Michael is watching Rambo as I write this . I'm trying to ignore it because I'm not a Sly fan, but it's hard to avoid the story. A green beret, suffering from PTSD, gets jumped on by a small town police force and fights back. It's frustrating because this entire town's police resources go into apprehending a man who they triggered into trauma, resulting in lots of killing for no good reason.

Imagine what would be possible if the police force was staffed by people who know how to de-escalate....

_{IMAGE CREDIT TO STELLA BLUE: BYSTELLABLU.COM}

Since I returned from our Strong Voice Compassionate Heart Retreat, two people, two beautiful change makers have told me this.

They are not alone.

One of the most important things I got out of a self compassion class is that our minds are not here to make us happy.

The mind is conditioned to keep us safe.

Safety means staying vigilant about harm.

We’re constantly thinking about what’s wrong; what’s a threat; and how we are not...

_{DR. AMANDA KEMP AND HUSBAND MICHAEL WEARING THEIR FREDERICK DOUGLASS T-SHIRTS.}

Hey there!

I’m sitting at a roof top listening to Michael and Francis talk about how musicians make time, generating past and present and future. We move on to Sun Ra. Then Francis shares how our mental strength correlates to how much awe we experience in our daily lives. Music and art including Mother Earth’s creativity can make us feel AWE!

This is what happens when composer Francis Wong is in town...

_{Melody Leon of Leon Consulting and Development}

Have you ever been in a conversation when someone complimented you in a way that put themselves down?

Have you ever thought OMG, that person (Michelle Obama or Lupita Nyongo for me) is so confident, smart and comfortable in her skin--and I'm not? I suck!

Well, I recorded a conversation with my friend and former client Melody Leon about what to do when that happens. Listen here!

We also talked about how you can recover when your nervous...

_{Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama. Image from Massalijn}

Let's take a moment to thank Malcolm and to thank Yuri. Sunday May 19th would have been their birthdays.

They saw the interconnection of the movements of people all over the world for freedom, dignity, and self-determination.

How fitting that they shared a birthday and that Yuri, a Japanese American held Malcolm after the assassins bullets brought him down in 1965.

I want to share some beautiful art that shows Black and Asian unity.

Please...

_{DR. AMANDA KEMP WITH FRIENDS TABATHA HERNANDEZ AND MOLLY SCHLACHTER AT WARE CENTER.}

One of the most important relationships in racial justice is that between European American women and African American women. If we could heal this partnership, what would be possible? To do that requires a reckoning...

How do white women use their power? Often it is subtle, appearing as weakness and fragility. However, historically and to this day, a white woman in distress triggers a powerful...

Have you ever asked yourself:

Am I being used by this organization?

Is my image or participation being used to make it seem like this school is more racially diverse and just than it is?

If so, you are not alone. I share some suggestions on how to avoid being tokenized as change makers as well as how to deal with trigger words that make us shut down in conversations.

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO

I hope you will join me for the Strong Voice: Compassionate HEART Retreat.

We are going to focus on...

_{"IT'S BEAUTIFUL WHERE YOU ARE" BY JOSEPH BOYD, PHOTO: AMANDA HILL}

Dear Reader,

I want to share with you the value of private mentoring. Especially for those of us who experience imposter syndrome. You know that feeling like you’re not REALLY qualified because so few people who look like you hold certain positions. Or, maybe felling like you're not REALLY Black/Latinex/Queer etc because you've overcome barriers that folks from your community rarely overcome.

My spiritual coach said...

I'm sitting here with my fave decaf coffee.

I want to share with you what it's like for me right now.

Yesterday I read an article where a Black woman academic explained why she resigned from her tenured position at a small predominantly white college. She told of the psychological and emotional cost of taking a public stand with students protesting racism at her school. In anger, she had verbally lashed out her colleagues of European descent. She was caught on video and experienced a...