Manal al-Sharif wanted to drive a car in her home country and this made her a human rights activist. In Saudi Arabia it is not illegal for women to drive themselves, but because of religious laws stating that women drivers create such “evils” as prostitution and drug use, mass society has decreed it wrong and accepted it as truth. So she decided to be a spark of change by creating a social campaign that encourages women to take the wheel and drive.
With the help of family and friends she began driving. She was arrested and put in jail, her brother was arrested for giving her the keys to his car, and they were both, along with their families, threatened. It took a mass social action of petitions, online activism and the simple act of women driving to slowly change the idea that women shouldn’t drive. Below is her TED talk about the experience.
We all have bad moments, days, weeks, months and maybe even years where there is no light at the end of the tunnel. There are and will be times when life seems overwhelmingly cruel and unfair. The thing is our universe is not set up to be fair and humans are not always kind. Life ebbs and flows so when you get down in the dumps pull yourself out with mental strength. Instead of focusing on the negatives, what you dont have, focus on what you do have. Remember two things:
1. What you are capable of now.
2. That you will be capable of more as you grow.
It is a universal truth that we are constantly learning new skills, new ways to solve problems, new ideas, and new knowledge. Change your thinking and you will change your life. The possibilities are abundant.
From food bank and pre- to post-natal program to all encompassing community advocacy and food center, this tells the amazing story of how people wanted a hand up, not a hand out and the steps they took to create a sustainable community in the midst of poverty. “The Stop; How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement” by Nick Saul and Andrea Curtis.
Ever since reading “The Power of Half” I’ve changed my passion for volunteering from charitable giving to sustainable change. It’s important that we give each other tools, skills, and encouragement to succeed instead of just giving material items and money. The Stop was created many years ago as a food bank in a financially poor area of Toronto, Canada. Food banks were created in the 1900’s as temporary aid, but have become an expected part of our society to assist the millions living in poverty. However wonderful an idea, they are in fact a band-aid and don’t target the root of why people need food assistance on such a regular basis.
Change began to happen when new management was hired in 1998. One main reason that spurred the change was the food being offered. Have you ever donated food before? Did you donate fresh veggies and highly nutritional foods like you buy for your own family or did you donate cheap carbs, sugar laden treats, and almost expired or dented canned food? Realizing that the food given to people living in poverty, who have little if any other choices, was actually contributing to illnesses such as diabetes and obesity it was clear that the food bank wasn’t living up to its promise of providing good food for those who need it most and that it could do a whole lot more than give out a box of food each month.
In the past 15 years they expanded from a small food bank and pre- to post-natal program to include gardens, a greenhouse, advocacy workshops, after school programs, a farmers market, ethnic cooking classes for the large immigrant portion of their community, and a resource center suporting various social issues. The Stop has become a community that values food as an important part of culture. They see food as an interconnected system that includes people, health, the environment, and economics; not a commodity that Big-Ag can market and sell without concern of our worlds welfare. My favorite part of this book is how they incorporated community activism workshops that enabled people affected by poverty to speak out and effecively work for change in policy. This isn’t a book about saviors coming from above, but people taking actions to pull themselves out of poverty and putting sustainable change in the spotlight.
This wasn’t a smooth process; long-term volunteers intent on giving a hand out were not ready for the change of offering a hand up, financing for healthier food wasn’t readily available, and a small staff meant hard work and long hours. What it took was several years, a lot of energy put into fundraising, passionate dedication, and a determined community ready to create a better life. Change didn’t happen overnight, real long-term change rarely does, but it did happen and this book is an incredible guide to how other communities can implement similar strategies for healthier communities. Learn more at TheStop.org
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Ever since I was young adults have been complaining about paying taxes. Luckily at a young age I understood how important it is to have a tax system to pay for schools, roads, parks, social security, emergency aid, and other resources that we use daily and that improve our lives. It took longer to realize how our tax system works. Thanks to the Occupy movement we are becoming more aware of how financial inequality is crumbling our nations financial security. To change the corrupt and unfair tax system we need to understand it. Transparency and education will show us how and we can move forward with informed minds.
For your convenience, here is a video made by The Urban Institute that helps explain the simplicity of who is paying what.
Individual Empowerment 