http://laylafsaad.com
Read MoreResources on Whiteness
by Steph • July 17th, 2016
These articles informed a recent talk on the topic of whiteness for sign language interpreters. “White people [must move] from an individual understanding of racism—i.e. only some people are racist and those people are bad—to a structural understanding [of white privilege].” ~ Dr Robin DiAngelo ~ White People: Stop Microvalidating Each Other, Stephanie Jo Kent […]
Read MoreImmediacy, Heteroglossia and Calibration
by Steph • August 8th, 2015
Immediacy Almost a month ago I received an email inviting me to join a Google+ group. I was happy to do so, thinking it was a personal invitation rather than one generated by an essentially anonymous algorithm. Arriving to the group (I went to check it out right away), the post that greeted me also […]
Read MorePeak Connectivity and Social Resilience
by Steph • July 14th, 2013
The “intersection” in this blog entry on social resilience involves computer science and brain science. Combining the social aspect of resilience with the human-computer interface and education has potential to enhance sophisticated problem-solving around the globe. For instance, what if we gamed Twitter?
Read MoreSlow Learning vs Fast Living
by Steph • July 8th, 2013
I can only offer what I know, what I have learned, slowly and at the cost of many dear relationships. Diversity matters. The differences among us are more important than the similarities, because they enable creativity. Here we are, thrown into consciousness and connection. What shall we make of this precious chance?
Read MoreThe ANSWER . . . is DIRT (the question is irrelevant)
by Steph • July 6th, 2013
One of the challenges of inspiring people to care about transforming land to better grow food is making the lifestyle appealing. So far, no go! The aesthetic is monotone: white people playing folk music. This is seriously problematic! Forging alliances is not easy work, but it is meaningful labor.
Read MoreEnglish Transcript for “Holding Time: The Significance of Deaf Interpreters”
by Steph • June 4th, 2013
What’s the real difference between CDIs (Certified Deaf Interpreters) and ‘regular’ hearing interpreters? It’s not only language and internalized culture….Something else that could be described simply and taught to interpreters to help them realize one thing to do differently.
Read MoreMonks and Nuns (“Adam had them”)
by Steph • January 29th, 2013
“It’s gonna be fast, it’s gonna be hectic!” Which pretty much summed up the party. The early round of appetizers and aperitifs accompanied spirited conversation on topics which ranged from climate shift (if you happened to talk with me) to whatever everybody else (the ‘normal’ people?) talked about. Bringing joy in the now is a skill at which my closest friends excel. But the now is always in flux . . . What storyline are we actually living? What function does a spiritualist approach to the now contribute in the aggregate history humanity is producing?
Read More“It’s the top layer of the watershed from here on out!”
by Steph • November 12th, 2012
FEMA has ramped up considerably since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. As shocked as New Yorkers and other Sandy victims are with the proof of vulnerability, the number of domestic fatalities from Sandy stands at 109, while Katrina claimed 1,833. Many of Katrina’s victims were poor, disabled, or elderly. Joan Sutton, writing for the Huffington Post, describes Sandy’s impact on the elderly: “Now, we see pictures of what is called a mountain of debris. Surely it is a mountain of heartache.”
Read MoreLevels of Healing
by Steph • November 7th, 2012
Election Eve 2012
Samdog came over with his boys, two of whom are regulars at the weekly Friendship Dinner. CNN’s coverage of election results droned in the background while the kids bounced around the living room and Samdog’s stories rumbled my mind. Friends from Kansas City touched base, hearkening back to the 1988 election when I had been a delegate for Jesse Jackson at the Democratic convention.
Read More
Follow @stephjoke on Twitter