DME

I once wrote, “To all my friends who are still finding their way between cultures, between languages, between religions, between families, between worlds - you are becoming the ancestor that chose to preserve what mattered and nurture what needed to be new.” ⁣
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More here: I’m halted by the thought that in every single moment, we facilitate space between what’s been given to us and what we want to pass on. Every. Single. Moment. ⁣
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And while that responsibility can weigh, I also think about how beautifully we’ve structured communal acts around remembrance of wisdoms that have been passed through countless hands before they ever reached ours so we don’t have to facilitate space alone. ⁣
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So much of what dance recitals, family recipes, holiday songs, and rights of passage rituals create are opportunities for older generations to bear witness to the wisdom we’ve endured, healed through + nurtured and watch them be placed more gently in young hands. ⁣
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As someday ancestors, we can know the imperfection that was the wisdom we were passed and the state of wisdom we will pass will too be imperfect. But it’s the journey of molding that wisdom over time that shapes our unified resilience. ⁣
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Embracing our stories + traditions is more than an effective memorization strategy. It’s an ode to connection between generations - a bond that transcends time. Despite colonial emphasis on individuality, our stories remind us of our shared identity and unified power. ⁣
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At an event IE hosted last year, Professor Morris peered out from the stage into a room of what I’ll lovingly call “intersectional environmentalists’ + said, “The young people are gunna be alright”. Our community smiled + giggled at what underlies what I’m saying here. When we witness youth nurture the lessons once passed to us, we exist in the peace that comes from seeing stability, continuity + belonging realized through the wisdom we share. ⁣
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Traditional education systems may have the capacity to impart knowledge - even skills, but it will forever be the cultural lessons within our communities that shapes wisdom. ⁣
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📸:

A while ago, I asked y’all what words felt like hugs because sometimes we need those in a virtual world and here is what y’all said :: ⁣
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~ te quiero ⁣
~ I saw this and thought of you ⁣
~ what’s been on your mind? ⁣
~ I miss you. ⁣
~ mija / mijo / mije ⁣
~ i miss hearing your voice ⁣
~ I remembered when ___, and it made me smile. ⁣
~ this song reminded me of you. ⁣
~ you make life better ⁣
~ I’m glad I met you ⁣
~ *pops in to call*⁣
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ft. Me hugging my 🤎⁣
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🪧 This is your sign to go send a few virtual hugs. What words feel like hugs to you? 🫶🏽🫂

💭 Thoughts lately :: ⁣
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~ A recent article by had me 😮‍💨 - “Be Tenacious on Behalf of Life on Earth” was addressed to fresh grads yet relevant to everyone. “Co-founding, co-editing, co-hosting, co-creating. Good collaboration is the exponential. Especially so because the complex challenges we face are inherently interdisciplinary.” A brief yet powerful and grounding reminder of finding our position within and the energy we all need to bring to the climate crisis. ⁣
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~ Building life in LA these past few weeks has felt so ✨ peaceful ✨. It’s been just me in a casita cooking, cleaning, reading, gardening and when it’s just me in the room, I feel like I have SO much. And that’s on that solitude based energy cleanse. Abundance at the forefront and leaning into that as I make new homies in LA. ⁣
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~ Medicine is everywhere 🌾 ⁣
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~ My heart is 💖 for Bretman Rock’s latest interview for , “Bretman Rock Is At Home In The World“. This evolution, this photoshoot, this sense of self. And the inspiring herbalist grandmother 😭🔑 ⁣
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~ To make a little space for what is disheartening to me right now: The fears being ignited and the decisions coming from Texas board of education in reaction to all the progress over the past few years gets me 😢. Looking back, I know how the lack of diverse stories, history and leadership in schools failed me as a student, as a young women, as a person of color, as a someday first generation college graduate - and you know who knows way better than me? The people proposing evidence-based change surrounding curriculum, school design, teacher empowerment and the implications this has on bettering American society toward a just and inclusive future for all. ICYMI: The decisions that come from Texas impact the ENTIRE COUNTRY’S EDU SYSTEM. So supporting thought leaders pushing for progress in this space is so critical. ⁣
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~ Just me vibrating to songs my ancestors left in the winds.⁣
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~ 😈 ⁣
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~ Opportunities for Joy are endless 🌼 ⁣
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ILY. 🤎