Common Good Collective

Reader

This Reader is an expression of Common Good Collective, a vision for an alternative way, rooted in the act of eliminating economic isolation, the significance of place, and the structure of belonging. Whether you come at this from a place of economics, social good, or faith, we hope these reflections help orient your day in fresh, provocative, courageous ways. And most importantly, we hope these lead you into the sharing of gifts in particular communities—into co-creating a common good.

We read hundreds of articles and select the best ones for you by sending them to your inbox on Thursday.

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Leaving Egypt and Pharaoh, Reader, Structure Of Belonging Permalink

Understanding Grief Through Louisville’s Protests

Dr. Steven Kniffley uses his professional expertise to show up for those engaged in the ongoing protests in Louisville, KY. Dr. Kniffley sees that one way of understanding what is happening in the streets is to look at it as an expression of grief. Grief requires certain types of community care. Dr. Kniffley is providing it, not as a substitute for systemic policy change, but as a complement for those struggling to achieve those changes.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Grief isn’t just experienced after the loss of a loved one. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, grief is a normal response to a loss during or after a disaster or other traumatic event. Spalding University Psychologist Dr. Steven Kniffley said the over 120 days of protests have been a collective grieving process for Louisville with the city and protesters moving through the five stages of grief:

? Denial
? Anger
? Bargaining
? Depression
? Acceptance

“We are witnessing across the country numerous Black and brown folks lose their lives, and there’s a grieving process that goes along with that,” said Dr. Kniffley, the director of the Collective Care Center at Spalding. Their work concentrates on helping people of color to work through trauma caused by racism and discrimination.

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Reader, Structure Of Belonging, The Abundant Community Permalink

Latinx Wildfire Victims Heal in Convivencias

Worsening disasters means worsening trauma. In under-resourced communities, mental health care following traumatic events is hard to access. Yes! Magazine provides this report of convivencias, gatherings for mutual support among Latinx communities is California.

After the Tubbs Fire in 2017, Anabel Garcia felt on edge every time an ambulance siren blared outside her home in Santa Rosa, California. Sirens reminded her of evacuating during the state’s second-deadliest wildfire, which killed 22 and destroyed 5,000 homes. Flames reached as close as 5 miles from her family’s house.

“It terrified us,” Garcia said in Spanish. “But it was scarier having to go through it all a second time.”

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Reader, Structure Of Belonging, Wilderness: Sharing and Reorientation Permalink

ELEMENTZ Presents “COVIsion-19” Art Exhibition

Those communities hit hardest by COVID-19 tend to have the fewest established arts programs to help bring the trauma of life in a global pandemic into creative expression. Elementz Youth creates artistic space for youth in Cincinnati. The curator of the work highlights the importance of this sort of community care: “It shows our youth that they are not alone, during a time when we are disconnected from each other.”

Elementz presents COVIsion-19, a virtual art exhibition addressing the effects of COVID-19 on Cincinnati’s inner-city youth and their families. Through visual and audio works of art, Elementz aims to define and build a more unified neighborhood through the sharing of this community’s experience. COVIsion-19 opens Friday, October 2, 2020 at 6 p.m., via Zoom and will live stream on Elementz’s Facebook page.

“It’s important that the community has an outlet to express itself and have a collective body of work that shows them they are not alone, during a time where we are disconnected from one another”, says Asha White, curator of COVIsion-19. “This collection of work is not only important to the community who created it, but to people who are not a part of this community. I want them to see the inequities that have been revealed by COVID reflected in the day to day experience of a lower income neighborhood.”

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Covenant: Moving from Contract to Commitment, Invitation, Reader, Structure Of Belonging Permalink

Community Care Restores Balance

The hallmark of community care is that it is diffuse. No one has too much to do, but everyone has something. No one carries too much power, but everyone holds some. Trust in our neighbors to help care for us is rarely misplaced, and even when it is, power can be spread out enough that people can recover the misdeeds or miscalculations of others. When power becomes hierarchical, though, then one miscalculation can have exponential negative consequences. In this week’s reader, we focus on community care correcting imbalances of power.

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Covenant: Moving from Contract to Commitment, Invitation, Reader, Structure Of Belonging Permalink

We by Ebony Kearney

Ebony Kearney, a Kansas City poet and parent educator, began our recent Abundant Community Conversation with this original poem. Ebony offers the basic affirmation that a robust “we” is the building block of community.

*We*

Reflections of self through and through
I am you and you are me
Never forgetting you’re no better than me, & I’m no better than you
Because WE are here together
Projecting lights of HOPE for the young minded
It’s our common goal
Because we like-minded … COMMUNITY
Cuz we want our babies to grow up too!
But they need Protection
And a whole Lotta love and affection … from YOU… COMMUNITY
We need to plant those tiny seeds of a foundation … for the COMMUNITY
So we can AWAKEN a part of the mind that seeks no limitations …
Learning that family comes in many forms just take a look, it’s the new norm … COMMUNITY
Building community requires a WE mentality
it’s a Commitment…
your struggle is my struggle and your joys are my joys … no resentment!
So you either with it or against it!
Because WE are creating a solid foundation for OUR future generations to see…

That there is no me without WE.

Because WE are the COMMUNITY …

PEACE

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