December 2011
3 posts
from sparrow to seminarian
it seems really appropriate that the last thing blogged for sparrow community house would be a call for help from a trans woman in my new home state, north carolina. after all, the original house started after a call much like that.
after sparrow community house left its physical address, i continued carrying the mission of the house very close to my heart. this blog traveled with me and that...
No, I'm Not Your Kind, Dear: North Carolina!! AN... →
blackamazon:
She needs “a bedroom for me and my stuff and my cat, some pain meds, and a line on a job.” She’s getting kicked out of her place by the first of the month, but she’s a real established organizer, a genius trans woman of color former graphic designer and in need of community…
November 2011
4 posts
Here I Go...: First Days →
an article written by my partner about our first days in asheville. she’s great.
firstacoustic:
We arrived in Asheville on Saturday afternoon to sun and a local beer from our new roommate. Gulliver explored the grounds and lusted after the ducks in the yard before discovering the giant, low, bay window that he can stare out for hours at a time.
We’ve been reveling in the joy of living...
3 tags
the grand unschooling →
i have long wanted to go to seminary but have had some problems with the idea of re-entering the university system and/or furthering america’s fixation on professionalism and certification. so during my first year in asheville i will be embarking on an unschooling project that i will be documenting on a separate tumbr account (link attached). check out the unschooled seminarian blog…ya...
4 tags
post-colonialism does the math
cottonwood tree in albuquerque, nm
kiplinger magazine released a survey last week stating that more millionaires, 885 households, live in los alamos, nm than anywhere else in the nation.
according to census data, new mexico has the second highest concentration of indigenous people in the us at nearly 200,000 (9% of the states population).
in late june, the las conchas fire hit the people who...
5 tags
cops are lashing out and telling lies →
in solidarity with the folks at (un)occupy protests all over the usa and all of our friends on the street who must face the cops daily, i’ve linked to crimethinc who has printed a new flyer concerning myths about police power and authority. take care of each other and stay informed!
October 2011
2 posts
2 tags
baptists take a stand against attacks on trans... →
“Consequently, when we stand in solidarity with the transgender victims of violence, we also stand in solidarity with the Christ who suffers with them.” -joint baptist statement
3 tags
September 2011
1 post
5 tags
whose name will be called?
there are a lot of gospel songs about the name of jesus. type “the name of jesus” on youtube and you can listen to hours of songs about the power of the name, calling on the name, loving the name, blessing the name, etc. but last night, america chose a different name to proclaim. the moniker in question changes with time, sometimes it is “lynching” at other periods it has...
August 2011
5 posts
4 tags
what is a catholic worker? →
i haven’t met too many folks who know about the catholic worker movement. in my attempts to explain my work at trinity house in albuquerque, i leave a lot out and tend to confuse people further. robert ludlow does a better job of being concise without sacrificing the radical message.
above image: labor cross by fritz eichenberg
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jesus radicals conference recap
yesterday, i got back from the jesus radicals conference in minneapolis. the weekend was packed with information and conversations that were urgent and mind-bending. amaryah, who rode up from atlanta with kirsten and i, co-led a session at the event called sexuality, spirituality and christian-radicalism. her take on the intersections of orthodoxy and queerness blew folks out of the water. ched...
July 2011
4 posts
4 tags
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a queer violence
police sgt. john brock thinks queer people are more violent than their heterosexual counterparts. in fact, he said “they’re very violent” and “when they get mad, they get really mad”. i bring up brock’s comments about the queer community not just because they are unsettling and unfair stereotypes but because they are part of the reason given for why an atlanta...
3 tags
“[Y]our national greatness, swelling vanity; your denunciation of tyrants,...”
– Frederick Douglass
June 2011
3 posts
4 tags
on june 28th, undocumented college students will speak out against georgia’s heinous new immigration law. stand in solidarity with them inside the georgia state capitol building at 1:30pm. defy the law! defy the racist, death-dealing system! “with the passage of hb87 into law, as undocumented youth, we refuse to remain silent. we are tired of hiding. we have grown up in georgia for...
4 tags
if you don't vote...
it feels like every year the christmas season starts earlier and earlier. it used to be that the tree and the man with the beard didn’t start working their magic until after thanksgiving. now, jingle bells start ringing the morning after halloween.
the election season has adopted that same prematurity. already, the hopefuls are lining up to mention things that divide and dishearten the...
3 tags
we move on when the call comes
there is news on the homefront. the sparrow community house will no longer be confined to a single dwelling. after almost three years, kirsten and i have been called to the next leg of our journey.
my time in atlanta has been both challenging and an unmistakable gift. a lot of folks have come through the house and we have all learned so much from one another…about companionship,...
May 2011
1 post
December 2010
1 post
2 tags
seeing past the illusion →
the featured article for this august edition of the catholic agitator has been the topic of discussion in the house since we got our hands on a print copy a couple of weeks ago. chris hedges, we love you man.
June 2010
1 post
how the summer began
living in community is the hardest thing i’ve ever done. i say this weekly and mean it. but in may, i found myself repeating it almost daily. conflict plagued the house, reorganization became necessary, and a lot of the house members started asking “what the heck are we doing”?
june rolled around and though a house member had moved out, a communal meal plan had been organized,...
April 2010
2 posts
4 tags
you need a ride? →
tomorrow, folks in atlanta who rely on public transportation are facing a huge blow. marta (metropolitan atlanta rapid transit authority) service has always been spotty and unreliable at best. it can’t even begin to compete with bart in san francisco or the t in boston but it was what atlanta had to offer and a lot of people made due. but on april 20th, buses and trains that are going to be...
4 tags
the promise of april
there are eggs in the kitchen and shovels in the soil. april is shaping up to be an eventful and incredibly promising month for the house. we’ll be planting most mornings and having dinner together 5 nights a week starting next week. if you’re feeling lonely, bored, or just want to go to bed with that accomplished, tired feeling…come by!
we’re also planning to have the...
March 2010
2 posts
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February 2010
3 posts
save the date
it’s been decided…the work day will be march 14th! we’re going to try and get things under way by 11:30 am and work as long as possible. mark your calendars, friends. come for an hour or stay ‘til the sun goes down. we need your hands and your heart.
field labor #5 by michele ramirez
“Most of the people on earth today are paralyzed by what are said to be the...”
– James Douglass
4 tags
a modest proposal...of fun
dear friends,
as the ground begins to thaw, we have been taking in the state of our yard and taking stock of what all needs to be done in the journey toward turning the jungle into a garden (hopefully, a community garden that can provide fruit, vegetables and flowers to the house and our friends/neighbors). Well, basically we’re a little overwhelmed.
the front of the yard looks manageable enough...
January 2010
6 posts
3 tags
community coffee hour
we feel out of touch with our neighbors. by this point, this is definitely somewhat of a national epidemic. but i’m referring specifically to our household. so to make things right and create the community we all deserve, we’re having a little get together at the house.
next saturday, january 30th from 9:30 am to 11:30 am we’re going to host a coffee hour (don’t worry,...
4 tags
“The beginning of healing is in solidarity with the pain.”
– Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out (via seeingthesacred)
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Watcha beautiful movie made by a community friend, maria sykes, about an awesome project for the people of greenriver, utah. great service anywhere should be celebrated everywhere.
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dinner on 2nd ave.
serving dinner in south decatur on new year’s eve didn’t happen as i pondered resolutions or radical exertions that we were fighting the system. i didn’t want to be hasseled by the owners of the parking lot and i really didn’t want to answer too many questions about why i was serving chili off of an oldsmobile.
despite not maintaining a very new years-y, forward thinking...
December 2009
8 posts
employment discrimination for the young and... →
(via thegang)
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a possible change for mortgage laws in georgia →
“10,000 foreclosed homes land on the auction block in Fulton County every month. As a result of so many people losing their homes, Georgia ranks number seven in the nation for foreclosures.”
“It would be nice if the poor were to get even half of the money that is spent in...”
– Bill Vaughan (via simplicitycounts)
3 tags
another excerpt from the latest zine
The Sparrow Community House was formed in the face of incredible need. As a group of people, we needed to feel like part of a community and we wanted that community to thrive on service. But before that thirst was placed the need of those alienated by a culture that sees homeless people, poor people as the enfleshed fear that the American Dream, in its most superficial sense, fails.
So six young...
2 tags
will the real peacemaker please stand up? →
many thanks
bread bakers by meredith stern
on monday, two members of the sparrow community house took a trip up to brevard, nc to pick up a bundle of donations! the women of iwil, who had graciously done a service project at the house in november, donated pots, pans, dishware, and other kitchen neccessities to make our work of serving meals easier and much more efficient. we had a wonderful and humbling...
4 tags
"glocalized" violence
in japan in the 1980’s, some business men began to use an old term in a new way. the original term, which directly translated means “global localization” was used to refer to the adapting of farming techniques to local needs and environments. But the new use referred to a marketing strategy that encouraged companies to understand local consumers so that profits could be maximized and global...
November 2009
9 posts
1 tag
the house zine
while we were at the protest in ft. benning, house members handed out copies of our first zine. along with ekua’s prayer, the zine contained a piece about the value of community and a general explanation of the phases of service we are undertaking together. of course, the paper version of the zine is precious but if you can’t get a hold of one or you’re trying to use less paper,...
a prayer
Great Spirit,
We come to you holding hands, each of us acting as a representative
creating a great circle of world communities
with the understanding that without You,
there could be none of what we value here on Earth.
We understand that this time is prolific, and we are each willing to do our individual parts
to achieve the composite productivity of our communities.
We are willing to see...
the sparrow community house at soaw
this weekend is the annual protest at the gates of the school of the americas, a combat training school for latin american soldiers, located in ft. benning, georgia. five of the six sparrow house members will be in attendance handing out info about serving in decatur. in addition to being witnesses for peace at the gates on saturday and sunday, two house members will be at the protest at the...
an investigation for the people →
“I have received many complaints of public housing demolitions and no replacements in the same number of units from various parts of the country, but specifically from Chicago,” Rolnik said.