Speaker 1: This is it the last citizen story and the week
Speaker 1: of citizen ing, at least for now. And I want
Speaker 1: to start it with quote that John Alexander shared with
Speaker 1: me and that he is using in his post for
Speaker 1: this story. It's from Rebecca Solnet in her two thousand
Speaker 1: and nine book A Paradise Built in Hell. In the
Speaker 1: wake of an earthquake, a bombing, or a major storm,
Speaker 1: most people are altruistic, urgently engaged in caring for themselves
Speaker 1: and those around them, strangers and neighbors, as well as
Speaker 1: friends and loved ones. The image of the selfish, panicky,
Speaker 1: or regressively savage human being in times of disaster as
Speaker 1: little truth to it. Decades of meticulous sociological research on
Speaker 1: behavior and disasters, from the bombings of World War II,
Speaker 1: the floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and storms across the North American
Speaker 1: continent and around the world have demonstrated this. When all
Speaker 1: the ordinary divides and patterns are shattered, people step up,
Speaker 1: not all, but the great preponderance, to become their brothers keepers.
Speaker 1: And that purposefulness and connectedness brings joy even in its death, chaos, fear,
Speaker 1: and loss. So this strides the point home completely. We
Speaker 1: are in a disaster like daily there's some kind of
Speaker 1: climate disaster playing out, but we're clearly in a socio
Speaker 1: political economic disaster as well. On everything we have learned
Speaker 1: from dealing with physical disaster comes to bear right now
Speaker 1: in this moral disaster. This lack of leadership, this callousness,
Speaker 1: this selective self destruction being inflicted upon us by a
Speaker 1: few for their tiny, tiny benefit. So this is when
Speaker 1: the lessons from the floods and the tornadoes and the
Speaker 1: fires is most poignant and most clear that we have
Speaker 1: each other's back, that this is what citizen ing is
Speaker 1: all about. A few weeks ago, I got a chance
Speaker 1: to reconnect with Collett pishon Battle from Tap Root Earth.
Speaker 1: She is a Louisiana native. She has done so much
Speaker 1: work since Katrina, and she tells the story of Katrina
Speaker 1: in a beautiful way. You should find her telling it.
Speaker 1: She did it on the Bioneer stage, She's done on
Speaker 1: other stages. But you know, when the power is out,
Speaker 1: when there's literally no money, all that's left is people,
Speaker 1: And that's the situation we're in. We have to have
Speaker 1: each other. So thank you for being with us on
Speaker 1: this journey. We'll probably do a little bit of a
Speaker 1: rap thing. But today's story is literally close to homes.
Speaker 1: It is based in Los Angeles, in the Altadina neighborhood,
Speaker 1: which was struck very very hard by the Eating fires
Speaker 1: just a few months ago. And my friend, my homie,
Speaker 1: my brother, Mike Dela Rocha, he's telling me about what
Speaker 1: they've done since those fires. Dina Heels, that's the name
Speaker 1: of the organization that's popped up. It's multi racial, it
Speaker 1: is multi economic. It is all kinds of people coming
Speaker 1: together to trade skills, to meet each other's needs, and
Speaker 1: to spread love and to heal physically and emotionally. That's
Speaker 1: what we need now, and at a national level, even
Speaker 1: at a global level, we're going to need some healing
Speaker 1: from the moral assault that we are experiencing right now.
Speaker 1: You don't need me to lay out the details. Whatever's
Speaker 1: on your general screen and news feed is telling you
Speaker 1: a different story. But the preponderance, as Solent puts it,
Speaker 1: is in situations like Dina Heels, is in activations and
Speaker 1: citizen ing like that. So please keep that in mind.
Speaker 1: It is hard. I am tired, maybe you hear in
Speaker 1: my voice, and I'm fired up, and I'm ready to
Speaker 1: go and this is what we train for. So takes
Speaker 1: Alice in this story. Find and support this organization. Find
Speaker 1: us at stories that howdositizen dot com. If there are
Speaker 1: more stories Happy Earth Day, it's it's I couldn't think
Speaker 1: of a better way to send us off into Earth Day,
Speaker 1: knowing the assaults from the US federal government that are underway,
Speaker 1: but also knowing the grassroots, the people, and the planet
Speaker 1: that are going to work together to heal. Especially with
Speaker 1: your help.
Speaker 2: In the shadow of the most devastating fire Los Angeles,
Speaker 2: something magical happen. Neighbors, organizers, business owners, and relatives who
Speaker 2: lost so much came together to create something more powerful
Speaker 2: than a disaster. Community. Dina Heels was born from this moment,
Speaker 2: a mutual aid, marketplace and wellness center, but not just
Speaker 2: as a response, but as a vision for what's possible
Speaker 2: when we lead with love, care, and collective action. Rooted
Speaker 2: in the wisdom of those who came before us, from
Speaker 2: indigenous regenerative practices to the Black Panther Ten Point program,
Speaker 2: Dina Heels is a living model of what liberation can look.
Speaker 2: In just three months, we've supported over thirty five hundred
Speaker 2: people in more than five hundred families directly impacted by
Speaker 2: the Eating fire in Altadena, Pasadena a trusted hub for safety, community,
Speaker 2: and healing. Dina Heels reminds us that our liberation is
Speaker 2: not a solo act. It is shared. It lives on
Speaker 2: through our relationships with each other, with the land, and
Speaker 2: just as importantly, with ourselves. This is not charity, This
Speaker 2: is not a temporary fix. This is a blueprint. By
Speaker 2: staying hyper localized, partnering with values, align individuals, companies, and organizations,
Speaker 2: we created something sacred. Our future depends on how we
Speaker 2: care for each other, each and every one of us,
Speaker 2: regardless of our experiences, our identities, or our backgrounds. Our
Speaker 2: way forward is intimately connected and interdependent on each other.
Speaker 2: This is how we're going to rebuild. This is how
Speaker 2: we rise, This is how we will heal. Dina Hughes,
Speaker 2: you see what I mean.
Speaker 1: That story is perfect. Mike Dela Rocha, thank you so
Speaker 1: much for putting that video together. Revolve Impact, thank you
Speaker 1: so much for putting that video together. Of course, Dina
Speaker 1: Heels and I'm just popping in at the end one
Speaker 1: last time to reinforce the pillars of how to citizen
Speaker 1: show up and participate, understand power to the collective, invest
Speaker 1: in relationships with yourself, with others and the planet around you.
Speaker 1: This one story encapsulates all of those things. I hope
Speaker 1: this whole mini series has reminded you of what principles
Speaker 1: look like in practice, and I hope you have found
Speaker 1: more places in community yourself to practice these things. Amidst
Speaker 1: the chaos and the onslaught and the fire. We know
Speaker 1: what to do with fire, and it can be very destructive,
Speaker 1: but it can also be cleansing, create space. We turn
Speaker 1: those ashes into something else. We grow something more beautiful.
Speaker 1: So thank you for being with us on this journey.
Speaker 1: I might be back sooner than expected, but for this
Speaker 1: little sprint experience. This was story eight in the Week
Speaker 1: of citizen Ing and a special special shout out Shira
Speaker 1: Abramowitz who ran point on this. Thank you John Alexander,
Speaker 1: who has had the vision to do this for a
Speaker 1: long time. Thank you Elizabeth Stewart partner and everything. Thank
Speaker 1: you alright, Peace,