blog

Who’s at risk when we play it safe?

Right after the election, I got to speak on The Redress Movement's panel about Building Racial Redress Into Housing Justice. They invited me on behalf of my client organization's homeownership initiative that provides down-payment assistance specifically for first-time buyers who identify as Black and/or Latino... which begs the question, why ...
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A screenshot from the website of seedthevote.org. White text on a black background says "SEED THE VOTE" with red text underneath saying "WIN ELECTIONS. BUILD OUR MOVEMENTS". Under that, in smaller white text, it says, "We are committed to supporting the work of grassroots groups who are leading the way on key federal election fights and growing our movements for the long-term. We recruit, train and support volunteers to knock doors and make calls with these organizations."

Not holding out for a hero

"We're spending so much energy talking about how bad things are, it can start to feel like THAT's our activism. Instead of just talking with our friends and family about what's bad, let's talk about what we can DO about this election." That's what the awesome friend-of-a-friend seasoned organizer said ...
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/ Nonprofit and philanthropy, Personal philosophy,
A beautiful beach landscape with white sand, green seagrass, and a blue channel of water under a partly sunny sky.

Guess who’s coming to dinner?

Hi, white friends! Can I invite myself to your dinner table for a minute? You know, the one where you're having the same conversation that my family's been having since the debate last Thursday, at our little dinner table in the tiny cottage here on the Beach of My Heart ...
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A silvery log of driftwood sits on a sandy white beach. There's a line of green, green seagrass behind it, and a blue blue sky beyond that.

Captain’s log

This morning, back on Beach of My Heart. I smiled at the memory of the driftwood log. Then blinked, and laughed out loud because I realized it was real. Time doubles back on itself in odd and beautiful patterns here. Always so much the same. New joys adding bright threads ...
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/ Personal philosophy
An expanse of deeply blue river under deeply blue sky, interrupted only by a couple of tiny rocky islands poking up between the viewer and a thin line of land that's the faraway opposite riverbank.

Get lost, kid

Yesterday I got myself well and truly lost in an area with no cell service. It’s okay. That was more or less the point. I started the morning by exploring around Lake Placid, scouting locations to view the next day’s eclipse. Then I went a little further afield, checking out ...
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/ Personal philosophy
Photo of piles of US coins, with wrapped rolls of coins in the background

Small change: redux

Oh my friends, my heart is so full. It’s been a year since this post, about pushing my investment advisors to “humor me” by centering my portfolio on my values rather than pure profit. I had my first annual investment performance check-in today, and I learned two crucial things: The ...
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A faded color photo of an older man cooking in a sunny kitchen

Fifteen years

Fifteen years with no Nurn in the world. That’s what we called him. A silly, loving name for a silly, loving man. Dan Kalikow, 3/2/43-2/26/09. But of course it’s not true that there’s no Nurn left. There is so much of him in me - I see him often in ...
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/ Personal philosophy
Photo of a computer screen showing a powerpoint slide. It's a cover slide showing the name of the law firm (Foley Hoag) and the presenters on the topic of "SFFA v. Harvard College and UNC: The Decision, the Aftermath, and Strategies for DEI Leaders."

SCOTUS and DEI and you and me

I'm not a lawyer, and this isn't legal advice, BUT: daaaang y'all, this morning's YW Boston webinar on "Navigating DEI Challenges: Legal Insights for Moving Forward in the Face of Resistance" was fricking FIIIIIIRE. Sharing my quick takeaways here because I'm involved with at least 3 organizations that need this ...
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/ Management philosophy, Nonprofit and philanthropy,
Photo of a huge bronze statue titled "The Embrace" honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, located on Boston Common on a sunny blue-sky day.

These are the times that try men’s souls

My lovely friends. Most of you look pretty much like me and share my lived experience as a white-identified woman. Dude friends, you've got one less intersection with me, but most of us still have the bond of shared whiteness, and that's some powerful stuff nevertheless. Plus, we've mostly all ...
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Stick-figure doodle of my alter ego Curly Girl. She is holding a megaphone and standing on a wooden box labeled SOAP.

Do not blame DEI for the backlash

Listen up. I just hit my limit. One too many articles and conversations about funders and companies who are turning away from their "commitments" to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Because it's too controversial, or because it's "not working." It's soapbox time. Just for a minute. Here goes: Yes, it's appropriate ...
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In my pink raincoat, speaking at a recent Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust riverwalk about how much I ❤️ this organization

Make new friends and keep the old

In my pink raincoat, speaking at a recent Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust riverwalk about how much I ❤️ this organization A couple of weeks back, something beautiful happened to me on Facebook. A long-ago "friend" who was really only an acquaintance through my very-ex-husband reached out privately. "I've been ...
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/ Nonprofit and philanthropy,
Sunrise over a leaf-strewn path through the forest

Thanksgiving

Coffeewalk in Rogers Fort Hill Park, 11/23/23 Thanksgiving. I am so grateful for all the time I get to spend in the beauty of nature. And. My coffeewalk isn’t exactly “natural,” is it? I mean, sure, the trees are real. The chirping birds are real. The blue sky is real ...
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/ Personal philosophy,