Recently, I re-read an April interview between Applied Research Center’s wonderful, incisive President, Rinku Sen, and provocative progressive thinker, Van Jones. The interview followed by a few days the publication of Van’s newest book, Rebuild the Dream which debuted on the anniversary of MLK’s assassination; a date that holds special significance for Van because, as […]
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Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting with a great group of community members to talk about justice. At the latest MRG Justice Social my daughter and I spoke together, for the first time publicly, about our mutual and different perspectives on what it’s meant to live our lives honed by a multigenerational quest for […]
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As I near the end of February, though it’s the shortest month of the year, I appreciate that it’s been crammed full of opportunities to learn about, acknowledge and celebrate justice seekers. It’s the month when we’re encouraged to learn about the richness of the African American experience; of those who chose to risk, who […]
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I’m excited to have ‘crossed over’ from an incredible year of exciting change, transition and settling in! Now, a few weeks into the new year, I’m in a reflective mood, and find myself frequently looking back over so many amazing, humbling, and educational moments in 2011. I have hopes for increasing our movement for social […]
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For years, as a donor to MRG and an activist in philanthropy, I’ve seen the grant announcements come from MRG Foundation. It has always been a lot of groups, (this month we announced 22 grants): some that I knew, some that I didn’t. Some in Portland, others in towns I hadn’t heard of. I knew […]
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This is my first fall at MRG, that wonderful season of change! Here at MRG we’re changing some staff roles as we move our social justice work forward into 2012. Anita Rodgers became our interim associate director this summer to support the executive director transition, and she has accepted the position of associate director for […]
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I’ve returned from another road trip with my colleague Sheryl Sackman, this time we traveled to Southern Oregon. Our trip offered a chance to connect with MRG supporters — many of whom have been with MRG for a long time — and I witnessed the work of several of MRG’s former and current grantees, some […]
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I’ve been riveted by Occupy Wall Street taking over the news, and excited that it has spawned supportive local efforts across the country. There’s something wonderful when regular people – our families, co-workers, friends, neighbors – come together to organize in the moment based on shared values. I headed downtown to walk into Occupy Portland, […]
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I recently returned from Arizona: not my destination of choice, certainly not where I’d planned to spend my birthday. After all, I’d read national news reports and watched the evening news. I recalled the special reports on Arizona’s self-appointed border vigilantes, those who seek to deny human rights and dignity to those who cross the […]
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