The story’s been told before in Omni circles about how Dick Bennett and his friend Dana Copp retired in 1999 and wondered what they should do next with their passion for peace. Around somebody’s kitchen table they pondered the idea of a peace center like the old Peace Center on Dickson Street that organized protests… Continue reading Birthing Omni 20 years ago
Category: Stories
21 Cool Groups in the Deep Omni Network. A warm memory for our 20th Anniversary
Somebody pointed out to me that we don’t tell Omni’s real stories enough. We’ve done a lot of things in the past that the affected people would remember, but we didn’t think to publicize. Since May this year is our 20th ANNIVERSARY! And we won’t get to have the big party the occasion deserves Omni… Continue reading 21 Cool Groups in the Deep Omni Network. A warm memory for our 20th Anniversary
Models of Success for a New World – where are they?
I just watched Valarie Kaur hold her solidarity vigil for the Sikh community after the mass murders in Indianapolis last week. It’s hard to understand how people keep going on when violence keeps happening at the frequency it does now. Which makes it so important to have people like her repeating “Breath,” then “Push” with… Continue reading Models of Success for a New World – where are they?
A goddess in the closet comes out for spring
Sunday is spring equinox, you know. March 21. It’s also when the Fayetteville Goddess Festival happens. Starts today and lasts until Sunday. Peace. It might be interesting to ponder what a goddess festival has to do with peace, justice and ecology. There must be some Omni folks who’ve wondered that over the years we’ve sponsored… Continue reading A goddess in the closet comes out for spring
Tale of the Weavers and the Choppers
A metaphoric tale came to me this morning about the ancient and powerful craft of weaving and its counterparts. I’m imagining a family of weavers at work in their farm cottage. They’re laboring through the many exacting steps of creating the fabrics that clothe their own and other families. They feel pride in their craft… Continue reading Tale of the Weavers and the Choppers
The Joy of Bingeing on 2021
One great pleasure that’s emerged since the election has been that Donald Trump has not been on my mind or dominating my Facebook feed. That’s probably what’s making him most crazy now. He didn’t care if it was agony or ecstasy as long as we were focused totally on him. I look back at my… Continue reading The Joy of Bingeing on 2021
Pandemic Gratitude
This is a tough thanksgiving for lots of us. The short and sweet video greetings from my grandchildren in Missouri was a very temporary high that reminded me of how little I’ve seen them this year. On Facebook my friends are making do with yummy food photos and tones of wistfulness that don’t begin to… Continue reading Pandemic Gratitude
What Choose Democracy just did… thank you.
Your story’s better than mine, What can you share that needs to be remembered about this time? Right now, while the feelings are raw and the wounds still unhealed, write them down and share the memory for a future when we’ll need this learning again. Seriously. We’re not done yet.
Writing the Mythology of Activism
The country is deep into this contentious election, and the Omni folks working on the Choose Democracy Project locally are hard at work plotting how to respond to the vivid possibility that our democracy might be collapsing around us. Watching an online training last night, led entirely by 20- and 30-something young people, brought back… Continue reading Writing the Mythology of Activism
Where’s Gandalf?
Or, are progressives in NWA nervous about their neighbors? This week I got an email from an Omni friend who lives on Beaver Lake. Boaters for Trump have taken over the quiet cove where she lives, and since her yard has one of the few “Biden-Harris” signs in the neighborhood, they focus a lot of… Continue reading Where’s Gandalf?