LAND & WATER SCHOOL
July 15–19, 2015 | Detroit
Vision Statement:
The Ojibwa call this place Wawiatonong (which means where the river goes round) and walk lightly and in communion with the shores of the river. Water is a sacred gift, a heritage shared in common, and a human right. No one can live without water. Land holds history and memory, the potential for food security, ecological justice and community sustainability. We all have the human and sacred duty to live in relationship with the water and the earth.
Now Detroit, with every other Black city in Michigan, is under illegal, corporate rule of an emergency manager. Banks and corporations who created the crisis are profiting by implementing a large scale land grab with African Americans and poor people being pushed out. Land and water lie at the heart of the human and ecological crisis. Right now, the emergency manager has ordered 120,000 homes to have their water shut-off.
Word and World believes that it is time to bring our energy and join the movement work happening in Detroit, a city that has been “ground zero” not only of economic crisis, but also of hope and resistance. It is time to explore the connections among land justice, food sovereignty, & sustainability by listening to the local stories of courage, capacity and conviction in the context of a municipality that is under assault.
In July of 2015, W&W will hold its next week-long “school.” This village will welcome faith based activists and organizers. While recovering the earth-based, liberation roots of Judeo-Christianity, we will uplift the Great Lakes native history, indigenous spirituality and come to grips with the urgent moral imperatives expressed in much of hip hop culture. We will work to link the pressing issues of “soil,” to seminary, sanctuary and streets, with the intent to bolster work for social transformation in Detroit and inspire ecojustice movements across the country. Learn more.
****Friends- as we proceed we will need lots of help and we hope you will join us in the work. Right now, we need help with fundraising to make this school happen. If you would like to join our fundraising committee, please respond to this email at info@wordandworld.org. We really appreciate your consideration. Or consider making a donation.