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EMEAC Updates and Actions June 2014

June 6, 2014


Community Healing Circle for Sister-Comrade Charity Hicks

Submitted by Tawana Petty
Mother, Organizer, Artivist
Organized in just under 24 hours, local activists were able to gather together a little over 60 community members for a Healing Circle & Call for Support for our Sister in struggle, Charity Hicks. It took place at her home base for EMEAC, the Cass Corridor Commons in Detroit on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014 at 7pm.  
The mood of the event was emotional, yet optimistic, as participants entered the room to soft music on the piano by local artist Rocket. After folks created cards, and other artistic messages for Charity, a Healing Circle was lead by Traditional Health Practitioner/Healer Adela Nieves. [Continue reading...]

Putting Candy in the Medicine: The importance of youth leadership


Submitted by Brittany Anstead
University of Michigan, Arts and Citizenship Intern
When asked the question, what does your generation offer to the movement? Some of the Young Educators Alliance (YEA) leaders responded with disdain for the word generation. Shaw King, age 21, said, "That is division. That question answers itself. We are the future. We are the movement. It's inevitable." As the future of a drastically changing climate, I believe that it is critical to nurture youth leadership inclusively and without division. However, as King pointed out, "We are the future" and with that power our young people are inevitably gifted with the opportunity to make change. Romanne Griffith, age 19, said, "We have unlimited and ultimate potential. We can either be the downfall or the complete upbringing." Romanne's words carry vast significance and wisdom. When youth leadership like that of YEA is concentrated on positive, sustainable objectives without division, the possibilities to alter current trajectories are endless. [Continue reading...]

Ready2Grow Gears Up for Summer

Submitted by Sanaa NiaJoy
Ready2Grow Coordinator


The EMEAC Ready 2 Grow program for children ages 2-8 and their families will garden this summer.   At the Palmer Park Preparatory Academy, Priscilla Dziubek will lead a garden club for the fifth straight summer.  The Toddler Garden Club gives parents of toddlers the opportunity to learn gardening with their children through hands on activities outside in the garden.   
The Franklin Wright Ready2 Grow Club will begin in June with Sanaa.  Students will revive the raised beds that are now weed filled by planting vegetables.  They will also participate in the Great Sunflower Project, a national program designed to track the effects of pesticides on pollinators such as bees.  
For information on how you can get involved, contact sanaa[at]emeac.org.

What We are Watching


EMEAC and the Young Educators Alliance are gearing up for the Our Power Detroit gathering June 27-29.  The Our Powergathering is focused on scaling up the leadership in the environmental and climate justice movement, by increasing the presence of youth and young adults in generating solutions for a Just Transition from reliance on unsustainable, polluting, resource intensive practices and policies to those that are sustainable, renewable and nurture healthy communities.  During this 3 day gathering, participants from Detroit and around the country will discuss the health, environmental and climate impacts of polluting energy producing industries; collaboratively generate creative ways to address the negative impacts, while posing sustainable, renewable and non-exploitive alternatives; and define pathways to move this agreed upon work forward. 

The task of scaling up leadership of youth in the environmental and climate justice movements requires that there be infrastructure to support ongoing leadership in a broader movement process.  The Detroit gathering builds upon the first Our Power gathering, which took place in Black Mesa, AZ in June 2013 by creating a space in which youth can expand their place in the movement. In August, OP-Detroit participants from Detroit and around the country  will share their demands of the movement and commitments of themselves to the movement at the Our Power gathering and then demonstrate Our Power at the people's march and gatherings in New York at the climate summit. 

 

Community Supports Healing of Sister-Comrade

June 4, 2014

Healing altar created by community members for Charity
Note from EMEAC: On Saturday May 31, Charity was injured in a car accident while in New York city at the Left Forum. 

Organized in just under 24 hours, local activists were able to gather together a little over 60 community members for a Healing Circle & Call for Support for our Sister in struggle, Charity Hicks. It took place at her home base for EMEAC, the Cass Corridor Commons in Detroit on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014 at 7pm.

The mood of the event was emotional, yet optimistic, as participants entered the room to soft music on the piano by local artist Rocket. After folks created cards, and other artistic messages for Charity, a Healing Circle was lead by Traditional Health Practitioner/Healer Adela Nieves. Each participant, regardless of religious identity, agreed to be smudged for cleansing and purifying prior to the ceremony beginning. The space was an all-gendered, all-bodied, non-judgmental, intergenerational space which promoted love and healing. Adela placed a beautiful alter representing healing, community, love and life, in the center of the circle and other participants added objects that they felt represented their love for Charity. During the healing circle, four participants called to specified directions (East, South, West, North), harnesting the healing strength of mother earth.  A fifth direction Southeast was presented by Piper Carter, directing the community members to guide their healing energy towards New York, where our Sister lay in a coma in the hospital. Engery was also sent to Charity's family and to our Sister Ife Kilimanjaro, who has remained at Charity's side.

The room was eletric! There was dancing, stomping, singing, instrument playing and shouting out Charity's name! People spoke of their experiences with Charity and about the work that she is so deeply rooted in on every level, including the water shutoffs. Mama Lila Cabil challenged every participant to take up Charity's battle against the water by reaching at least 7 people per particpant and she provided a history of Charity's recent personal struggle against the water department and on behalf of her neighbors. Shane Bernardo spoke honestly and powerfully about the mirror that Charity offers to each of us, as she challenges us to be authentic, and face ourselves.

William Copeland referenced the need to use this time to think deeply about how we apply cooperative econonmics to times like this one and moving forward. Donations were collected in the sum of $1,031.00 to contribute to Charity's expenses and folks were encouraged to continue to share the site emeac.org, so that donations could continue to be submitted in Charity's honor, recognizing that support cannot be a one time deal.


It was a holistic experience and it was clear that Charity was the driving force of the gathering, from start to finish.

 

Putting Candy in the Medicine

Putting Candy in the Medicine

Importance of Youth Leadership

When asked the question, what does your generation offer to the movement? Some of the Young Educators Alliance (YEA) leaders responded with disdain for the word generation. Shaw King, age 21, said, “That is division. That question answers itself. We are the future. We are the movement. It’s inevitable.” As the future of a drastically changing climate, I believe that it is critical to nurture youth leadership inclusively and without division. However, as King pointed out, “We are the future” and with that power our young people are inevitably gifted with the opportunity to make change. Romanne Griffith, age 19, said, “We have unlimited and ultimate potential. We can either be the downfall or the complete upbringing.” Romanne’s words carry vast significance and wisdom. When youth leadership like that of YEA is concentrated on positive, sustainable objectives without division, the possibilities to alter current trajectories are endless.
As leaders of the Our Power Detroit gathering, I asked YEA to name a challenge in the Our Power Planning process. Khafre Sims Bey, age 15, said, “The challenge is to stay original; make our conference different than other conferences. Just trying to set ourselves apart.” Setting themselves apart is an understatement. YEA is defying the stereotypes set upon Detroit through advocacy, education, and hip-hop. Shabrin Salam, age 18, believes that “YEA collectively accomplishes success through the power of music and experience.”
When asked to name an opportunity in the Our Power Planning process, YEA gave me an answer that inspired the name of this article, Putting Candy in the Medicine. Khafre Sims Bey, age 15, said, “An opportunity is dropping the mix tape. When you can take something as raw and as gritty and as real as gentrification and put it to a beat and a rhyme, then people will connect with that. I’m putting it in a rap and making you nod your head to it. That’s like putting candy in the medicine.” Do I need to say more? Khafre hit the nail on the head. The beauty and importance of youth leadership is that it comes in a variety of mediums. One of which showcases artists who have a passion, who have a message, who have a difference to make.
Ultimately, youth leadership is important not only because it is inevitable, but also because the young people bring a fresh, raw energy to old, dirty problems. Khafre exquisitely articulates that YEA’s fresh, raw energy is manifested through hip hop, “This medium that we chose as hip hop is something so relatable, something so universal that everybody will walk away with an understanding of all these issues.” 

Submitted by Brittany Anstead
University of Michigan, Arts and Citizenship Intern

 

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Announcing Our Power Detroit 2014

June 3, 2014

ANNOUNCING OUR POWER DETROIT 2014
Communities United for a Just Transition

Detroit, MI, June 3, 2014– The East Michigan Environmental Action Council (EMEAC) will host Our Power Detroit; a 3-day gathering of youth, students and young adults from frontline communities to strategize on how to scale up youth leadership in the Environmental-Climate Justice movements and bring about a Just Transition from an exploitative polluting economy to a just and healthy one.

“We are here. We have genuine concerns about what’s going on in our community. We want to feel empowered and educate other people to combat climate injustices.” -Khafre Sims Bey, Young Educators Alliance, Age: 15

History and experience have taught us that rather than reactively addressing injustices as they arise, we must work to be proactive at co-creating —with impacted people and communities— a transition from a deadly, destructive, dirty economy and fight for the systems, relationships and structures of a ecologically, economically resilient future. The Our Power Detroit gathering will bring together Millennials in Detroit and from around the country to not only highlight Detroit’s victories and struggles, but coordinate community-led action strategies and discuss what their role can and should be among Environmental-Climate Justice movements throughout the nation.

The Our Power Campaign was developed by the Climate Justice Alliance to address the root causes of the climate crisis while creating meaningful work and livelihoods for a majority of the 17 million unemployed people in the US.

Our Power gatherings are an important component of the Our Power Campaign; highlighting “Hot Spot” communities that are home to key grassroots groups who are poised to take on the extreme energy interests while creating grassroots solutions for a just transition that serves our communities, heals the planet, and preserves our cultures. 


Our Power Detroit will be held June 27th – 29th, 2014.

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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact
Ife Kilimanjaro at (313) 556-1702 x707 or email at ife@emeac.org.