November 2021

Voices
of the Village

Welcome to the Global Village!

i am We Global Village is committed to creating and sustaining collaborative healing spaces with a justice-centered approach. We work to build community from a place of deep commitment and love. We envision a world in which all people and relationships are valued, nurtured, and honored.

We envision a future that honors the lessons of our past, acknowledges its impact on our present, and removes the shackles that currently bind institutions and individuals.

Support i am We Global Village

Recent Community-Building

Building Community Series 

Middleton-Cross Plains


Two grassroots organizations, the Middleton Equity Connection (MEC) and Aspiring Anti-Racists of Cross Plains (AARC), sponsored a five-week Building Community Series with Rudy in August.  This series was co-created by community members to explore how to create a more equitable society.  Topics for reflection included definitions of justice; Rhonda Magee's Foundations of Racial Justice work; how to practice community care; bringing awareness to attributes of white-centered culture and its impact; and exploring how to be a co-conspirator.  This series is open to community groups interested in deepening their work in racial justice.

Youth Workshop: Building Anti-Racist Student Activists (BARSA)

Atlanta

 

BARSA hosted a 13th Justice Series Saturday Workshop with i am We Global Village in August. Rudy and the BARSA community explored the documentary 13th, reflecting on the legacy of slavery, the politics of mass incarceration, our racialized identities and how it all fits within our current context. Young people engaged in journal reflections and shared in small group discussions about their lived experiences and how the workshop inspired them.

 

In September, BARSA invited Rudy to speak at The Paideia School in Atlanta. Following the talk, local high school students were invited to a BARSA-sponsored workshop with Rudy to deepen conversations about racism, centering youth voices, and their lived experiences.  

 

For information about BARSA events:

IG: @barsactivists

Email: barsactivists@gmail.com

Explore possibilities for your group

Future Community-Building

Restorative Healing through the Arts

An Intergenerational Experience

 

This month a group of young leaders met with i am We Global Village staff and supporters to explore  the idea of a youth-led intergenerational experience. The healing power of music, dance, writing, and other art forms--maybe even snow and ice sculpting--will be the focus.

 

Stay tuned for more about this evolving community building series!

January 2022

13th Justice Series with Rudy Bankston

 

Rudy will facilitate an Atlanta-based community group's viewing and discussion of the documentary 13th on Zoom. Rudy weaves aspects of his personal story and current work in educational systems as community members are invited to engage in the heart work of racial justice. For information about this series please contact us.

 

What people are saying about the 13th Justice Series with Rudy Bankston:

 

"[Rudy] is one of those rare human beings who has transformed pain into wisdom, compassion, and leadership.  When a group of my white friends were searching for ways to join the effort to dismantle white supremacy culture, Rudy's guidance in viewing and discussing Ava DuVernay's film 13th was invaluable.  He will always be an inspiration to me." 

- Dr. Kathy Culhane-Shelburne, Clinical Neuropsychologist

 

"Rudy opened my eyes to things that I was not aware of. He offered such a unique perspective on such a heavy topic. I don't think that I would have gotten as much out of this professional development if it weren't for his willingness to be so open and share with us. I am inspired to look inward and to focus on how I can do better and be better for my students and help to break the cycle."

- Aly Becker, Middle School Teacher

February 2022
BARSA-sponsored tour of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta and Conversation with Rudy.

 

Preliminary plans are being made for an in-person visit to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.  Following the tour, young people will be invited to process the experience with Rudy facilitating. Stay tuned for details.

Honoring the Circle's Roots

One of the most powerful and effective practices of i am We Global Village is the talking circle.

 

Talking circles, peacemaking circles, or healing circles, as they are variously called, are deeply rooted in the traditional practices of Indigenous people who inhabited the USA long before it was colonized by European explorers.  

 

We honor and hold deep gratitude for the Native people from whom this practice has grown. During  this season, we invite you to explore the Rethinking Thanksgiving Toolkit created by the Indigenous Solidarity Network.

Meet the Global Village Team

Roderick “Rudy” Bankston is the founder of i am We Global Village. He is a committed educator,  entrepreneur, Restorative Justice practitioner, and writer. His powerful story describes his experience as a survivor of the school-to-prison pipeline wherein he served 20 years for a crime he din't commit, and explores intersecting themes of identity, equity, justice, trauma and resiliency. 

After his release from prison in 2015, Rudy began working for the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), first serving as a Community Liaison at Memorial High School. He added a second position guiding students’ learning and growth within ‘Restore’, the district’s expulsion abeyance program. The following school year, he transitioned into a Central Office position as a Restorative Justice Coach to support engagement of Restorative Justice across all levels of the organization. He left MMSD in August 2019 and continues his work engaging Restorative Justice as a founding member of Small Fire and founder of i Am We Classics and i Am We Coaching & Mentoring.

 

Rudy has served as an adjunct professor at Edgewood College and currently is a consultant with the National Equity Project, serves on the board for the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (NACRI), and is a member of the Black Educators Network.

Check out Rudy's newly published book!

Gratitude

 

We are grateful for your presence in and support of i am We Global Village! As the year comes to a close and you are making financial decisions about end-of-year giving, we ask that you consider supporting our work. Donations will be used to support programs and resources that will be benefit the Global Village.  

 

"We yearn to end the lovelessness that is so pervasive in our society." ~bell hooks

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i am We Global Village is a program under fiscal sponsorship of the Center for Community Stewardship, which is a Madison-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization. This sponsorship enables donations to be tax deductible.

 

You may also mail support checks to:

Center for Community Stewardship, Inc.
116 North Few St, Madison, WI 53703

Memo line: i am We Global Village

5919 Williamsburg Way, Madison, WI, USA
608.235.9393

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