“We have all felt the long loneliness, and we have learned that the only solution is love.”
– Dorothy Day

The long loneliness. A longing for home that eludes us, for a world that is not yet but somehow still must be. Sometimes the longing can feel like a heavy burden. But what if we imagine this longing as a flame that flickers within each of us, calling us together and toward each other, even when (especially when) the world feels dark? 

Dear Friends,

This week, we draw inspiration from two people whose light in the world ignites new stories and new ways of being — actress and activist America Ferrera and celebrated peace-builder John Paul Lederach.

Listen to America Ferrera and John Paul Lederach in a conversation that stretches our imagination and helps us see social change in generational terms. 

Interviewed by the masterful Krista Tippett for her On Being podcast, America Ferrera describes her childhood spirituality as “groping in the darkness,” an approach that has served her well at this time in our nation. “We’re trying to push something new into the world,” she says. “We’re trying to bring something through that’s never been brought through, and it’s hard. And we have to continually remind ourselves that our discomfort and our grappling is not a sign of failure. It’s a sign that we’re living at the edge of our imaginations.”

John Paul Lederach then introduces us to the concept of the 200-year present. He asks, “Who was the oldest person who held you? Think of them, then calculate back to their birthdate. And then think about the youngest member of your extended family and imagine that they will live a long life… You were held and touched, and you will touch the lives, of people that cover a 200-year present.

Might the spaciousness in these ideas help us keep laboring in the dark? We invite you to listen to their full conversation and let us know what you think!

– Amy, Melissa, Julianna, Elizabeth, and the Revolutionary Love Team

P.S. Keep scrolling down for more ways to breathe and push with us this week, including standing with migrant families at the border in a week of action called “Love Knows No Borders,” happening now.

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America Ferrera’s new book American Like Me is a stunning collection of stories of artists, activists, and culture-makers who reflect on life between cultures. In them, we see glimpses of the new America longing to be born — multicultural, multiracial, multifaith and rooted in a revolutionary love. 

If you have a story about growing up in America between cultures, share it on Instagram with the hashtag #americanlikeme Make sure to tag @americaferrera — she’s sending a signed copy to her 10 favorites!
More info here.

“We are the kids with no key chains, daughters carrying histories in the gaps of our teeth. We are the sons of parents who don’t speak of the past, inheritors of warrior’s blood and mad bargaining skills. We are the grandchildren of survival: legacies delivered from genocide, colonization, and enslavement. We are the slayers of ‘impossible.’ We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors’ dreams wearing the weight of their sacrifice on our backs. Our love is radical; our unstraightened hair, a tiny revolution. We are here to survive, to thrive, to live. We connect to our roots clumsily, unknowingly, unceasingly. We call ourselves ‘American’ enthusiastically, reluctantly, or not at all. We take fragments of what was broken, severed, or lost in history, and we create whole selves, new families, and better futures. We live as citizens of a country that does not always claim us or even see us, and yet, we continue to build, to create, and to compel it toward its promise.” — America Ferrera

 “Love Knows No Borders: A Moral Call for Migrant Justice” Week of Action

This week, more than 100 faith leaders are taking part in a nonviolent direct action at the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego, California. You can join them at the border — or at a solidarity event near you. Together we are calling for humane policies that respect the dignity of all.
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The Revolutionary Love Project envisions a world where love is a public ethic and shared practice in our lives and politics. We generate stories, tools, and thought leadership to equip people to practice the ethic of love in the fight for social justice.

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