The circle is a powerful symbol within Indigenous cultures, representing unity, interconnectedness, and the cyclical nature of life. It reflects a worldview that honors balance and harmony, where all beings and elements are seen as equal parts of an unbroken … Continue reading Healing the Circle: How Indigenous Wisdom Guides Health Equity
We have become a society that often scrutinizes whether or not a person really suffers from mental health. But do you understand mental health and what it means to be in a mental state where you feel your world is … Continue reading HELP ME! I AM ALL OVER THE PLACE!
Louisiana is one of the states with the highest incarceration rates, with a total of 28,387 incarcerations (Department of Public Safety and Corrections, 2020). African Americans make up the highest percentage rates of individuals being incarcerated, followed by Caucasian Americans … Continue reading The Sharing Circles of Health Equity: The Louisiana Prison System
Over 50% of prisoners have been diagnosed with either bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. It is obvious to me that the greater good is better served by helping the vulnerable become stronger and the ill become healthy. My son is one of those people who ended up in the system because of trauma-triggered mental illness and lack of appropriate, timely intervention by medical staff who should have seen the signs of addiction. Continue reading Unmasking The Trauma Of Mental Healthcare
I was raised in a Norwegian Lutheran tradition in the rural Midwest. The “Kýrie” is an important prayer in Christian liturgy. Like a prairie fire, Kýrie disrupts and awakens. With song like a prairie, Kýrie is a call for healing … Continue reading Kýrie
I will confess that I’ve found myself many times in a place of giving up on this country ever healing and changing. For all the talk of being a “melting pot”, I look back over the past and present of … Continue reading Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart?
As the leaves change during autumn, we are reminded of nature’s inherent cycles of transformation. In much the same way, America is undergoing a profound demographic shift, evolving into a multiethnic democracy. By 2045, people of color will outnumber white … Continue reading The Inevitable Evolution of Multiethnic Democracy: Colonization’s Long Shadow and the Fight for Justice
Unveiling the Intersection of Racism and Conservation in Native America Living in the Northern Plains, where the heartbeat of life resonates through pristine mountains, plains, and rivers, one cannot escape the historic shadows of racism deeply rooted in this land, … Continue reading Unveiling the Intersections of Racism and Conservation in Native America.
July 4, 1863. Ulysses S. Grant crowned a 47-day battle at Vicksburg, Mississippi with the surrender of tens-of-thousands of confederates. It dealt the enemy a punishing blow from which the Southern slavers and aristocracy would fail to recover. There were … Continue reading Hotter Than July in Vicksburg, Mississippi. 1863.
Three-Fifths 