“Ghoulish fun and games aside, this Halloween season has me thinking about the real danger of ‘Zombification’ – a phenomenon that is robbing people of their ability to feel, reason, and connect. Here’s an article I wrote with my friend Shilpa Jain to help all of us stay grounded and renew our commitment to humanity. I'm excited to share some of our reflections below, and hope you'll reach out if you're thinking about these ideas, too. (And while we have you, don't forget to VOTE before early voting ends on Saturday 10/31 or on Election Day, 11/3!)” - CJC Co-Founder and Co-Director Jodi Lasseter
Image credit: Resisting Zombieland for Convergence Magazine
"Zombification" is spreading...
The systemic forces of oppression at play are not new, per se; and yet, there’s an intensity that the two of us haven’t experienced in our lifetimes before. Perhaps it feels that way to you, too? We feel a “Zombification” is spreading, which we define as the process of losing connection with one’s humanity, “our unique capacity to feel, reason, evoke emotional responses, or form relationships” (Oxford Dictionary).
People lose their humanity when they have been “bitten” by a globalized system. It hijacks our minds and bodies by using misinformation, hate-mongering, and fear-spreading for social control and reproduces disconnection at a terrifying speed and depth. We are experiencing a war with the natural world and with people who retain strong earth-based values: a systematic attack by the nonliving on the living, an inversion of what constitutes life, a degradation of our collective ability to be caring, curious, and helpful. All of this exemplifies and further expands a Zombie consciousness.
The good news is that people have always found a way to resist the oppressive dominator paradigm–through artistic expression, community care, reciprocity, and spiritual connection. Despite all of the efforts to destroy the web of life, by stripping us of our humanity and erasing our conscious connection with the Earth, Awake humans and our siblings in other species nonetheless find ways to persist, and even thrive.
Image credit: Braiding Together for Convergence Magazine
Six Protocols for Staying Awake & Alive in Zombie Times
Love the World AND Feel Its Pains
Practice Daily Emotional Hygiene
Notice Where Your Folks Are At
Find More Awake People
Create Firm Boundaries Where Necessary
Co-Create Liberation Zones
Read the full article here, and please reach out if you're interested in exploring these ideas with our CJC team!
Image credits: (Left) Chetna, "Universal Touch"; (Middle) MosaicEye, "How's your heart"; (Right) Chetna, "Love in a world on fire" for Convergence Magazine
Celebrating the launch of our Fayetteville Hub!
Last Sunday, we celebrated the launch of our new Resiliency Organizing Hub in Fayetteville: From Soil to Strength. Special shout out to Andre Sansbury, our Fayetteville Resiliency Organizing Fellow, who organized a beautiful community cookout and cultural activities for people of all ages to explore food justice issues!
Big thanks to all of the community partners who helped make the event such a success (including Lost Voices, Black Canvas, Briarwood Cattle Farm, Uncle Carl, an Rick's Place) and to our CJC staff – Dasan Ahanu, Molefi Ramos and Ms. Kristal Suggs – who led our interactive Seeding Sustenance performance and GOTV discussions!
If you have questions or are interested in getting involved with NCCJC's newest Hub, please reach out to Andre.
Photo caption: Youth puppeteers performing in the Seeding Sustenance show in Fayetteville. (Credit: Dasan Ahanu)
