I don't need to point out that these are extraordinary times. The issues we face -- escalating needs and decreasing resources, daunting environmental challenges, a militarized and globalized political economy that drives escalating inequality, and a deeply polarized political system that has, for many, lost its legitimacy -- present an enormous challenge: how to fight for the deep structural change we so desperately need while we mitigate the ever-increasing suffering that this system so capably produces?
In the troubles to come, the organizations that will remain relevant are those that run on passion and operate from the heart; that have one eye on "the fierce urgency of now" and the other on the future that unfolds from the present; that do not accept the accommodating complacency of those who always settle for "the politically possible;" who understand that radical love is not some useless abstraction of poets and dreamers, but is the bedrock foundation from which movements are built.
Real Change is one of those organizations, and we're staying true to the values that have always underlined our work: Poverty is political. Broken people come from a broken system. Systemic change can only come from effective organizing that bridges class, race, and issue and is built upon relationships. See the person in front of you, who is not just the sum of their problems. Be the best you can be, and ground yourself in love and hope.
This week, our staff will take a day out for a retreat led by our friends at Creative Ground, a new organization that helps change agents focus on the authenticity that grows from the center of our being. We're thinking of this as an organizational tune up to re-ground us in our deepest passion while we gear up for an exciting and challenging future. Our possibilities are limitless.
Real Change's success depends upon the wide network of friends and allies who make a movement possible. On September 30th, our community will come together over food and laughter for the Annual Breakfast that funds our unimaginably important work. We need to see 500 friends and raise $100,000 to meet our goal for the morning. Please be there. For more information, please visit realchangenews.org or email {encode="developmen[email protected]" title="[email protected]"}.