Common Good Tacoma and The Well welcome Rev. Ben McBride on Sept 15 at Common Good Tacoma. He has a new book out "Troubling the Water: The Urgent Work of Radical Belonging." I know this is something that we are all talking about - belonging. For Seattleites, I know we always expect people to come to us, but here's an opportunity to be part of a small gathering with this activist who also stands in our shared spiritual space, working and laboring for a spiritual renewal and a spiritual movement of justice. For those in South King Co or Pierce Co, this is a great opportunity.

Please reserve your space. Space is limited...tickets are free. Just get to eventbrite and reserve your spot.

Rev. Ben McBride is an internationally recognized peacemaker, faith leader, activist, and speaker who has spoken in the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. McBride is the co-founder of the Empower Initiative, a capacity building firm devoted to empowering organizations and communities to foster belonging.

Previously he served as director of PICO California, the state’s largest faith-based community organizing network. McBride was featured in the Sundance Film Festival award-winner The Force, and in 2020 the Center for American Progress listed him as one of the top faith leaders to watch. Ben lives in Oakland, California, with his wife, Gynelle, and their three daughters.

“This visionary and courageous book stands in the great tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. Ben McBride powerfully and persuasively shows how radical belonging and radical self-care are integral to a radical Christianity—a Christianity serious about the radical love of Jesus Christ.”

—Dr. Cornel West, philosopher, activist, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary

Dr. Cornel West joins us by Zoom for a live talk with Q&A. He will present on the philosophy of non-violence as the organizing principle for change used by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This event will be part of several sponsored by The Well and the Seattle Regional Committee of the Poor People’s Campaign leading up to the Mass People’s and Low-Wage Workers Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls on June 18.

REGISTER HERE: It is FREE!!!

Dr. Jennifer Harvey is a writer, speaker, and professor at Drake University. Her work focuses on racial justice and white anti-racism. Dr. Harvey’s most recent books include Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in Racially Unjust America (Abington Press, January 2018) and Dear White Christians: For Those Still Longing for Racial Reconciliation (Wm. B. Ee remains). Dr. Harvey has also contributed to the New York Times and the Huffington Post. She is ordained in the American Baptist Churches (U.S.A.)

Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets. 

$50 - Sustainer, $25 Supporter, $15 Discount/Student

Tickets are $20 (supporting level), $35 (contributing level), $50 (sustaining level). If you need a scholarship, please contact us at thewellqueenanne@gmail.com. Get your tickets from Brown Paper Tickets. 

Why Racism Skeptics Should Be Empathetically Listened to, and This Should Be the Work of White Allies

Do you struggle as a White person to respond in social or work situations when someone questions the reality of racism or fails to advance anti-racist work?

Many White people are at a loss and need tangible tools and skills to participate in healthy, productive, and effective dialogue with racism skeptics. 

Questions addressed in this workshop include:

* How can a White anti-racist ally speak to racism skeptics in a way that is effective and not off-putting so that they stop listening?

* What do research finding tell us about the effectiveness of various strategies for helping racism skeptics broaden their view of issues like structural racism, unfair treatment by institutions, and white privilege?

It might surprise people to learn that there is increasing scientific evidence that shows that empathy-based dialogues are the way to go if you want to have a chance to change adults minds. According to this research, the best way to foster debiasing is to first listen empathetically to skeptics so they feel heard, and after that, raise experiences and facts that invite them to a broader and more nuanced perspective.

Come and participate in this vital conversation.

This workshop was developed by and is facilitated by Dr. David Campt, who is nationally renowned in the areas of community engagement, conflict resolution, inclusion, and equity. His clients have included large corporations, the White House, the US Military, and nonprofits. He is known as The Dialogue Guy. You can learn more about him and this work at www.whiteallytoolkit.com. 

This event is co-sponsored with Valley and Mountain.

This workshop invites young adults who identify as Black women to join a dialogue about identity, agency, and the role of ritual in sustaining power in a society that can be challenging, unjust, and tiring. This is a small group exploration of personal agency and the role of community. 

This workshop is part of an internship capstone for Ashlee K Williams, a Masters of Transformational Leadership candidate at Seattle University (soon to be graduate). Ashlee hails from Greensboro, NC and holds a Communications degree from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. 

This event is free. Let us know if you'd like to attend.