Angie Aker

This tag is associated with 27 posts

Back to Basics

By Angie Aker ⋅ February 19, 2011 ⋅ One comment

It’s time again for another healthy serving of Basic Human Goodness, and that’s just what we’re bringing you in Issue 14 this month! “What exactly is this Basic Human Goodness?” you say? Let me break it down for you. Basic Human Goodness is the innate ability to give and receive compassion. The good news is [...]

Black History Month; Thoughts About Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Going

By Angie Aker ⋅ February 2, 2011 ⋅ One comment

Black History Month. Officially pegged as Black History Week in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson to get Americans to spend some time acknowledging the history of our country’s shortcomings with racial equality, it took another 50 years to be expanded into Negro History Month (later changed to Black History Month). Something about the title [...]

Life After Hate: Year One

By Arno Michaels ⋅ January 18, 2011 ⋅ 4 comments

A few months ago, my mom forwarded a Powerpoint presentation made up of slide after slide of drawings and paintings. Landscapes, architecture, dogs, people… it wasn’t the most stunning artwork I’d ever seen (my mom is the most amazing artist ever), but there was an undeniable humanity coursing through it. You could feel the artist’s [...]

Giving Thanks

By Angie Aker ⋅ November 18, 2010 ⋅ 4 comments

It’s typical to be thankful in November. It’s a tradition that dates back to the days that embody the essence of Basic Human Goodness- the days when Native Americans were able to Think Past Fear to not only allow Europeans to cohabit the land they loved, but to share its secrets and bounties with them. [...]

SpeakUP & SpeakOUT

By Angie Aker ⋅ November 18, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

It was supposed to be a small thing. Still, I was nervous. I’d never spoken in public before about my experience with domestic violence. I’d written about it very publicly, and had personal conversations with many women about it, but never a public declaration owning my precious and hard-won experience. But it was Open Mic [...]

Out of Africa

By Angie Aker ⋅ November 18, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

You’re black. Look down at your skin. Look back up at the words again. You- yes, you. You’re black. (If you have a high amount of melanin near the surface of your skin, you may find this easier to believe than some other readers.) Allow me to explain. The scientific community has reached near consensus [...]

Thinking Past Fear

By Angie Aker ⋅ October 18, 2010 ⋅ One comment

Five months into my relationship with the love of my life, it happened. The first argument- and it was over Scrabble. Silly and laughable that this is what we’d find such a difference on, the tizzy of fear I tail-spun into temporarily seems ridiculous- unless you know what any argument of any magnitude would have [...]

One Nation: A Life After Hate

By Angie Aker ⋅ October 18, 2010 ⋅ 3 comments

Our spirits were warmed by the air and solidarity as we walked through the streets of Washington D.C. on our way to witness the voices of fairness and equality carry on the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It was October 2, 2010 and the day we [...]

Walking the Walk

By Arno Michaels ⋅ September 18, 2010 ⋅ One comment

Racism cannot be overcome without understanding it’s history and everyday impact on our lives. If that history is not actively and universally condemned—it will continue to be repeated, and the negative impact on today will be magnified. We must all universally condemn racism ourselves before we can ask others to.

…between Then and Now

By Arno Michaels ⋅ August 18, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

The concept of interdependence—the idea that all of our fates are intertwined and that every action has either a positive or negative consequence that iterates through the lives of others—was discussed throughout the activities, and literally demonstrated as everyone supported each other.

Sammy Rangel “FOURBEARS: Myths of Forgiveness”

FourBears: The Myth of Forgiveness: isn't a simple memoir; it is a graphically illustrated guide from tortured child, to remorseless beast, to healing and change. This book is about helping others find their way out of their history and into the here and now. Proof that what once held you down can now hold you up. After the book reflects on a horrific upbringing it looks to offer key and ground breaking insights of the inner workings of the mind of a victim and later a perpetrator of hate and violence. Service providers working in treatment centers and institutional settings would greatly benefit from this work. Anyone facing issues with forgiveness and change might find a process toward healing and recovery.