July 2025

When I lived in Alaska, summer time meant a slowdown, a communal pause, as folks spent time soaking up the sun or doing yard work or harvesting foodstuffs. In Tennessee, summer has held a different pace for me this year.

Last month, we celebrated Juneteenth here in Marshall County. With the incredible leadership of organizer and community do-er, Jessica Radley, we held three days of activity that welcomed hundreds of residents.

I finished up the four-month Dirtroad Organizing cohort and am ready to run for city council next year. I would highly recommend this cohort for anyone interested in running on the progressive ticket in rural US.

Next week, Marshall County welcomes Radically Rural on the Road. I'll be hosting a number of different conversations, soaking up the opportunity, and sharing out what we learn.

Whether it's securing funding, coordinating vendors and volunteers, or curating memorable and meaningful experiences, I am deeply committed to the work I do- showing up and building resilient community.

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Curious about how Confluence can support you and the work you're doing? Have feedback or just want to check in?

Reach out to Jess

up to & offering

on the calendar

• Thursdays, each week | 9:30a ET / 7:30a PT or 12:30p ET / 9:30 PT Rural Assembly: Morning Connections for Women​
• Wednesday July 23 | 2p ET / 11 PT Solvable: From Zero to Liberation: Metabolizing Our Affective States​
• Thursday July 31 | 3p ET / 12p PT Rockwood Leadership Institute: Community Call with Norma Wong​
• (in-person- Kingston, Tennessee) Thursday July 24 - Sunday July 27 | The Stay Project: STAY Summer Institute
• Wednesday July 30 | 9a ET / 6a PT Si Hub: Si Design Hub Connect and Discuss​
• (in-person- Nashville, Tennesee) Thursday August 28 | Tennessee Nonprofit Network: 2025 Tennessee Nonprofit Conference​
• (in-person- Lexington, Kentucky) Saturday August 2 - Friday August 8 | Institute for Social Ecology: The Art of Organizing​

read | watch | listen

Here is the hyper-short list of things I've been digging this past month.

📔 "Red Brocade" by Naomi Shihab Nye ​Read this poem ​ ​

📼 Fast Frames - Mindsets & Movements (Introduction) ​Watch this 5-minute video. ​

🎶 Shylah Ray Sunshine, "Into the Wild" ​Listen to this sweet song.​

mutual aid

Opportunities to help people in the Confluence sphere. Give what you can, when you can. Even sharing these opportunities in your networks can go a long way in helping folks reach their needed goals.

• ​Help a Revolutionary Stay in Their Community- Dalaeja is raising funds to stay housed.
• ​Help Protect My Mother's Rights - Sequoya is raising funds for legal fees and expenses to keep her mom from being put into a conservatorship.
• ​Support Michelle as She Raises $$ for Needed Medical Testing - Michelle will use funds raised to pay for testing and any treatments needed.

These will be updated monthly. If you have a need that folks can help with virtually, email them to me (with links!) by the first Friday of each month.