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 For all of the anger and outrage behind the cry, “Black Lives Matter,” the movement holds out the hope that we might still live together in a society marked by justice and goodwill.
Do you find hope in the Black Lives Matter Movement? In what ways, is it a hopeful movement? Is hope necessary for it to succeed?
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 What do gratitude and appreciation have to do with hope? Are they connected in your life? If so, in what ways?
 In 2019-2020 Caitlan Breedlove, then campaign director for the Unitarian Universalist Side of Love Campaign produced Fortification: a podcast about the spiritual lives and spiritual sustenance of leaders in social justice movements. What better inspiration when you're feeling hopeless than to listen to others who have found ways to center their spiritual practices to keep them engaged with the work to be done? What fortifies you when you feel despair?
 Fifty-nine years ago, on September 27, 1962, Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring was published. The seminal book indicting the pesticide industry did more to develop environmental awareness that any other single effort. Publishing this book took tremendous courage. Do you think that courage was based in hope? What acts of hope in your own life required courage?
 Choose a line from Hope Johnson's meditation, "Keep Your Dreams Alive" from "Bless the Imperfect: Meditations for Congregational Leaders" (Skinner House Books) and draw, paint, photograph, or write about how you've lived this in your life.
 In Ross Gay's poem, "To the Fig Tree on 9th and Christian," he writes about the impact of sharing figs between strangers. Share a story where a simple act like sharing a fig with strangers, brought people together.
Read the complete poem here: https://poets.org/poem/fig-tree-9th-and-christian  Do you agree with Thích Nhất Hạnh that "if you believe tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today?" How has that belief guided your work as an activist/organizer?
 In this TED talk, community organizer and queer activist Miracle Jones explains Black joy why this sense of pride and hope is another crucial component of the racial justice movement. Do you agree that joy is a necessary ingredient of hope? How do you express joy, even in troubling times?
 Read more about cultivating hope in your life in this article: Five Reflection Questions to Cultivate Hope in Your Life by Martha Tesema. Is cultivating hope a part of your spiritual practice? What are some ways you cultivate hope for yourself?
 On the United Nations' International Day of Peace, we focus on the interactions between us as individuals, so that we can begin to solve issues between nations. Share any ideas you have learned from experience that can help a group move from anger and tears back to love.
 Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes speaks about bridging the space between who we are and who we want to be. Share a time when you've been called to do that. How did it go? What did it teach you about hope?
 How do you find light in the darkness?
As you reflect on this, you might also be interested in Hope Johnson's reflection on Darkness and Light: https://www.uua.org/central-east/blog/dark-light. Please share any insights you have learned through your own experience, including any new imagery that works better for you than darkness and light.  How is asking forgiveness a display of optimism? Can you tell of a time when you asked forgiveness and it restored your hope?
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AuthorThe posts for Thirty Days of Hope were written by Living Legacy Project Board and Staff. ArchivesCategories |
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