Stories matter. Stories do work – they guide what we do. If our stories discount or degrade Others, then our actions exploit and marginalize. If our stories acknowledge the human …
Author Archives: Palma Joy Strand
It’s the Relationships! #WeaveThePeople
Photo Courtesy: Lena Yarinkura My Civity co-founder Malka Kopell and I had the opportunity last week to be part of the #WeaveThePpl gathering in Washington, DC. We joined with people …
Weaving a Civity Cloth
New York Times columnist David Brooks brings a compelling voice to the conversation about how Americans should be with each other. He has been bearing witness to the pain of …
Listening to Understand the “Who” as Well as the “What”
Larry Kramer, president of the Hewlett Foundation, recently asserted the value of “listening with empathy” in the nation’s current political and social climate of “polarization” and “tribalism.” It is essential, …
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“Civity” by Any Other Name…
The word “civity” is not new. The Oxford English Dictionary lists “civity” as an archaic, no-longer-used word for “city.” “Civity” calls us back to the essence of “city,” which originally …
Civity, Relationships, and the Art of Playground Jump Rope
“Relationships carry action verbs. Love. Marry. Rule. Fight. Correspond. Mix.”Dorothee Kocks* Malka and I arrived at Civity by different paths. By the time we met, Malka had spent decades convening …
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The Power of Civity: A Story with a Moral and More
Many of us are feeling powerless these days. We are overwhelmed by disturbing news stories and feel the weight of the world on our shoulders. Yet we also want to …
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A Divided Nation? The Civity Counter-Story
We at Civity, along with people throughout the country, were gripped by the events in Charlottesville. As in the wake of many disturbing events like this, we first reacted with …
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Fear, Pill Bugs, and the Possibility of Trust
Fear seems to be everywhere. “Angry white men” fear becoming economically redundant. Black Americans fear police violence. Women fear sexual assault and marginalization. Immigrants fear being targeted and deported. Scientists …
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Civity Is in the Air
The airwaves this summer and fall have been filled with division – as well as people clamoring to be heard. Civity’s message about the importance of seeing people who are …