beyond the boycott | September 2009
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http://transformativechange.org/docs/nl/transform-200909.html
Read this newsletter online: http://transformativechange.org/docs/nl/transform-200909.html Download printable PDF version: http://transformativechange.org/docs/nl/transform-200909.pdf
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welcome "When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world." - Maha Ghosananda
Get Inspired: SIT for Change
This month people around the world are putting dreams into action--particularly around peace. The UN International Day of Peace, which was established in '82, is a day of ceasefire and peacebuilding. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have taken to celebrating it. We can try a dozen things to have a more a balanced world, but change starts with HOW we are. If we are imbalanced, so are our homes, so are our communities, so is our world. Peace is making a complete effort toward changing our relationships with ourselves and with others. Join these celebrations for inner and outer peace: our own "SIT for Change," the Global Mala Project, Yoga Month celebrations, and International Day of Peace Festivals.
On September 19th, singer gina
the 60P note: 60 people die each day without access to healthcare. don't buy it anymore.
Featured Speakers & Performers
Breedlove, activist Adrienne Maree Brown, peacemaker Aqeela Sherrills, angel Kyodo williams, and yoga teacher & spiritual activist Katchie Ananda are each going to inspire us to Change the world. Here's a taste of what each of them will bring to our Bay Area Event: Read more... Follow SIT for Change on Twitter
in SIGHT Everyone Deserves Whole Foods
beyond the boycott: telling whole foods you don't buy it INcite with angel Kyodo williams Brahm Ahmadi is the executive director of the People's
a time for action: sometimes, no matter how
Grocery, an organization that supports food justice for
many ways you try to describe a thing, you have to experience it to know what it really is.
low-income folks. In this piece Ahmadi and others talk
i've been talking about transformative change: what it is and isn't. what it could look like and
available to everyone regardless of income.
what it can make possible in the world. "beyond the boycott" is the birthplace of an experience of transformative change rooted in nonviolent action. rather than a campaign
about how we all benefit when the best foods are made
in TIME Time to Deepen Practice and
against Whole Foods, it's a committment to real healthcare & wellness for all. it's a campaign for a more "whole truth." if you're interested,
Service
join in the experience, and together, we'll transform the world. -aKw
and increase your commitment to
This month deepen your practice service through 27 Days of
Two weeks ago, like now tens of thousands of others on Facebook, I ran
Change: Practice Period and SIT for Change: 2nd Annual
across a post on Why You Should Boycott Whole Foods. If you're like me,
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beyond the boycott | September 2009
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you may have experienced a deeply conflicted moment of some combination of shock, disgust, rage and, um…fear. Fear that you will now have to figure out where to get those admittedly pricey but picturesquely beautiful organic foods you've come to know and love and, for some of
Sit-A-Thon.
us, give your whole paycheck for.
YOU have the power to change the world. Sign up today
I'm a stalwart soldier that can take a strong stand for what I believe in. The truth is though, I live in Berkeley, CA, the uber-progressive Republic rivaled only by my hometown of New York City for access to "whole foods" from places other than Whole Foods. As annoying as it might be, it won't exactly be a hardship for me to go spend my dollars at Berkeley Bowl, Trader Joe's and the stunning array of year-round weekly farmer's markets. But how true is that for thousands of us? Especially when Whole Foods is the only game in town--exactly what has made it such a national success--and exactly what I believe John Mackey was counting on when he wrote his now-infamous op-ed The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare.
SIT for Change | Nationwide September 19th You can participate from wherever you are: to SIT for Change, an inspiring event taking place locally, virutally and nationwide on Saturday, September 19th. Raise pledges to support inner awareness and a transformative social change movement for greater justice, peace, and sustainability. Sign Up today. 27 Days of Change: Practice Period | Sept 1 - 27
REAL change & justice begins with YOU. Donations encouraged. urban RETREAT Intensive: Wake Up for Change Fri-Sun | Sept 4 - 6 Registration REQUIRED. fearless Yoga
Here's another truth, sheepish as it may be: I Like Whole Foods. After kavetching like many about the high pricetag on everything from Abalone
SPECIAL series offered for the first time: Includes
to Zinneas, and derisively calling it by its' Whole Paycheck moniker every chance I could get, I surrendered to its wide open aisles, carefully stacked vine-ripened tomatoes and apparently happy-to-be-working-
Sundays | Sept 6, 13, 20
there-employees' smiles. I do spend my whole paycheck, though not being able to afford health insurance frees up a little cash. And since we're on a truth roll: I like most of the eight points Mackey made in his piece. I certainly think they're worth looking into. So I don't think he's evil and I definitely don't think he's stupid. In fact, I think he smartly calculated the risk of framing his plan as he did. I think John Mackey, like any businessman capable of building a $8B business did some accounting. He accounted for the risk of pissing off a central base. He accounted for sparking a firestorm at a critical point in the healthcare discourse, and I even think he accounted for some boycotts here and
fearless yoga Theory and Practice. 9:30 - 10:30 am Theory | 10:30 - 11:30 am Practice No registration. Donations encouraged. 27 Days of Change: Practice Period Cleanse Week emBODY Change Sept 8 - 15 Donations encouraged. SIT for Change Nationwide 27 Days of Change: Practice Period Talks w/ social visionary angel Kyodo williams Urban Retreat: Wake Up for Change Cleanse Week: emBODY Change
in the CENTER
there. But he calculated that he would win. Why? Because:
fearlessYoga: Practice Built for Justice
Most Americans (myself included) have dwindled down to the attention span of a 140-character tweet.
fearlessYoga is a physical metaphor for social justice. How
Boycotts take time, patience and commitment to work. Understandably, we're sorely lacking on most of that these days, and most impactfully: Whole Foods IS the only game in town in too many places for a sustained boycott over an indefinite period of time. So what to do? Something John Mackey hasn't accounted for--take the Whole Foods boycott to another level--tell Whole Foods “I Don’t Buy It.”
we engage on the mat directly relates to how we behave in the world. If we are aggressive on the mat, we are also aggressive in our work to change the world.
If you're in the Bay Area- join us for our weekly fearlessYoga class on Sundays 9:30 - 11:30am Read more... Download the Friendly Warrior Yoga Flow
If given an invitation, they don't respond meaningfully to the concerns of their offended core base and those impacted by his statements, we should all get together and go beyond the boycott. Sending peopleTO Whole Foods to SHOP, but DON'T BUY is an action that will get their
inner PRACTICE Welcoming What We Resist
attention. It's time to increase the pressure and urgency on Whole Foods, leaving no doubt that we will not only withhold our dollars from them,
If we practice and practice with
but will take positive action to drain them of resources. But it’s also time
effort we get a chance to take a
for those of us pushing for change to do so in a way that actually seeks
long, hard look at ourselves.
resolution, transforming the issue into an opportunity for real change: change that matters. Thus, any action taken should be thoughtful,
Whether that means we stop a particular habit, or pick up a new better one, we get to
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beyond the boycott | September 2009
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respectful, measured and leveraged only if it is needed: if understanding where this is headed, Whole Foods won’t come to the table. Ignoring it away is not an option.
http://transformativechange.org/docs/nl/transform-200909.html
know ourselves and our (sometimes) strong reactions to wanting to hold on to the way we already are. Read more...
Just like it sounds, in a SHOP. DON'T BUY action, people would: SHOP for groceries, then “pay” with a symbolic 60-Person bill and tell the cashier that their CEO, in effect, said this is acceptable:
outer ACTION What's Behind the Whole Foods Buycott?
that it’s OK that 60 people die every day without access to healthcare that it’s OK that uninsured adults are 25% more likely to die prematurely that it’s OK the lack of health insurance is the third leading cause of death for the near-elderly Naturally they won't accept the 60P so shoppers get to tell Whole Foods "I DON’T BUY It." DON'T BUY their food. DON'T BUY their excuse for John Mackey's irresponsible statements. DON'T BUY any position that allows corporations to avoids responsibility for their leadership when offering a personal view under the banner of their brand.
Can social change actions be deeply radical -- meaning going to the root -- help create the world we want to see, rather than only tear down what we don't like; and still work? Let's say you're organizing a campaign, an action, something calling to you, to address an injustice, to repair an injury, something that needs to be made, well, whole if you will, what do you do, or more importantly, how do you do it? Read more... Beyond the Boycott: Telling Whole Foods You Don't Buy It
social CHANGE The Ruckus Society on Sit IN
Leave the store without the groceries.
for Change
This simple but powerful action can give us voice to acknowledge that, contrary to what Mackey suggests, healthcare IS a right. It is buying from
contributed by guest writer,
Editor's Note: This piece was Adrienne Maree Brown
Whole Foods that is a privilege. Going beyond the boycott--which is hard to measure the impact of, potentially loses steam and often devolves into angry protest because people want to DO something--each of us can say “Whole Foods, I’m commited to take action because… I don’t buy it that Mackey benignly used scare tactic phrases “socialism” and “government takeover.”
It has historically been a deep and transformative experience to put your body on the line for your beliefs. Not to be radical for the sake of being confrontational -- but to believe so deeply that change is needed that you are willing to stop your life as usual and, as Gandhi teaches us, "BE the change you wish to see in the world." Read more...
I don’t buy it that healthcare is something that every American shouldn’t have access to because “a careful reading of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right…”
The Ruckus Society
in the MIND Be More Parasympathetic
I don’t buy it “that every American adult is responsible for his or her own health” even though a flawed system has sold access to healthcare from under the feet of 47 million people.
All of us knows at least one type A person, one of those always on the go, burning the candle at both ends, too much coffee, not
I don’t buy it “voluntary, tax-deductible donation” is sufficient to address that lack of access, and I don’t buy it that even if “many of our health-care problems are self-inflicted” for the many reasons–systemic, market-driven, lack of information–that may be true, 60 people should die every day.
enough sleep kind of person. Sometimes we find it's us; we're having a type A life, moment, or month. Read More ... Breathing Exercises that Open the PNS
And I don’t buy it for Whole Foods to explain this away as “personal
"the best workshop i've ever taken. radically changed
opinions” because Mackey used his access and status as CEO to make his surprisingly irresponsible and self-serving statements, branding it “The
my work."
Whole Foods Alternative…”
teaches practical meditation in a social justice context
We can leverage our commitment to action for a more satisfying resolution to the betrayal of our trust in shared values. Now that their
fearless Meditation is our 3-part signature series that is offered for no charge for agents of social change: fearless Meditation I:September 11 | 7pm & every 1st
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beyond the boycott | September 2009
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CEO has publicly stood against so many, what will Whole Foods stand for? In the absence of a meaningful response to their leader’s maybe personal, likely uninformed, but still irresponsible statements, love Whole Foods as we may--in fact because we love them--we need to hold them
http://transformativechange.org/docs/nl/transform-200909.html
Friday
in the BODY Change Begins in the Heart Real change--both inner and
accountable. An organized, nonviolent Shop, Don’t Buy action can do that.
outer--begins in the heart. Get in touch with your whole heart
Finally, Mr. Mackey, I acknowledge that your "eight reforms" might work. But this is no longer only about lowering costs, it’s about life and our inalienable Rights--as a careful reading of the Declaration of Independence does reveal--to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. None of those are possible without our health. You've got good ideas but you didn't have to slap us with them. Relationship repair starts with conversations. Can we talk?
and find the peace that's already there by practicing: Reverence to the Heart Seal. Read More ...
wellness & being well Taking Care of Your Inner Self
Some powers that be, naysayers, talking heads and even John Mackey may believe Whole Foods can just wait out a boycott and continue
Taking care of ourselves is essential in doing work for
business as usual without significant impact on their bottom line.
changing the world. Self-care is not only about exercising and
I don’t buy it. And you shouldn’t either.
eating healthful food, it's also
Get details on Shop. Don’t Buy: http://bit.ly/idbi
about caring for our spirits and inner world. Most of us have experienced trauma that we hold internally, and
—
it's important to tend to it in order to be whole and
Note: The above essay was modified from the original written 8/25/09
truly well. One way to do this is through the Rosen
--aKw
Method. Read more about Rosen Method
september wallpaper angel Kyodo williams, is founder of urbanPEACE and it's Center for Transformative Change. A social visionary and leading voice for transformative social change, she is the author of Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living With Fearlessness and Grace.
Blog: new Dharma: live, love & lead from the heart Facebook: Fan angel here Twitter: Follow angel for tweets of wisdom on Change Web: www.angelkyodowilliams.com angel Kyodo williams' next public talk: Saturday, Sept. 19 | 10am @ SIT for Change: MLK Park, Berkeley Thursdays | September 3, 18, 24 | 7:20pm @ Center for Transformative Change
red leaf In the northern hemisphere, September is the month that begins to usher in fall. It's a time in which the lazy heat of summer comingles with autumn's cool. This brings a comingling of color too. As summer's intensity draws color inward it becomes more sublte before one final and glorius autumnal splash of vibrancy. This sinlge red leaf looks to the sun and boldly beckons fall in Kyoto, Japan.
newDharma Talk The Hybrid of Outer Action & Inner Change In this 2007 KPFA interview angel Kyodo williams and Katchie Ananda talk about Spiritual Activation, bridging the space between outer action & inner change, and why we need both in the work we do. KPFA: ...I need to hear more about how you keep the activism grounded. 'Cause you're talking a lot about activating the spirit, but I want to make sure that the spirit doesn't leave the activism...
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connect | share | support transform feedback editor@transformativechange.org Share your transformative story
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how are you changing the WAY change is done
ANGEL:The essential piece of that is the grounding in practice. And so often what's required is a receding from the action so that we can fully ground ourselves in a practice. We're not talking about going out and doing a yoga class once a week or going out and doing it once a day or talking about doing a little meditation. We're talking about full-on bringing ourselves into...the very being of ourselves that roots us and holds us so that when we do the action our roots are deep, and we're not flailing in the wind in the way that we often experience much of social change work." more... Listen Spiritual Activation: Outer Action & Inner Change
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activists, allies & agents of change Welcome to the Facebook of Transformative Social Change
Center for Transformative Change is the first national center entirely dedicated to bridging the inner and outer lives of social change agents, activists and allies to support a more effective, more sustainable social justice movement. Donate to the Center to support our work Visit the Center's website Center for Transformative Change 2584 MLK Jr. Way Berkeley, CA 94704 ¡ USA +1.510.549.3733 Google the Center
That's how we describe "xsochange" the new social networking site for "x" or Transformative-- SOcial CHANGE. on Ning. Do the things you do on Facebook: chat, post comments, email, video and photos. The difference is that it's context-specific so you connect with folks everywhere who do transformative social change work, an awesome and viral way to build this movement of inner awareness and social change. If you're wanting to run a campaign to bring attention to, let's say Whole Foods' stance on healthcare, you'd want to be able to get the word out to exactly the people that want to engage action in a new, transformative way. This might just be a way to connect our nationwide transformative social change community. We started it, but it's all yours: Sign up for xsochange today Photo by Willie Davis xsocialchange.ning.com
resources for change‌ Want a more peaceful and just world? Here are few ways to work on your inner change so we can all see outer change: UN International Day of Peace The Global Mala Project Yoga Month Celebrations
quote of the month
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“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” —M. Scott Peck MD, Author, M. Scott Peck
Center for Transformative Change is a project of urbanPEACE, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization whose mission to inform, incite and empower a broad-based, presence-centered transformative social change movement.
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