Photo by Mike Ostrovsky
We are in the beautiful depths of spring here in the Bay Area. Rockwood is leaning into the season with lots of growth, change, and rejuvenation. We welcomed a new staff member and two new trainers, the program schedule for May and June is packed with 11(!) trainings, and Nonprofit Quarterly profiled the inaugural cohort of the Resource Leaders fellowship. It’s been a very fruitful time.
We’ve also been doing a lot of reading, feeding our hearts and minds. Here are a few articles that nourished us this month:
- “Beloved Community is Made and Broken in Relationship” by Sarah Shanley Hope:”To my fellow white people already ‘woke’ or aware of racial injustice, here is what I’ve learned: To move from statements of solidarity into the beloved community, the most important question is not, ‘What can I do?’ (Though please keep asking yourself this question). The most important question is, ‘Who am I in relationship with?'”
- “Tend your Flame! Wisdom from my brush with burnout” by Naimonu James:”2018 was rough, btw. I was so frustrated with myself for ‘not having it together’ (did I mention my work is all about embracing our humanness and not having it together?). It wasn’t until I actually started listening to my own advice that I was able to heal myself so I could show up as the healer I want to be. I learned having energy and knowing how to sustain that energy are two different things.”
- “10 Tips on Receiving Critical Feedback: A Guide for Activists” by Brooke Anderson:”Creating a movement culture in which feedback is expected, encouraged, and well-taken helps us build the deep trust and accountability essential to effective movement building.”
- “The only way to fight racism in our sector” by alum Jennifer Lentfer:”It may not be pretty. You may not say it “perfectly.” There may be consequences. You will find out you are not alone. Feathers will be ruffled.
Feathers 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 to be ruffled.”
Oh, and last but not least… we saved you a spot in the Art of Leadership, June 17-21 in CA! Come be in community & learn how to lead from a place of joy:
Alum in the News
- Saru Jayaraman, Deb Nelson, and Kristin Hull were included on Conscious Company’s 2019 list of “35 World-Changing Women in Conscious Business”
- Alicia Garza and Ai-Jen Poo joined Cecile Richards in launching Supermajority, an organization that aims to harness the political power of women
- Deepa Iyer wrote about dealing with and confronting hate in a piece titled “What Will It take?”
- Gloria Walton, Rue Mapp, and Linetta Gilbert were all recently highlighted by actress Regina Hall for #WCW (“Women Crush Wednesday”)
- Nikki Fortunato Bas’s resolution in support of state bill AB 392 passed the Rules & Legislation Committee and will go to the full Oakland City Council this month
- Sarita Gupta was a speaker at J-PAL North America’s launch event for the Work of the Future Initiative
- adrienne maree brown was a guest on the podcast Weapon of Choice
- Alum organizations All* Above All, Way To Win, The Women’s March, Ultraviolet, ROC Action, Move On, SEIU Texas, AFL-CIO Texas, National Domestic Workers Alliance, WDN Action, Texas Organizing Project, Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, New Virginia Majority, New Florida Majority, Indivisible, Emerge America, and She The People joined together for She The People’s Presidential Candidate Forum in Houston, TX
Leadership Opportunities
- Oakland / Los Angeles / Washington, DC: National Center for Youth Law has several positions open, including Development Manager
- Bethesda, MD: Health and Environmental Funders Network is seeking an Executive Director
- Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; & Madison, WI: Public Rights Project Legal Fellowship is now accepting applications