Rooted and Rising

by

April 11, 2023

In 2007, Paul Hawken published a book called Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. The book documents grassroots activism around the world, ranging from NGOs to billionaire philanthropists to local, individual efforts. The movement is enormous, but so widely dispersed that it flies under the radar of mainstream media, and is largely invisible even to those within it.

Hawken was inspired by the hundreds of business cards he collected at his speaking engagements, as people shared how they were addressing environmental sustainability and social justice in their local communities. His curiosity whetted, he began to document these groups and concluded that they far surpassed his initial estimate and may number as many as one or two million.

I find great comfort in this movement, which continues to grow sixteen years later. It balances the inaction of corporate and government bodies and provides good news that rarely makes headlines, which focus on death and destruction. Hawken refers to it as “humanity’s immune response to toxins like political corruption, economic disease, and ecologic degradation.” (Hawken, p, 142)

As noted in previous posts, we are undergoing immense social change, and people respond by either embracing, even pushing for change, or defending the past, to the point of claiming it as God’s intended order. In resistance we find the roots of white Christian nationalism and efforts to roll back rights for LGBTQ+ persons, reproductive rights, and racial equality.

Young people are driving this movement for change, as they see how consumer capitalism has led us to the brink of climate disaster and created economic inequality, mostly around racial lines. As they begin to vote in larger numbers, we can expect to see a shift in legislative priorities to address the bleak future they are inheriting.1

Those of us who have seen climate and democracy become ever more fragile in our lifetimes can join them in this work. Environmentalist Bill McKibben has founded a group called Third Act for activists over age 60 to address threats to the climate and democracy. In less than two years, the group has drawn tens of thousands of elders who are using their time, resources, and life skills to work alongside younger generations to guarantee a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.

On March 21 (3.21.23), thousands of folks from Third Act and partner organizations took to the streets to tell the four biggest banks that we did not want our money to fund fossil fuel development. Leading up to this Day of Action, 24,000 of us signed pledges that we would no longer do business with those banks, and on 3.21.23, we cut up our credit cards and called out their complicity in the destruction of the planet. (You can sign the pledge, watch actions across the country, and see my video.)

The over-60 population holds 70% of this country’s wealth, but we recognize that losing our business would impose little damage on these giant financial institutions. However, their reputation could be hurt by the sight of hundreds of older, mostly white demonstrators2 shutting down the global headquarters of Wells Fargo in San Francisco and holding an all-night vigil in rocking chairs in front of Chase, Citibank, Bank of America and Wells Fargo in DC – actions that were covered by the Washington Post, New York Times, NPR, and The Guardian, drawing thousands of new members to Third Act.

I am involved with Third Act Faith, a working group that brings together elders who are motivated by faith to take actions to stabilize the climate and our democracy. We are part of a growing religious environmental movement, which includes all sects of Christians3, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Pagans and others. The Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale lists more than 250 “engaged projects” of specific religious or inter-religious groups around the world.

A leader in this movement, Buddhist Joanna Macy provides a conceptual framework that draws on cycles of nature, spiritual traditions, and systems thinking. This “work that reconnects” is a spiral that is rooted in gratitude, honors our pain for the world, calls us to see with fresh eyes, and then go forth. The seeds of that work take root, and the spiral continues.

Macy’s image is an apt metaphor for the movement that Hawken describes. People rooted in a place and/or belief system rise to challenge the powers of corporate greed and work towards a livable planet and more equitable society.4 We are a long way from solving these enormous challenges, but we can take courage – and take part – in this growing grassroots movement that no one sees coming.

  1. I have long thought that the generation that is experiencing active shooter drills will finally pass common sense gun laws, just as the generation of “duck and cover” drills addressed nuclear proliferation. Just this week the Tennessee legislature expelled two young Black members after they demonstrated for gun control following a mass shooting in Nashville.
  2. Third Act members are aware that our privilege grants us a measure of safety in actions and that we do not assume the same risk as more diverse populations, even as we seek to diversify our movement and work with partner organizations.
  3. See previous post on why Christians should care about the earth.
  4. I am familiar with the phrase “Rooted and Rising” as the title of a volume edited by Leah Schade and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas (a Third Act Faith member!) on environmental action and spiritual practice. A Google search reveals that is also the name of youth mentorship program at Nature’s Mystery Awareness School in Eugene, Oregon, and a network of Black-owned businesses in Richmond, Virginia, which could be considered part of this movement.

The Rev. Jane Ellen Nickell, a United Methodist clergywoman, retired as chaplain of Allegheny College. To reproduce this content elsewhere, contact the author via her blog, A Nickell for Your Thoughts.