Good Trouble: Hotv 2021

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January was quite a year, amirite? We could barely raise a glass to celebrate Georgia turning blue before we realized that our nation’s Capitol was being overrun by a phalanx of insurrectionists! No sooner had I accepted that we’d all have to suffer through a second impeachment trial than I was blindsided by the magnificence of Michelle Obama’s pantsuit at the long-awaited, mercifully peaceful inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. The whiplash effect has been real!

Over the past year of really digging into my work with Heart of the Village, one of the most important lessons that I’ve learned is this: when I do anti-racism work, I must expect the unexpected and learn to be comfortable with the inevitability of change-especially if the change is negative and unwanted. Fighting racism and working towards ending it means that new, wholly unexpected challenges will inevitably present themselves when you least expect them. And since all of us at HOTV are really getting into the groove of this work, we want to help you meet those challenges and avoid apathy onset and burnout by sharing our own experiences and strategies with you! 

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The most important step is finding the crew that’s aligned with your values on social justice. The next step is joining up with them and beginning the work. And for me, the people that are most aligned with my desire to serve the community through education and local action are the amazing beings at Heart of the Village.

I’m a Black woman who's lived in Mill Valley for almost ten years and over those years I've been asked twice, as I either walked up my own stairs or was unloading groceries from my car, if I worked there and if I was interested in taking on any more clients. According to Nextdoor I’m not the only Black or brown woman that’s had to put up with this. But despite that and countless other micro-aggressions that I and my children have had to endure, I love this little town. And while I’m on the receiving end of a lot of love and appreciation most days, dealing with subtle or overt racism (bizarrely, sometimes the subtle racism is the worst) makes me feel terribly lonely at times. Or it used to feel lonely. It certainly doesn’t now that I’m a member of Heart of the Village.

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In spite of a decisive victory, the 2020 election had some pretty dramatic fallout that sent me into at least a few downward spirals. I mean, we actually had a Trump Caravan show up in the Target parking lot in Marin City! But as I look back and reflect, I am so grateful that I have my work with HOTV because it gives me a way to take my anguish and impatience and transmute it into positive action and results in real-time. Whatever the news story, whatever the tragedy or controversy, when the realities of experiencing or witnessing real live racism hit close to home, it is such a comfort to know I am working alongside people that are acting to end racism and who, despite their own privilege, think about it every single day. How do I know this? Because I speak, text, or Zoom with them about it just about every day. Doing the work, right here in your own community helps alleviate the frustration and anger.

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Heart of the Village began as an idea. And now, in 2021 we are a real collective with a mission. And for those readers who are hearing about us for the first time, here’s a little info about us. Heart of the Village is a community of people in Southern Marin, both BIPOC and white identifying, who are working every day to unlearn their biases, cease their passive participation in institutional racism or share our experiences about the challenges of being Black or Brown in Marin. We're a group of Mill Valley residents (moms, educators, advocates, community organizers) who decided to start educating ourselves and take local action to interrupt racism and engage in DEI work that makes Marin a place where everyone belongs and feels welcomed.

We organize educational events to teach people about privilege and institutional racism, host candidates forums, write monthly blogs and newsletters that highlight volunteer/collaboration/learning opportunities that deepen and improve our relationship with our dear neighbors in Marin City and support the brilliant work they've already been doing for years. We have representation on the Mill Valley DEI task force, support the creation of a permanent DEI Commission and of course, enthusiastically support the Black Lives Matter movement. And we really welcome more folks of color and men to join us. And the best part? Both the concept of and the work that I do with HOTV actually MAKES ME FEEL BETTER. Mentally and physically, y’all, I am not joking.

Whenever one of the insane events of 2020 - Jan 2021 happened over the past year and a half, we've come together to cry, gnash our teeth and rend our garments. Then we dry our tears, brush each other off, lift our chins and get back to work right here-knowing that what we do is making this little valley a better place to raise our children. 

We welcome you all and can’t wait for you to join us for an amazing year of what beloved departed civil rights hero, Representative John Lewis, called “good trouble.” We’re planning more education sessions, one-on-one interviews with community leaders, and live Zoom updates from our local officials. It’s going to be a great year and we’re so glad you’re here with us!

Yours in love, power and soul,

Halicue

You already know what it is!

I’ll never forget the day my husband glibly informed my grandfather that not only had he never voted, his parents never did and that in all honesty, he didn’t really see the importance of it. Now, I have always had a sense of humor about most things, but the incredulous, silently outraged and insulted look my saint of a grandfather (who would go on to receive the Congressional Gold Medal for his work in the engineering and ground crew of the Tuskegee Airmen) gave me in that moment cut me to the core. 

Ugh. It was an awful thing to say for so many reasons. At that particular time, in that excruciatingly mortifying moment, I was a new, very young wife in our family’s first “out and proud” interracial relationship on one of our first trips to visit my family back home in Mississippi. And in Josh’s defense he was only eligible to vote in one previous national election. He’d always loved my nerdy obsession with politics and he wasn’t opposed to voting. It’s just that no one close to him had taught him any better. I figured I’d walk him through getting registered at some point and that he’d be exercising his franchise in no time. But after our wedding, I had so many other priorities. Honestly, I was just glad that everyone finally accepted my white husband and made an effort to welcome him into the family.

But that withering look that my Grandpa gave me over the top of his morning newspaper will stay with me forever. And he didn’t have to say a word to make his point: too many people had died for anyone to take their right to vote for granted. My grandfather was the kindest, most loving and gentle man I’ve ever known, but he was absolutely justified in having such a hardline opinion about this.

My grandparents were Black educators during the bloody, tumultuous years known as the Civil Rights Era. Their own children were a part of the first wave of students who themselves helped integrate public schools in rural Mississippi. My father was one of the first Black law students to graduate from Ole Miss School of Law. He met and wooed my mother on a law school recruiting trip at the University of Southern Mississippi. Mom was a Dean’s list student who idolized Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and dreamed of a becoming a lawyer herself. And she ended up knocking that one out of the park. She earned her law degree and was elected Justice Court Judge before I celebrated my tenth birthday.

This all sounds fine and well now, but I can only guess the challenges, fears and humiliations that my parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles must have suffered and the courage they had to muster just to do their jobs as black educators and students in southern Mississippi at that time. Can you imagine the pressure? Watching TV at night as a child, my mother saw civil rights leaders slain, little Black girls blown up in churches, and grown white men and women spitting and screaming in the faces of children who were just trying to go to school.

Although I’m guessing my Mom snuck in a little fun here and there, let it suffice to say that in my family, few things were more fundamentally valued than education and our collective and individual responsibility as citizens to vote. Why? Because people had been beaten, raped, murdered for either attempting to vote or leading efforts to register black Mississippians to vote. And the seriousness and importance of the issue was passed down directly to me and my sisters. 

But you know what? You don’t have to have some long, dramatic narrative or painful family stories about voting in order to take pride and feel the importance of it. 

One of the main goals of Heart of the Village is to help each and every one of you create and sustain your own social justice practice. Voting in our local, state and national elections is crucial to that practice. And the best part? It’s easy! Whether this is your first time voting or your fiftieth, we want you to do it up this year! Most of you know how very much is at stake this election. So all of us here at HOTV challenge you to go big! Involve your spouse—you can make a date of it. Talk about Election Day with the kids, point out your local polling place the next time you drive by it. We don’t care how you do it, just so long as you make a plan to vote!

I personally encourage you to be borderline obnoxious about it. Talk about your voting plan at every socially distant book club, dinner party and Zoom & Sip you attend between now and November 3rd. If your friends don’t have a plan to vote, they can just cut and paste yours. If the “I VOTED” stickers aren’t exciting enough for you, make t-shirts, snap a selfie in it on Election Day and send it to us. We’ll put it up on the HOTV Instagram page. Never voted before? Not even registered, you say? Just hit this link and register right now.

Stressed about COVID-19 and want to vote by mail? Excellent! If you live in California, Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-64-20 has already hooked you up. All Californians will receive a vote-by-mail ballot. See? It’s meant to be.

And now, twenty four years later, Josh just might be the most politically active and motivated person in our house. I knew, in the run up to the 2018 midterms, when he couldn't make up his mind about which out-of-state House fundraiser we should attend, that I had a real live convert on my hands. He’s a historian, and I think there was something about casting his vote for our first Black president and watching him take office that permanently changed his thinking about the significance of his vote.

It’s one thing to study, talk and write about history. Casting your vote in order to shape history is something altogether different. We're both grateful beyond measure that my grandfather lived to see it.

Yours in soul, power and love,

Halicue

HOTV SUMMER READING!

As the dog days of summer roll on, so too does the work of Heart of the Village. One of the best (and easiest) ways to maintain momentum in your personal social justice practice is to simply read and share a good book or article about issues of race and equity. The team at HOTV makes it a practice to forward our favorite articles and podcasts to each other via text or email and we encourage you to do the same. Here’s a sample of what we loved in July. 

It’s so important to support our local print newspapers. The Marin Independent Journal does a great job of keeping us abreast of local efforts to support Black Lives Matter and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in Marin County.

“Dr. Armstrong is the first African American educational leader to serve as assistant superintendent of educational services and brings with her diverse experiences and funds of knowledge that enrich our learning community.
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— The Marin Independent Journal
“Marin Voice: The clock is still ticking for Golden Gate Village residents”
— Opinion by Larry Bragman, The Marin Independent Journal
“You are not alone,” the BIPOC home page says. “This is a safe space for people to share their experiences with racism in Marin County schools.”
— The Marin Independent Journal
“I noticed a lack of teaching about darker skin tones, and how certain symptoms appear differently in those who aren’t white”
— The Washington Post

Tell us what you are reading and listening to! Just copy and past the link and drop it in an email to us at info@heartofthevillage.org and we may share it our in our monthly newsletter. 

Yours in soul, power and love, 

Halicue Hanna

I SAW Y'ALL!

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My little family and I were proud to stand with so many of our Mill Valley and Marin City neighbors for the powerful protest against racism and police brutality this past Tuesday. 

I was floored by the sheer numbers of white young adults who came from all over Marin to march in solidarity with their neighbors, classmates and teammates who live in Marin City. Some of them seemed a little tentative at first-which makes sense as I imagine few of them planned to spend the last days of spring protesting against police violence and systemic racism. But as soon as they got within hearing distance of the sound system, everyone settled into a groove, chanting, “black lives matter,” and “no justice, no peace!”

Under the guidance of Paul Austin, Tam student, Mikyla Williams, organized an amazing protest that pulsed with hope and optimism. Together, the dynamic speakers and activated crowd generated a palpable feeling of determination. You could feel that every single participant would leave that protest committed to taking their first steps towards making real change right here in Marin County.

Even now I’m bewildered at how happy and satisfied I felt after marching. Why? Because sadly, these killings happen so frequently that I, like a lot of black folks, have unwittingly developed what could be called a “mourning routine.” After an unarmed Black man or woman is filmed while being killed by the police, at some point the viral video and news coverage becomes so intense that I eventually end up in tears. Ugly tears. I weep alone, only occasionally sharing and eventually processing my heartbreak and anguish with my husband and sisters. I shield this despair from my girls because although they are “of color” and will have to confront racism at some point, I want them to have a joyful, carefree childhood. So I pray, collect myself, run through my gratitude list and then slowly but surely get back to getting on with it.

But this beautiful march and protest was organized so quickly that I had no choice but to skip past the tears and go straight to work marching and protesting with hundreds of young people (a few of whom I know well, having hosted playdates and fed them countless popsicles, chicken nuggets, slices of cake and Cuties over the years) who seem truly ready to begin the hard work of dismantling racism and practicing real allyship right here in their own backyard.

All of us at Heart of the Village believe that BLACK LIVES MATTER and we want to thank Paul, Mikyla, the other community leaders and all of our neighbors in Marin City for bringing us together in one powerful act of solidarity, friendship and conviction.

Yours in soul, power and love,

Halicue Hanna

GET LIKE US: Become a Friend of Felecia

Felecia Gaston, CEO Performing Stars

Felecia Gaston, CEO Performing Stars

Kendra and I joke all the time that there is nothing quite like being a FOF. In fact, if there was an election to become the President of her fan club, all of us here at HOTV might all have to battle it out. There is something magical about Felecia. I’m not sure if it’s her wide smile, her natural elegance and glamour or her effusive warmth, but I do know that she has an extraordinary gift for motivating people to get involved and give. I’m not exaggerating. I know people with exhausting careers, a houseful of children plus four pets who make a point of saying yes to Felecia. And it’s not that we don’t have good boundaries. We say yes because we know that whatever the project is, if Felecia created it or is involved in any way, it’s worthy, impactful and fun. 

Most of you all probably know Felecia from her wonderful organization Performing Stars of Marin. She started this program in 1990 to bring dance and theatre arts to underserved children. Most theatre arts curricula and performing opportunities help kids develop discipline, character, work ethic and self-esteem, but Performing Stars provides wraparound support and mentors who serve as a conduit to help kids audition and apply for scholarships to more competitive, prestigious Bay Area dance and theatre programs. 

Like the maven and true community leader that she is, before we touched base I knew that there was no way on earth Felecia was going to sit with idle hands during the COVID-19 crisis. She’s been working to coalesce her friends and neighbors in Marin City to make and distribute masks to frontline workers. But through her emergency support services and referral program, The Phoenix Project of Marin, Felecia also found a way to raise an impressive $60,000.00 to distribute to Marin City families with diminished, COVID related employment status in order to help them pay for rent and food. This direct, emergency cash assistance is so very important because of the inflexible payment due dates, general anxiety and urgency that are associated with meeting our most human needs.

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Rent and food on the table (or car repairs and medical bills for that matter) are the kind of financial obligations that cannot wait. I’ve worked for non-profits who strove to provide direct aid to folks in need, but the bureaucracy of such large organizations were often so slow, that participants had moved on before aid could be distributed. So I was awestruck to see how swiftly Felecia galvanized her small staff and provided immediate relief to so many struggling families. But maybe I shouldn’t have been, because Felecia certainly isn’t new to this-not by a long shot! The Phoenix Project of Marin has been at this work, providing employment training and financial assistance people in need, for over a decade. 

Our industrious friend will be honored alongside the Honorable Paul Haakenson and Dr. Tom Peterson of the Marin Community Foundation, with the prestigious Partner of Justice award by Legal Aid of Marin County. She’ll receive this honor at their virtual 7th Annual Jam for Justice. Felecia has received countless awards, but is wonderful for all of us here at HOTV to see her so distinguished because we know how very hard she works and how relentlessly resourceful and creative she is on behalf of her local community.

And now, Felecia has dreamed up a new program: a summer Victory Gardening program that teaches kids not only the joy of coaxing sprouts out of the soil, but it will also incorporate fun lessons and activities that connect directly to Marin City’s WWII roots. Dr. George Washington Carver, perhaps one of the most well-known figures of African-American history, was key in coining the term “Victory Garden.” That phrase comes from the title of a popular tract that Dr. Carver wrote in 1942 entitled “Nature’s Garden for Victory and Peace.” The tract encouraged people to grow their own food as a way to both supplement their war rations and boost national morale.

Now, this blew my mind, and not because Felecia created and executed on this excellent, topical program in record time. No, no. That’s to be expected, the woman is an absolute dynamo. My mind was blown because I know who Dr. Carver is and what a “victory garden” is, but until I wrote this post, I had no idea that one had anything to do with the other! This teeny anecdote illustrates why it’s so easy to say “Yes!” to Felecia. Because no matter what she’s doing to educate and inspire our kids, FOFs (Friends of Felecia) get to go along for the ride.

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Consider this post as your official invitation to get like Heart of the Village and become an FOF. We’ve wrapped our arms around Performing Stars and the Phoenix Project and we want you to join in our embrace. Right now, Felecia and the team at Performing Stars are gearing up for a great kickoff of the Victory Garden this June. You can help Marin City launch their new community gardens by donating gardening tools and supplies! Please check our calendar for updates on the Revival of Marin City’s Victory Garden kickoff event in mid-June and of course, follow the Performing Stars of Marin on social media!

Yours in soul, power and love,

Halicue Gambrell Hanna

PLAY ON!

Update on Paul Austin of Play Marin

If your kid plays an organized sport in Marin, you’ve probably met Paul Austin and you were in all likelihood quite impressed when you did. Paul is the founder and CEO of Play Marin. He’s an intelligent, charismatic man, so it makes sense that he’s also a beloved coach and respected community leader.

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I think the main reason he’s so universally liked and admired is very simple. Paul really, really wants all of our kids to get outside and play together. He wants them to enjoy and exult in their youth and have a chance to excel and learn on their own steam in a sphere where they feel at home, but also have a chance to meet and connect with new friends and their future classmates, from all over Marin County. That sphere is the “field of play” and Play Marin’s main goal is to close what he calls the “activity gap.” His reputation as a dynamic basketball coach usually precedes him, but you get the impression that Paul doesn’t play favorites. Whether on the track, skatepark, basketball or volleyball courts, soccer and lacrosse fields or in the pool, he works to create opportunities for all of our kids to discover new sports, explore competition, learn teamwork, practice fair play and meet new people. 


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I’ll admit it though, y’all. One of the reasons I was excited to talk to Paul was purely selfish. You see, I actually miss the insane, white-hot drag race that is my girls’ spring soccer and track seasons. And that really is saying something because spring is, without a doubt, the craziest time of year for any sports parent. But all of the tedium of washing dirty uniforms, driving to and from practices and nursing their injuries and helping them process sometimes crushing losses, is always doubly made up by seeing the smiles, laughter and hard work of our little warriors out on the field. As founder and CEO of Play Marin and a coach in his own right, Paul feels this pain one hundred times over. Before COVID-19, Paul would be full swing coaching CYO track and AAU boys and girls basketball teams in addition to gearing up for Play Marin’s busiest programmatic quarter. Each of his teams would be practicing at least two times per week and traveling to meets and games on the weekends. His AAU teams would be working their hearts out to show their skills at tournaments in Arizona and Los Angeles - trips the kids look forward to all year. 


But then the pandemic happened. So what does a coach do when all the games are called off and the fields are closed? Paul Austin did exactly what anyone who knows him would have expected. He focused in, assessed the situation and matched up his skills, talents and resources to the needs of his community. And then he went straight to work. Just days after Play Marin’s recreation programming came to an abrupt halt, Paul immediately organized a small group of volunteers and began delivering over 500 meals a week to families in need in Marin City. When I last spoke to Paul, he was still in constant motion, helping oversee the delivery and distribution of food and giving directions to his band of volunteers. While doing all of this and talking to me, he also made time to say hello and check in with kids who, I could tell, were thrilled to get a few seconds of his time. I kept it brief because…obviously. But what I learned in those few minutes was the most inspiring thing I’ve heard yet during these bleak months of shelter-in-place.


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Restaurants join Play Marin to feed Marin City’s neediest.





For Paul, the season may be suspended indefinitely but his coaching never stops. He reminds his players to remember the skills they learn on the field and use them at home. “I expect them to stay physically active and I explain that they can do that by working on their individual and technical skills all by themselves. They can practice dribbling down the hallway or do wall ball drills for lacrosse.” He explains that “social distancing is what their families and community ‘team’ needs right now. So they are still receiving the benefit of sport: self confidence, awareness and learning the value of collectivity and group effort to achieve a goal.” Amazing, right?  





Paul will continue working to spearhead the meal delivery project through June (and if you’d like to contribute to this effort you can at playmarin.org/#contact) but like any sports parent and coach, he’s keen to restart Play Marin’s recreation programs this summer. When I asked him how we can best embrace and support Play Marin, the answer was simple and succinct. Please contact Paul with any resources or connections to summer sports activities. He’s interested in any and everything that will get kids active, social and interacting with their future classmates. So if you have connections to organizations that introduce kids to skateboarding, mountain biking, surfing, rugby or more traditional sports, get in touch with Paul at http://www.playmarin.org/#contact





Yours in soul, power and love, 

Halicue Gambrell Hanna

Bettie Hodges Profile - The Hannah Freedom School

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Our world tilted since my interview with Bettie Hodges back in March of this year.  But her essentials, and certainly those of the Hannah Freedom School are unchanged and unflinching in the face of our current COVID-19 crisis. In fact, she is part of the solution and will undoubtedly play a major role in Marin County students’ return to learning this summer.

Bettie Hodges is the Executive Director, braintrust and heart center of the Hannah Freedom School. After spending just an hour with her, I understood at once why she is so loved and respected by families all over Southern Marin and of course, by all of us here at Heart of the Village. The peaceful, beatific expression of her face lies in fascinating contradiction to how swiftly and purposefully she moves. Her voice is gentle, but she chooses her words carefully, each one pregnant with meaning. The gravity of her tone speaks for her. As a listener, you understand that your job in that moment is to listen and learn. The sheer pleasure of her company aside, Bettie is someone that we should all get know. But first, a brief introduction to the organization and an explanation of their mission and programs. 

The Hannah Project partnership for Academic Achievement has operated a Freedom Schools Program in Marin City in affiliation with the Children’s Defense Fund since 2010. The CDF Freedom Schools® program is a multicultural summer enrichment program that helps kids fall in love with reading and generates more positive attitudes toward learning. The curriculum and activities are so fun, energetic and effective that student enrollment almost doubled, from 84 to 151 participants from 2018 to 2019. The kids experience an average increase in their instructional reading levels of 1.4 years. The best part, of course, is that pre and post testing prove that Hannah students carry that invaluable summer learning with them well into the academic year.

And just for the record, it would be a mistake to call this amazing program an “enrichment experience” or a “summer camp.” “The Freedom School,” Bettie said, “is intentionally designed to be a holistic learning environment and this expands far beyond the provision of books and instruction in the Spanish language.” The kids explore world cultures through music and dance. They also learn about nutrition and are provided healthy and wholesome foods throughout the day. This is crucial as Marin City itself was considered a “food desert” until Target moved into town in 2017. The Freedom School fosters family empowerment by including parents in the development and evaluation of program activities. The program encourages and often inspires parents to improve their own literacy so that they can more effectively advocate and express agency within their communities and schools. 

During our interview, Bettie predicted that the culminating school-wide project would focus on voting rights. “I think they’ll pick the national election in November. Over the course of the program the kids learn about community engagement and the importance of our enfranchisement.” A great deal has happened since that prediction, and even though their spring got turned upside down, I personally can’t wait to see what new insights the kids will bring to their project this year. Whether they tackle public health initiatives, the challenges of distance learning or the upcoming national election, I’m sure they’ll hit it out of the park.

The name “Freedom School” may ring a bell for you because it was inspired by Freedom Summer, or the Mississippi Summer Project: a 1964 voting registration drive where 700 mostly white volunteers joined African Americans on the ground in Mississippi in fighting against blatant discrimination and intimidation at the polls. The Project organized Freedom Schools-a summer education program that provided Black children and teenagers with a richer educational experience than Mississippi’s still substantively segregated public schools could provide. The schools modeled responsibility, civic engagement and leadership with the goal of growing the student body into an informed political force capable of changing their own state from within. The Hannah Freedom School is founded upon this noble history and continues this valuable work even now, right here in Marin. 

Meeting Bettie was special to me for many reasons. I got my first glimpse of her at Freedom Movement-a Musical, an MLK Day celebration which depicted the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964 with song. I was struck by the amazing voices of the adult performers and the shy, sweet smiles of the kids, but during the performance I was somewhat startled to learn that some of the first Freedom Schools were established in my hometown, Hattiesburg, Mississippi and also in my place of birth in Greenwood, Mississippi. You can imagine my excitement when I finally met Bettie and learned that she has Mississippi roots herself and visited often as a child. I do love Mill Valley, but I am thrilled and honored to work with an organization that has such a direct connection to my beautiful, haunted home state. 

Even now I can clearly recall my own parents’ and grandparents’ dreadful stories and painful descriptions of Freedom Summer and those tumultuous years during the fight for desegregation, racial equality and voting rights for African Americans. I remember the tremor in their voices as they spoke about the soaring triumphs and cruel violence that they witnessed. Their stories were excruciating to hear, but I knew, even back then that their sacrifices made it possible girls like me to have access to an excellent education.

Now I am a woman, rearing my own girls in one of the most beautiful places in the country. And while we’ve certainly made progress, all of us at Heart of the Village know that the racism that we fight here and now may look and sound a little different, but it is the exact same in its cruelty and insidiousness. It’s cleverly embedded into the foundations of our most beloved and trusted institutions. This brand of racism isn’t always overt. It is often subtly and almost imperceptibly expressed. It hides in plain sight. The Hannah Project, under Bettie’s leadership, seeks to interrupt and eradicate it and we are on board with her! We want you to join us, and there’s never been a better time than now. 

The Hannah Project has numerous volunteer opportunities and community events so that you can engage and pitch in with this movement. And we commit to highlight and promote each one, right here at www.heartofthevillage.org. But until we are given the all clear and can actually leave out houses without hazmat suits, we still challenge you to take action! 

The number of kids needing the Freedom School’s summer learning program will certainly double now that all hope of a return to classroom instruction this Spring is over. You may not be able to volunteer, but you can, right now and in this unique moment, give your financial support to this amazing work that enriches and strengthens our entire community. And you can feel good knowing that you are doing your part to make our Valley a place that truly walks the talk. 

Yours in soul, power and love, 

Halicue