ARE team members attended the Chicago opening of Viva La Causa, a new movie from the Southern Poverty Law Center about the 1970's grapeworker strike and the grape boycott that supported them. We met SPLC founder Morris Dees - whose work has bankrupted KKK and Arian Nation groups across the US. Today SPLC is especially focused on the antigovernment militia movement that is surging across the country – fueled by fears of a black president, the changing demographics of the country and fringe conspiracy theories increasingly spread by mainstream figures. ARE supports SPLC through a portion of our tithes each year. Before the movie we attended a special reception for donors and had a chance to talk one-on-one with Morris Dees who told us his own personal story about how SPLC got started, a story that illustrates in a powerful way what can happen when you dare to be who you are and see what you have for the sake of doing what matters (i.e., the three principles of the Renewable OrganizationTM).
Back in the mid-1960's Dees was a small town southern lawyer from a poor family who basically took any case he could get. That meant occasionally he'd find himself working on behalf of black clients. And that meant he began to see the horrible reality of racism and injustice that infected the system, poisoned workplaces and schools, and ruined lives. What could he do about it? How could he change it? Well, Dees was a lawyer. And that's where he started. He would just be who he was and use what he had in a way that made a difference to people and to the world.
More and more, Morris Dees became known in the black community as a lawyer who would help them. More and more, Dees felt called to do nothing else. More and more, other people in the community - blacks and whites alike - wanted to help. His work and what would become his life's calling emerged as he engaged his community, shared his passion with others, and dared to let the flow of energy and resources (his own and that of others) carry him from one adventure to the next. Within a decade, the Southern Poverty Law Center was formed right there in his home law office, and he was dedicating himself full-time to the work of justice and equality.
Dees' story illustrates how powerful these three principles of the Renewable OrganizationTM can be:
- Be who you are;
- See what you have;
- Do what matters.
We'll be teaching these principles - along with some practices and process strategies to help you actually use them in the organization you care about - on our "Treasure in Clay Jar" tour kicking off this week. The kick-off workshop is being held this Thursday, October 8th, at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. This one-day workshop is especially for leaders of faith-based organizations and churches. The cost is $79 - which includes a 90 page workbook (and lunch!). Registration is still open. Click here for more information. Early-bird registration is still available for workshops in the following cities: San Fran, LA, Hartford, Baltimore/DC, Winnipeg, Orlando, Charlotte, Philadelphia. Register today.
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