Category Archives: Transforming

Projects that are making a difference, improving lives, and building communities.

Authors I-Q, Social Issues

Beyond Earth: Outer Space – by Papa Balla Ndong

1 Comment

Bridging Cultures, Economies, and Ethics for Humanity’s Next Frontier in Space

As humanity sets its sights on space, we are not just pushing the boundaries of science and technology, we are testing our ability to build equitable and sustainable societies in uncharted territory. Space exploration presents both extraordinary opportunities and profound ethical dilemmas: Will our expansion beyond Earth mirror historical patterns of exploitation, or will we seize this moment to create a more inclusive and cooperative future?

The global space economy is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2040 (Morgan Stanley, 2022), fueled by innovations in satellite technology, asteroid mining, and interplanetary travel. But who will benefit from this new frontier? Will space be dominated by the wealthiest nations and corporations, or can we establish frameworks that ensure shared prosperity?

Continue reading Beyond Earth: Outer Space – by Papa Balla Ndong →

Black-Jewish Dialogue, Levine articles

Let’s Revive Black-Jewish Dialogue – by Deborah Levine

Celebrating Black History Month at Mizpah congregation brought together members of Chattanooga’s Black and Jewish communities with the synagogue’s “Intriguing conversation”. These conversations are facilitated by Jed Mescon, a well-known media figure here in Chattanooga. Jed’s February interview was with John Edwards III, founder of The Chattanooga News Chronicle, our prominent African American newspaper. The flier announcing the event described  Edwards as a civil rights hero who uses the typewriter to ensure that people of all colors enjoy the rights and freedoms that we often take for granted. 

Continue reading Let’s Revive Black-Jewish Dialogue – by Deborah Levine →

Authors R-Z, Holocaust/antisemitism, Social Issues

A chance meeting – by Regina Sën

Are there ever such things?
Or threads in the universe strumming, at just the right moment, to begin a new song? These were the thoughts floating through my mind, after connecting in a circle of grandmothers last weekend.

Enter stage right
A few hours pass with nine blessed souls: lives connecting for but a moment on the timeline of our lives. Yet profound, they rang as music to my ears, struggling to help loved ones understand the danger of our day, and the need to prepare.   I heard about a World War II veteran, one woman’s Father, whose study by commission during and after World War II was to find out, among the Nazis, 

“How did it happen? How did so many steer so far awry? And what was the state of mind of the German population by and large, immediately after?” 

Coincidence? Perhaps? 

Continue reading A chance meeting – by Regina Sën →

Advisors, Authors A-H, Education

Renewing Diversity #5: Wrestling with History – by Carlos Cortés 

In his new book, A Century of Tomorrows: How Imagining the Future Shapes the Present, historian Glenn Adamson muses, “every story about the future is also a demand to intervene in the present.”  I should also add that every story about the present has its roots in the past.

I was trained as a historian, receiving a Ph.D. in Latin American history way back in 1969.   I taught history for twenty-six years at the University of California, Riverside.  Different kinds of history.  Latin American history.  Chicano history.  Film and history.  History of the mass media.

Continue reading Renewing Diversity #5: Wrestling with History – by Carlos Cortés  →

Authors I-Q, Social Issues

Catalyze Change and Empower Your Community – by Julie Morris

Try These Purposeful Actions

Are you driven by the desire to create a positive impact in your community? Whether your focus is on social justice, environmental sustainability, or educational reform, there are countless avenues to make a meaningful difference. Engaging in community initiatives not only empowers you but also inspires those around you to contribute to lasting change. By taking deliberate steps, you can transform your passion into tangible outcomes that benefit your community and beyond.

Continue reading Catalyze Change and Empower Your Community – by Julie Morris →

Advisors, Authors A-H, Social Issues

Holiday Connections – by Dr. Gail Dawson

There’s something special and perhaps a little magical about the Holiday Season. As the weather starts to cool and the leaves start to change, there seems to be excitement in the air in anticipation of the holidays. We tend to look for greater human connection as we plan gatherings from Thanksgiving feasts to New Year’s celebrations. While some see the holidays as the opportunity to connect with family and friends through festive celebrations of their faith, others may enjoy the more commercialized aspects of the season. 

Continue reading Holiday Connections – by Dr. Gail Dawson →

Healthcare, Levine articles

Ultra-Processed from Halloween to Thanksgiving – by Deborah Levine

Every year, we struggle to resist the temptation minute to minute to over-sugar ourselves.  It begins with Halloween candy and proceeds to Thanksgiving dinner, exploding with holiday eating extravaganzas with the year’s tastiest foods. By the New Year, the scale shows our over-indulgence. It’s no coincidence that 12% of gym members join in January. And it’s discouraging that 80% of New Year’s resolutions disappear in February.

Authors R-Z, PSK, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

Letting Go of Perfectionism: an Act of Antiracism – by Janelle Villiers

1 Comment

I’ve attended the Undoing Racism Workshop offered by The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, twice. I’ve gone on to facilitate several DEI workshops and I am also  the co-creator of an Intra-Professional Antiracism Dialogue and Discourse Series (IPADDS). While preparing for and facilitating all of these workshops and IPADDS events I was always reminded of a foundational tenant of the Undoing Racism Workshop and that is “Racism de-humanizes us all.” It doesn’t matter what race, Black, White and everything in between, we are all de-humanized by racism.

Continue reading Letting Go of Perfectionism: an Act of Antiracism – by Janelle Villiers →

Authors A-H, PSK, Social Issues

The Hundred-Handed Purpose Connector – by Donley Ferguson

Cultivating the Path of Purpose

If I were to tell my story—the story I’d share with the world—it would start with echoes of loss, shadows of hope, and a path carved through trials no one could have foreseen.

The only memory I carry of my father, whose name I bear, is of new Hush Puppies on his feet and the soulful loop of Friends of Distinction’s “Going in Circles” reverberating through the night. I watched his silhouette diminish into the darkness, an untouchable fragment of my life that unraveled into a tragic tale—the stories of his empty pockets, hollow eyes, and the lifeless repose on that frayed couch in a den of broken souls. The whisper of overdose. The finality of it.

In 2020 alone, nearly 70,000 lives were lost to overdoses, a reminder that the pain of addiction reverberates through countless families. My father’s story is one of many, yet it marks the beginning of my journey—a path paved with loss but leading to the discovery of purpose.

Continue reading The Hundred-Handed Purpose Connector – by Donley Ferguson →

Authors R-Z, Politics

Glee, Anger and the Unprecedented State of National Affairs – Elwood Watson

For some people, November 5, 2024, was one of the greatest days in American history. Others may well remember it as a day that will live in political infamy. The 2024 presidential election is over, and Donald Trump has been reelected as the forty-seventh president of the United States of America. One can only imagine what Grover Cleveland would think of this chain of events. Cleveland was the only other president to serve nonconsecutive terms — he was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth US president from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897.

If most people are honest with themselves, they would probably admit that Tuesday’s results shocked but did not totally surprise them. Trump went on to win both the popular vote and the Electoral College. The latter ultimately determines who wins the presidency. In all fairness, despite what many pundits, critics, radio hosts and numerous other commentators assessments, the election was not a blowout as opposed to the democratic presidential elections of 1972 between presidential-election-of-1972 Richard Nixon and George McGovern and 1984 contest between presidential-election-of-1984 Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale. These elections were indeed BLOWOUTS!

Continue reading Glee, Anger and the Unprecedented State of National Affairs – Elwood Watson →