To Share With You
NEW!
We’re excited to share Chapter 3 of our Brown Paper series with you—Burning Love: An Invitation to Transformative Action!
We live inside a burning house, a metaphor for failing but still entrenched systems of racial capitalism, imperialism, and oppression. Burning Love invites us to reimagine what’s possible when we center radical love, humanity, creativity, and collective courage.
Visit the Radical LOVE page for Brown Paper Chapters 1 & 2 plus Radical LOVE tools/resources and media!
Media
I grew up in the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) that anchored my political consciousness and activism starting at 17 years old. This is part of that love story!
We all carry stories… of light, love, dark, difficult, glorified, down and out. My Love Letter to Boston is a story of my very formative years as a fresh-off-the-plane immigrant. Sharing this story is part of my own journey to reclaim my whole self, become who I’m becoming, and not hide my light under a bushel. I thank my son Rumi Smith for visualizing my words.
Equity in Action: National Sexual Assault Conference 2023, Closing Plenary
Shiree gave the closing plenary for Equity in Action, 2023’s National Sexual Assault Conference® (NSAC) bringing together over 2,000 advocates and activists invested in ending sexual violence. This annual conference provides opportunities to share information and resources, advance learning, develop new skills, and increase our capacity to assert the dignity of all people.
East Wind ezine: Gloria Betancourt ¡Presente!
A Remembrance by Shiree Teng
“Like hundreds of SF Bay Area volunteers who journeyed to Watsonville in support of 1,000 Chicano and Mexicana cannery workers, I first met Gloria Betancourt at one of the numerous rallies. She was a striking presence who commanded the allegiance of her fellow workers with her militant spirit and unwavering commitment for justice…”
EOBHC: For the Love of Black East Oakland
Shiree and her team supported EOBHC (East Oakland Building Healthy Communities) as learning and [e]valuation partners for over half of their ten-year journey. This is the final report of this decade-long effort to build power in this historically Black community. Along with rich history and snapshots of this decade’s worth of critical work, the report includes love letters to Oakland from key participants.
Honor the Work: Building Capacity for Social Change in Communities of Color
Dr. Omowale Satterwhite’s lifelong work to develop community capacity has been a North Star for me. Omo, as he’s affectionately known, instilled in me that as community capacity builders, we are here to Honor the Work, and the Work will Honor You.
I’m forever grateful to Omo for modeling this sacred truth.
We wrote this workbook in 2009, summarizing the years of work that Omo was leading at National Community Development Institute (NCDI) and we talk more about NCDI in these pages.
“Capacity building focused on bringing about social change is much more than tuning up an organization to fix a particular problem. Working in this way means focusing on problems that are systemic to the current social order and solutions that create lasting social change in addition to and moving beyond addressing immediate issues.”
Omo and Shiree with colleague Rogéair Purnell- Mack
Sample Work Products
Ideas, visualizations and evaluation tools from our work with colleagues and clients.
Impact Rising
In 2013, with the support of the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Haas Jr. Fund, Shiree initiated the construction of the Impact Rising site with the hope to elevate the quality of social sector consulting. Please see the site for relevant resources for social sector organizations and consultants.
The Bigger Picture
What I’m Reading
Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (amazing and absolutely recommend via audio)
What It Takes to Heal by prentiss hemphill (on audio books read by the author!!)
Leading with Joy by Akaya Windwood and Rajasvini Bhansali
Four Pivots by Shawn Ginwright
…and stashed away for my winter break are:
The Case for Slow Work
A great five-minute read from Yes! Magazine
“I want to work fewer hours, with steady progress, ample time to rest, and more mental space to get meaningful work done.”
Image by Annika McFarlane / Getty Images
