Coming Together for Racial Equity—June 25-26, Durham
REI Organizer-Trainers
Resilience requires diversity in all forms–including human communities. To this end, five members attended a weekend workshop offered by the Racial Equity Institute in Durham. It was an extraordinary immersion in the historical, cultural, structural, and institutional forces that have produced an
d sustained unjust and inequitable outcomes in our world based on skin color. This felt like an important step for Hart’s Mill to develop a common understanding of the systemic, root causes of racism. We met some wonderful people and feel moved to deepen our commitment—and actions—towards becoming a more inclusive and resilient community.
Activities on the Land—June 25th Work Day
Trail-ho crew
Anthony was out mowing early, Randy came mid-morning for bee work, and then a fine group assembled at the Cedar Pavilion for a leisurely and fruity lunch, followed by an afternoon of trail work with a watermelon break along the way. We upgraded the Dam Loop and Creek Access Trails by removing stumps, trimming branches, grass-whacking, and other general maintenance. Ma
rgret and Donna continued their wildflower inventory and checked in on the Tree of Heaven project as well (some treated trees are showing fissures!). Thanks to Margret, Donna, Debbie, Randy, Anika, Mir, Maria Teresa, John, Leslie, and Anthony! (Photos by Leslie and John)
Designing a Life Together—June 18th Architecture Design Meeting
Architects Frank, Paul, & Suzy
The two sessions with our design partners, Frank Harmon Architects, opened up new territory for Hart’s Mill. The June 4th meeting is described in an earlier post (“What’s It Going to Look Like?”). On June 18th, we met in the common house at Pacifica Cohousing Community in Carrboro.
Walking the Pacifica paths
On a tour of this colorful community led by Stephen and Andrea Treimel, we learned a lot about sustainability features and compact layouts. Then we took a deep dive into what we imagine life will be like at Hart’s Mill. What activities and interactions with each other and the land do we anticipate? But perhaps best of all, we talked about what will mean the most to us when all is said and done.
Here are some of the comments that members sha
red:
- Living with others in an intentional community with shared values in a beautiful setting
- Having a really vibrant, agrarian farm-based community
- Being around people—getting together and doing things
- Human and more-than-human community under an open sky
- Being part of a grand adventure where we are living and growing and inspiring and encouraging others to create alternative ways of living together
- Knowing that we have a sacred duty to protect and steward this in perpetuity
- A lot of screen porches!
We inspired and informed each other and can’t wait to see what happens next when we meet the architects on the land on July 30th. Stay tuned.
What could go where, I wonder…
