Spirit in Action

Our justice system is deeply flawed, and one of the forces working to repair the breaks is  MOSES (Madison Organizing in Strength, Equality, and Solidarity) , a congregation-based community effort to transform the criminal justice norms of Madison, WI, as part of a statewide organization,  WISDOM , which is affiliated nationwide with  Gamaliel .

Our democratic republic has been seriously undermined, particularly over the past 10-15 years, but fortunately there are people like Jay Heck, executive director of  Common Cause - Wisconsin , working diligently to rebuild the structures of democracy.  Common Cause  works nationally for government of, by, and for the people by fighting against gerrymandering, voter suppression, &amp...

In the land of "he who dies with the most toys wins" and where we're taught that more-and-more possessions will make us happy, it's hardly a surprise that hoarding is of epidemic proportions.

While the nation & the state have veered into conservative and even regressive social directions, there has been refuge & hope locally in the  Eau Claire City Council , which included a strong progressive majority as of spring, 2018. Even while others were dragging their feet, work was proceding locally on sustainability, reducing the incarceration system, and increasing responsivenes...

Too many people ignore the power of local government to transform the most crucial aspects of our world, focusing only on our national government. A groundswell of local activism tilted the county board of Eau Claire, WI, in the progressive direction, and the lessons & possibilities are promising around the country. We speak with 3 recent  members of the board of supervisors  about t...

Ecologist Huda Alkaff is a founding member and director of  Wisconsin Green Muslims , a volunteer environmental justice group based in Milwaukee. She uses her advanced education and her Muslim faith to educate others and forge interfaith collaborations in the service of sustainability.

Host  Peterson Toscano  visits with 3 Evangelicals fighting climate change,  Kyle Meyaard-Shaap ,  Corina Newsome , &  Rev. Josh Gibson . Comic creation, Tony Buffusio from the Bronx, talks climate change in the Bible. Scientist  Dr.

Bias & prejudice are hard-wired in us, we've got the studies to prove it, so what can we do about bias, hate, & division? In  Our Search For Belonging: How Our Need to Connect Is Tearing Us Apart  by  Howard J. Ross  we explore the mind, our behavior, & our possibility of acting better than we're programmed for. Past/current religious/spiritual influences: Eastern,&...

Henna Hundal of Harvard Radio  hosts Spirit In Action this week. Her first guest is Paul Hoffman, an American coxswain who competed in the 1968 & 1972 Summer Olympics, and a supporter of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR). Her second guest is Dr. Howard Bauchner, editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), concerning initiatives to expand the digita...

Jerry Edwards acts as an educational conduit between the medical system and Plain Communities (Amish, Mennonnite & other people who cautiously engage with mainstream technology & practices). In particular, he has been sharing in medical circles an inexpensive & effective technique for burn & wound treatment, innovated among the Amish about 30 years ago. A significant issue is trust...

There are many aspects to care for the Earth, experiencial & experimental.  Sam Thayer of Forager's Harvest  in one of the preminent experts in harvesting from the Earth's bounty. He shares here the concluding essay of his new book, 3rd in a series, called  Incredibile Wild Edibles: 36 Plants That Can Change Your Life , speaking of Ecoculture instead of Agriculture. Our second g...

We mostly take it for granted in the USA, but many places in the world are risking their lives to have a drink of water. In the midst of rape, war, & crushing poverty,  Friendly Water for the World  performs & witnesses miracles. Using appropriate technology & native ingenuity, the organization helps people in decimated areas of Africa & India to find new, transformed lif...

We want a better world, and Gordon Whitman shows us how in  Stand Up! How to get involved, speak out, and win in a  world on fire . With 25 years experience in Chile & the USA, and as deputy director of  Faith in Action , Gordon is well-situated to see what works and how to guide willing hands to more powerful work. Past/current religious/spiritual influences: Jewish 

Alaine Duncan of  Integrative Healing Works  started her education in the area of western science, but after contracting hepatitis C, found much-needed help through acupuncture & Asian medicine. Her new book is  The Tao of Trauma: A Practitioner's Guide For Integrating Five Element Theory and Trauma Treatment . In it Alaine & co-author Kathy Kain significantly add resources...

Linley Dixon  is senior scientist of the staff of  The Cornucopia Institute , our leading organic standards watchdog & advocate. With a masters degree in Plant & Soil Science, a Ph. D.

Scott Wittkopf helps organizations & people learn to do effective progressive messaging through his firm,  Frame for the Future . It's a bit ironic that the scientific research proves that people do not make their decisions based on scientific research, but on  frames , and progressives have been doing an inferior job of harnessing this knowledge to support their goals.

The Road to Zero Wealth: How the Racial Wealth Divide is Hollowing Out America’s Middle Class , a report co-authored by  ProsperityNow.org  and  The Institute for Policy Studies (see also  Inequality.org ).  Dedrick Asante-Muhammad  is Senior Fellow, Racial Wealth Divide at  ProsperityNow.org , formerly with the NAAC

Talking about climate change effectively is quite a challange, in particular finding a way to move people to become curious about it.

A peek at portions of the  Wisconsin Grassroots Network festival held in  Eau Claire on 9/22/18 , with a brief intro by Art & Dawn Shegonee of  Call For Peace Drum & Dance Company , and featuring excerpts from keynote presentations by the  The Raging Grannies , and progressive journalist, author and orator, 

Howard Switzer speaks powerfully on the need for monetary reform stemming from learning & connection with the  American Monetary Institute  and the  Alliance for Just Money .

Stressful, challenging, daunting times call for special medicine.  Al Gini , author of  The Importance of Being Funny: Why We Need More Jokes in Our Lives , believes that humor is a vital ingredient in good emotional/mental health. Al is Professor of Business Ethics at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University, and for decades was the "resident philosopher" on NPR's affiliate W...

Malinda Maynor Lowery's  new book is  The Lumbee Indians: An American Struggle . Malinda is  Associate Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill , and is also a member of the  Lumbee Tribe , the largest Native American tribe east of the Mississippi River.

John Peck is Executive Director of  Family Farm Defenders , which supports sustainable agriculture, farm worker rights, animal welfare, consumer safety, fair trade, & food sovereignty. In addition, John teaches Economics "against the text" and also Environmental Studies at  Madison College , runs a farm, does poetry, and thinks deeply. Past/current religious/spiritual influences: Cat...

Brad Laird is a Wobbly Quaker, official member of the  Michiana IWW  and a Quaker in good standing. That’s not all he is, by any means - he’s a Girl Scout Troop Leader, passionate husband, father, and grandfather, Chair of the board of directors of  South Bend, Indiana’s Community for Peace & Nonviolence .

Government of, by, & for the People is built by the kind of Spirit that  Christine Ashley  &  Katie Breslin  draw on to make flourish the work of  FCNL , as Quaker Field Secretary & Young Adult Program Manager, respectively. They make advocacy rewarding & lively from their offices facing the Hart Senate Office Building in D.C.