February 7 – 13: Restoration and Repair

Each week of 30 Days of Love, there will be a weekly theme with a menu of do-it-yourself activities in the following categories:

  • Read: Articles, book excerpts, poems,

  • Watch: Videos, concerts and roundtables discussion

  • Participate: Artist workshops, writings and actions

  • Listen: Music, meditation, lectures, poetry

  • Worship: Worship moments - alone or together - to refuel

We have menus for our general, kids, youth, and multigenerational/family audiences. Use one or all of the menus, or pick and choose from each!

NOTE: Our General Participate events require pre-registration to participate. Most will also be livestreamed on the Side With Love Facebook page, but not all, depending on copyright and/or creator request.

GENERAL

WATCH: National Day of Mourning (November 26, 2020), livestream from Plymouth, MA by United American Indians of New England

READ: “Covenant and Community” by Julica Hermann de la Fuente and Christina Rivera, from an upcoming book on belonging in community, edited by Linnea Nelson, to be published by Skinner House Books this summer

LISTEN: “Rootings in History: We Have Been Here Before” from Fortification podcast

WORSHIP: "Presence", a Buddhist-inspired practice offered by Rev. Patrice Curtis

PARTICIPATE:

  • Feb 9 @ 7pm ET: Gather At the Table. In this webinar, Morgan and DeWolf talk about the circumstances behind their book Gather At the Table (Beacon Press). Sharon Leslie Morgan, a descendent of slaves on both sides of her family, began a journey toward racial reconciliation with Thomas Norman DeWolf, a white man from rural Oregon who descends from the largest slave-trading dynasty in US history. Over a three-year period, the pair traveled thousands of miles, both overseas and through twenty-seven states, visiting ancestral towns, courthouses, cemeteries, plantations, antebellum mansions, and historic sites. They spent time with one another’s families and friends and engaged in deep conversations about how the lingering trauma of slavery shaped their lives.

    Gather at the Table is the chronicle of DeWolf and Morgan’s journey. As DeWolf and Morgan demonstrate, before we can overcome racism we must first acknowledge and understand the damage inherited from the past-which invariably involves confronting painful truths. The result is a revelatory testament to the possibilities that open up when people commit to truth, justice, and reconciliation.

    Register for Zoom/watch on Facebook.

  • Feb 11 @ 7pm ET: Envisioning Restoration and Repair: Art for Our Time

    With the world being what it is, it can be hard to imagine what it might take to even begin a process of restoration and repair, on any front. However, the practice of artistic creation can be and has been a way for people to do just that. Join us for a time of looking at and talking about works of art that respond to or have been shaped by crisis. No art historical background is necessary. The focus of our conversations will be about the art itself and what it might have to teach us about restoring and repairing our hearts, our country, and our planet. Offered by Rev. Tony Coleman.

    Register for Zoom/watch on Facebook

KIDS

Theme: If we can learn how to repair our own broken relationships, we can grow to repair a broken world

WATCH: How to Apologize (5 min)

READ: Desmond and the Very Mean Word by Archbishop Desmond Tutu (14 min)

LISTEN: Sing along: “Saying Sorry Song” (2 min)

WORSHIP: “Reflect, Respect, Connect” from Peace Out podcast (13 min)

PARTICIPATE: It's hard to remember all the parts of a good, sincere apology, especially when feeling big feelings like guilt. Make a poster like the one here, decorate it as you like, and hang it up in your house to help remind you. Practice saying 'I'm sorry' in this way with your family through role-plays to help get the hang of it. Adults need practice, too! (5-20 min)

YOUTH

Theme: Healing our broken world is possible.

WATCH: “Checking Slavery and Colonialism in Board Games” from History Chat. While boardgaming is a very specific fandom, how do these themes show up in other areas of pop culture? (25 min.)

READ: Teen Vogue Op-Ed “Reparations Are a Concrete Way to Address Systemic Racism and Inequality” (5 min)

LISTEN: “2020 Turned Our Worlds Inside Out. Here's What We Learned”, Movement Memos podcast (33 min)

WORSHIP: Sing along: "This Joy", Resistance Revival Chorus (3.5 min)

PARTICIPATE: Spend some time engaging with the Land Reparations & Indigenous Solidarity Toolkit. It contains useful information and suggested activities and actions to take toward decolonization. (20 min - 1 hr)

FAMILY / MULTIGENERATIONAL

Theme: Much has been stolen from BIPOC people, but we can work together to make things right.

WATCH: Nihi! KIDS TALK about Decolonization (8 min)

READ: Read about the original inhabitants of the USA from National Geographic for Kids (5-30 min)

LISTEN: “This is Ohlone Land” by the Alphabet Rockers (1.5 min)

WORSHIP: Sing along: "This Joy," Resistance Revival Chorus (3.5 min)

PARTICIPATE: Find out about the original inhabitants of the land you call home. Is it hard to find information about them? If so, why might that be? (10- 20 min)