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September Calls Us to Action

by Ashia August 16, 2023

written by Ashia

Igniting the next generation of kind & courageous leaders

Get Free Social Justice Toolkits For Kids

QUICK ACTIONS

September Calls Us To Action!

Youth-centered calls to action to ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

Co-Created by Shannon Brescher Shea & Ashia Ray

WE DID IT!

Last month we cheered on...

STAY CURIOUS, STAND BRAVE & SMASH THE KYRIARCHY

You give us hope

This September, we take action to transform labor rights, fair pay, fighting antisemitism, and bystander empowerment.

QUICK TOOLS via VOTE.ORG

Check Your Voter Registration

Not sure if you're registered to vote? We'll help you check and register if you can.

PETITION via MOMS RISING

Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act for Families

We know how to close the wage gap and you can help!

Mothers must work until August 15th of 2023 to earn what dads made in 2022 alone. Moms of color face much larger wage gaps when compared separately.

Urge Congress to close the pay gap with these three vital labor rights acts.

PETITION via THE PEOPLE'S RESPONSE ACT

Redefine Public Safety With Collective Action

The safety of Black communities is dependent on our collective ability to create holistic, community-based centers of care and harm reduction. We cannot afford to protect the status quo: Tell your Representative to cosponsor the People’s Response Act.

PETITION via HIP HOP CAUCUS

Tell Congress: Reject Education Cuts

The FY24 House funding bill cuts $64 billion from public education, eliminating early childhood education opportunities from 51,000 students and slashing salaries of 224,00 teachers in low-income school districts.

PETITION via MOMS RISING

Protect The US's Most Successful Early Learning Program

Congress seeks to cut the Head Start Program by $750 million for the next fiscal year, depriving roughly 80,000 children access to this program with high rates of success and economic improvement for the country.

Tell Congress you OPPOSE cuts to Head Start.

PETITION via MOMS RISING

Fund Kids & Families

House Republicans have put forth purely partisan spending bills that slash funding for programs our families need to build a good life and that our economy needs to grow–everything from nutrition assistance like WIC, to child care assistance to funding for the IRS to collect taxes from the rich and powerful.

Tell Congress you oppose cuts to key programs that families and children rely on and notice the poison pill amendments they're trying to slip into this year's appropriations bills.

PETITION via LAKOTA PEOPLES LAW PROJECT

Defend Indigenous voting Rights

In 2021, 19 states passed 33 ordinances restricting voting, mainly affecting BIPOC communities. We have to push back — and hard. Please send a message to your U.S. senators demanding that they pass comprehensive voting rights legislation.

More actions on this issue

AMPLIFY YOUR ACTION

Suggest An Action

Recommend a youth-centered action organized by people with lived experience.

EASY LETTER via HIP HOP CAUCUS

Raise the Minimum Wage to $17/hour

The federal government has not raised the minimum wage since 2009. That’s the longest period of a stagnant wage since the very first minimum wage in 1938.

PETITION via CHANGE.ORG

Demand respect for residential school victims' remains

These were children. Some as young as 3 years old. They deserved to be treated with respect, but hey were treated as less than human, and when their lives were cut short, they were discarded like trash. It's time to return these children so their families can begin the healing process.

PETITIONS via HAWAI'I ALLIANCE FOR PROGRESSIVE ACTION

How to Support Maui

Stop predatory corporations from exploiting wildfire victims, boost mutual aid efforts, and protect clean water access for survivors.

FREE ONLINE WORKSHOP via RIGHT TO BE

Bystander Intervention To Stop Antisemitic Harassment

This one-hour interactive training will teach you Right To Be’s 5Ds of bystander intervention methodology, created in collaboration with T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.

Available Sept 11th or Oct 11th | Online | Free

DEMONSTRATION via END FOSSIL FUELS

NYC Youth March to End Fossil Fuels

We can't breathe or play outside. Our families evacuate as homes are swept away by floods, burned in mega-fires, and destroyed in hurricanes. Democracy is under threat from the corrupting influence of fossil fuel money in politics.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

In-Person Sept 17, 1pm NYC, 56th & Broadway

MINI-RETREAT via REVOLUTIONARY HUMANS

Stories That Save Us

Embrace personal storytelling as a path to radical progress both personally and for our communities.

Available Sept 8th | Online | Sliding Scale

PARENTING COMMUNITY via RAISING LUMINARIES

Join The Luminary Braintrust

Brace yourself for hard conversations and courageous action at home - with support from caregivers on the same path.

Get access to seasonal collaborations, a parent-activist resource library, and more.

Ongoing | Online | Sliding Scale

7-WEEK PARENTING PROGRAM via COME BACK TO CARE

In-Out-N-Through

Social justice parenting and inner child re-parenting program for exhausted parents and caregivers who want to parent from a more connected, centered place.

Autumn & winter cohorts available | Online | Sliding Scale

6-WEEK COLLECTIVE via RAISING LUMINARIES

Activist Caregiver Winter Incubator

Can't catch up? Feeling trapped? On a trip wire with your kids?

It's time to focus your floodlight of overwhelm into a laser-beam of sustainable action

January through February 2024 | Online | Sliding Scale

"There's so much that needs to change, and it's a challenge to figure out where to focus, especially with little bits of time, energy, and money to send into the world."

Linda G.

Patreon Supporter

Ashia (they/them or she/her)

Raising Luminaries is run by Ashia R., an Autistic, multiracial (Chinese/Irish) 2nd-generation settler raising two children alongside their partner on the homelands of the Wampanoag and Massachusett people.

Stay Curious, Stand Brave & Smash The Kyriarchy

Help me keep these resources free & accessible for all

Let us know we're not alone:

How is your family modeling sustainably-paced activism?

RAISING LUMINARIES

Raising Luminaries creates workshops, training, and educational resources for parents & caregivers igniting the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

ABOUT | MISSION | FINANCIALS | ACCOUNTABILITY

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AFFILIATE POLICY

PARTNERS IN CAHOOTS

TOPICS

CONTACT

WHAT DID I MISS?

RECIPROCATE

You’re welcome to share & boost this toolkit, with attribution to Raising Luminaries.

Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
Support Wôpanâak early childhood education here.

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This page may use affiliate referral links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to make an order using these links. Learn how we use affiliate links to support our community.

Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.

August 16, 2023 0 comments

What's New

June 30, 2023

by Ashia June 30, 2023

written by Ashia

Luminary Brain Trust Updates

June 30, 2023

GATHER

Contact Ashia

Not a member yet?

Join the Luminary Braintrust for full access

Members get full access to our ridiculously helpful ecosystem of resources to help you ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

NEW TIME-SAVER

Monthly Calls To Action

Every month, find quick actions to advocate & boost grassroots legislation & organizations.

Hi Friends!

Summer is here, the kids are twisted around my ankles, and I’ve got a new time-saver for you!

I know you are juggling A LOT OF STUFF. Plus, keeping track of legislation-in-progress – it’s all hard to keep track of!

If you find yourself running in circles, signing the same petition multiple times, sending duplicate advocacy letters to senators, and registering for the same events over and over again.

While I can’t help you manage ALL THE CALLS TO ACTION EVER, I *can* compile hot-button youth-focused initiatives and help you stay in the loop.

And so – voilà! A simple Quick Action list for July!

We’re able to pull this all together thanks to the research and coordination of our fellow LBT member, Shannon Brescher Shea, climate activist and author of the parenting book, Growing Sustainable Together (Bookshop afflink).

Now you won’t have to plow though a cluttered feed of newsletters, wondering -‘ wait, did I send an advocay letter yet?’ No longer will you sign the same petition four times!

Everybody give Shannon a big appreciative round of cheers!

Visit the Quick Action page, and be sure to add your own ideas!

“I was nervous that I wouldn’t have time to do everything.

And I didn’t! But it turned out that it was fine for me to miss activities and to come to the live discussions when there were videos I hadn’t watched yet, because the collective explicitly says that there’s no such thing as being behind.

There isn’t pressure to finish or perfect everything right now, this week, or this summer.

Instead, there’s the expectation that we will all circle back around with new insight in the future, so there are many chances to notice something you need to think about, plan, or do and to set that observation aside so you can pick it up again later.”

– Jillian W.

Coming up next:

Next week, I’ll be back with a new dismantling supremacy discussion for us to unpack together.

With you,

– Ashia

PS: Line Leaders Summer Camp is back for our Charlottesville peeps! Find out how to request a pop-up camp in your city.

PPS: Join the chat group, where we’re sharing resources on breaking cycles of generational trauma.

PPPPS: Kick off summer with a good tiny habit – the next Accountabili-Buddies Challenge starts July 1st.

THIS WEEK'S CALL TO CONNECT

Check out the Resource Library

Share the tools you use to ignite kind & courageous leaders.

Browse

Weekly Check-Ins

Group Discussion

New polls & prompts Tuesdays.
Chime in whenever.

Listen In

Little Wins

What small (or big?) thing have you managed to work through this month?

Share Your Wins

Collaboration Laboratory

Vote on topics &
share your advice

Share Your Ideas

Friday Failure Party

What did you mess up this week?
Let's talk about what we learned!

Share Your Fail

Self-Care Challenge

Cheer each other on & become a lean, mean, kyriarchy-smashing machine.

Check In

This page may use affiliate referral links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to make an order using these links.
Learn how we use affiliate links to support our community.

Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
Support Wôpanâak early childhood education here.

Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.

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June 30, 2023 0 comments

What's New

June 23, 2023

by Ashia June 23, 2023

written by Ashia

Luminary Brain Trust Updates

June 23, 2023

GATHER

Contact Ashia

Not a member yet?

Join the Luminary Braintrust for full access

Members get full access to our ridiculously helpful ecosystem of resources to help you ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

Hi Friends!

There are so many things we need to talk about with our kids before they grow up and realize we’re too dorky to listen to. Don’t panic though. DO NOT PANIC.

::panicking just a little bit::

When I get overwhelmed by massive climate disasters, legislative evil, and other big dooms, I break out of inertia by taking one small, tiny action – right away.

Show your kids that little actions make a difference: Get the new July Family Action Toolkit

I really appreciate you boosting & sharing this toolkit out so more families can take action with their kids!

“I had some really bad burnout last year and while I got help and am doing so much better, I don’t want to burn myself out again…”

“I’m not going to start new projects. Instead, I’m going to take some time to strategize and envision what I should do next in my activism. I’m really being drawn to community, local projects, but I have to figure out what that looks like.”

– Shannon B. S., Getting Shit Done Workshop

Coming up next:

I’ll be back next week with more tools to help you start small and stay motivated – all while juggling kiddo-raising & kyriarchy-smashin’.

With you,

– Ashia

PS: Through talking, writing, and a little creativity, Revolutionary Humans’ Stories That Save Us workshops leave you feeling more joy and connected. Proceeds go toward re-homing a family who has hit hard times.

PPS: Check out our new League of BADASSES!

PPPS: Join us in the LBT chat group, where we’re sharing resources on breaking cycles of generational trauma.

PPPPS: Kick off summer with a good tiny habit – the next Accountabili-Buddies Challenge starts July 1st.

This page may use affiliate referral links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to make an order using these links.
Learn how we use affiliate links to support our community.

Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
Support Wôpanâak early childhood education here.

Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.

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June 23, 2023 0 comments

What's New

June 9, 2023

by Ashia June 9, 2023

written by Ashia

Luminary Brain Trust Updates

June 9, 2023

GATHER

Contact Ashia

Not a member yet?

Join the Luminary Braintrust for full access

Members get full access to our ridiculously helpful ecosystem of resources to help you ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

NEW SHENANIGANS

Busy Parents Guide To Getting Shit Done

Hi Friends!

No need to take on more busywork, it’s time to get unstuck and take action!

> Registration is free to the public. All I ask in return is your feedback to help me improve the workshop for future attendees.

> 3 week access: Workshop materials will be available for three weeks from June 5th-26th at your own pace.

> Five 20-minute capers include video, transcripts, chat group, guidebook & bonus resources, along with support from Raising Luminaries’ Custodian of Infodumpery, Ashia R.

> Email updates Mondays & Thursdays: I’ll ping you as new capers launch so you don’t miss anything important. I’ll also send you updates on my other upcoming events. Unsubscribe anytime.

> Virtual Solstice Party (totally optional) Friday, June 23rd, 1pm EST, members are invited to share your progress and connect with parents on the same path.

> Want to invite a friend?
Share this link with your friends, accountability partners & parenting groups:

https://forms.gle/zuzGzzQuqjNmyv8d8

Register by June 11th to secure your free spot.

Even more tools to make this the best summer ever:

With our new Summer challenge on breaking cycles of generational trauma, our new June Family Action Toolkit, and the Getting Shit Done Workshop, I figured creating a new discussion for our Dismantling Supremacy series might be… too much?

So we’ll hold off on a new Dismantling Supremacy topic until July. Meanwhile – join me in the LBT chat group and tell us how you plan to make this summer unlike any other.

Coming up next:

I’ll be back next week with a new Family Movie Night rant!

With you,

– Ashia

PS: Celebrate progress with a Little Win this month.

PPS: Vote in the Collab Lab – what do you need to keep raising kind & courageous leaders?

PPPS: Did you catch the latest from Cerebellum?

“Every time someone tells me kids are resilient I want to riot. I don’t want resilient kids, I want kids that are unbroken. I want children that don’t have to hide their pain because nothing ever hurts them quite so badly. It’s okay to want that.” – Bellamy S.

PPPPS: Enrollment for the Summer Collective ends July 7th.

LET'S DO IT TOGETHER!

A Busy Parents Guide To Getting Shit Done

It's time to get unstuck and take action!

Join Us

This page may use affiliate referral links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to make an order using these links.
Learn how we use affiliate links to support our community.

Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
Support Wôpanâak early childhood education here.

Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.

▲

June 9, 2023 0 comments

Quick Actions

Bonus: July Calls Us to Action

by Ashia June 4, 2023

written by Ashia

Igniting the next generation of kind & courageous leaders

Get Free Social Justice Toolkits For Kids

QUICK ACTIONS

July Calls Us To Action!

Youth-centered calls to action to ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

Co-Created by Shannon Brescher Shea & Ashia Ray

WE DID IT!

We're cheering on...

STAY CURIOUS, STAND BRAVE & SMASH THE KYRIARCHY

You give us hope

This July, we focus on themes of Interdependence, Climate Justice, Animal Rights, and Taking Local Action.

ADVOCACY TOOL via SARAH SAYER

Daily 10-Second Ceasefire Texts

Sarah Sayer creates texting templates with sources, explanations, and calls to end violence against the people of Palestine. Subscribe to her free for a new Resistbot message every day.

Already on Resistbot? Text FOLLOW WATERMELON to the number 50409

PETITION via MAURICE CARNEY

Congress: Stop US Funding Conflict in Congo

Tell your officials to stop funding genocide in the DRC. For over 25 years, United States allies Rwanda and Uganda have plundered and murdered Congolese people using diplomatic and political cover from the US.

TOOLKIT via NORA LESTER MURAD

Support Teachers & Librarians Against False Accusations of Antisemitism

False accusations of antisemitism are used to silence librarians and K-12 educators educating about Palestinian culture, history, and current events. Help local schools and libraries reduce the impacts of attacks before they arise, and learn how to respond when the attacks come for you.

PETITION via WORLD ANIMAL PROTECTION

Congress: Ban Cruel Whale Captivity

The SWIMS Act would end the capture and breeding of whales for entertainment, closing one of the cruelest chapters in aquarium history.

PETITION via EKŌ

Target Corp: Stop Poisoning Bees

Demand US retail chains refuse to sell food grown using neonics killing bee colonies everywhere. Walmart and Giant have started to move, but Target is dragging its feet.

TOOLKIT via WORLD ANIMAL PROTECTION

Ban Wild Animal Sales In Your Community

For stores like PetSmart and Petco, countless animal deaths go unreported. But employees continue to speak out about the animals suffering in stores.

AUDIO TRAINING via COME BACK TO CARE

React-Revert-Reduce Parenting

Support your child's agency to choose which survival strategies they want to keep, which ones they want to adapt and which ones they want to pass down to their own children down the line.

PETITION via AUTISTIC SELF ADVOCACY NETWORK

Congress: #StopTheShock by July 9!

Using sneaky language in a new funding bill, Congress is trying to take away the FDA's power to ban electric shock devices used to torture disabled people at the Judge Rotenburg Center.

Sign before July 9, 2024

PETITION via ABLE DEMS

Congress: Stop Forced Sterilization Of Disabled People

Tell your members of Congress to stand up for reproductive freedom for people with disabilities. Sign on to drive change and protect the freedoms that are fundamental to all.

Sign before July 9, 2024

AMPLIFY YOUR ACTION

Suggest An Action

Recommend a youth-centered action organized by people with lived experience.

DO-GOODERY CHALLENGE via PLASTIC FREE JULY

Reduce Single Use Plastic

Will you be part of Plastic Free July by choosing to refuse single-use plastics?

PETITION via AMERICANS FOR TAX FAIRNESS

Congress: Pass the 'End Polluter Welfare Act'

In 2023, Big Oil, Gas, and Coal spent nearly $137 million to lobby Congress in order to maintain their $17 billion in tax subsidies each year. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ilhan Omar have introduced the End Polluter Welfare Act to end the practice of our tax dollars fueling the climate crisis.

PETITION via AMERICANS FOR TAX FAIRNESS

Congress: Don't Roll Back EPA Protections

Despite state mandates, utilities have been moving ahead with gas expansions that generate harmful and unnecessary climate emissions, raise rates for customers and threaten reliability of the electric grid during extreme weather events.

PETITION via SUNRISE MOVEMENT

FEMA: classify extreme heat and wildfire smoke as major disasters

Record-breaking heatwaves and toxic wildfires continue to devastate U.S. cities and ecosystems. The Federal Emergency can unlock federal support for resource-strapped neighborhoods, cities, counties, and states where thousands are dying and disabled by these disasters.

PETITION via CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT

Stop plastic-burning facilities from harming vulnerable communities

Greenwashed incinerator plants burn plastic, creating chemicals that lead to more greenhouse gas emissions and a cocktail of toxins linked to cancer, nervous system damage, and harmful effects on reproduction and development.

WORKSHOP via BEYOND PLASTICS

Build a world without plastic pollution

Register Beyond Plastics Trainings to learn practical and powerful ways to end plastic pollution locally and engage your larger community.

First Session: Sept 7 or 10. Second Session: Sept 9 or 12 | Free | Online

JOIN THE NEWSLETTER

Tackle tricky conversations with confidence

Need help starting hard conversations with your kids?

Get stories, tips, and tools to ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

WORKSHOP via RIGHT TO BE

Resilience Training

Using guided practices to hold our pain and still find joy and recoveingr quickly when we’re knocked down by the world.

Free | Online | July 18 3p ET

KIDS SPEAK UP SURVEY via ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

LGBTQiA2S+ Kids School Survey

Inviting LGBTQiA2S+ kids ages 13+ who attended middle or high school in 2023-24 to answer questions about about your sense of safety and ability to participate in school.

PETITION via CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT

Congress: Pass the equality act to protect LGBTiA2S+ kids

We urgently need federal protections like those laid out in the Equality Act, which would give 2SLGBTQ kids the same protections from discrimination as other protected groups under federal law.

ACTIVIST PARENTING GUIDE

Raising Climate Justice Advocates

These monthly Quick Action guides are brought to you with the help of our Quick Action Coordinator, Shannon Brescher Shea.

Check out her book on juggling climate advocacy & parenting, Growing Sustainable Together

This is an Amazon affiliate link, since Bookshop keeps selling out!

PETITION via THE MOVEMENT FOR BLACK LIVES

Congress: Replace Police Escalation With Mental Health Response

88% of Black Americans support hiring mental-health professionals as non-police first responders to de-escalate mental-health crises. he People's Response Act emphasizes and adopts an inclusive, holistic and health-centered approach to public safety.

FILM SALON via VOICES FROM THE HOLY LAND

Understand the physical & mental health needs of people trapped in Gaza

Seven months into the war, there is no ceasefire and no safety anywhere in Gaza. How could healing ever begin? What can people do now to end the trauma and support the process of recovery for survivors?

Free | Online | Ends July 21, 2024

PETITION via MOMS RISING

Congress: Address The Youth Mental Health Crisis

Congress must provide effective resources to federal agencies to establish a comprehensive system of care to address mental and behavioral health needs for infants, children, and adolescents.

LETTER TEMPLATE via RAISING LUMINARIES

Dear Schools: Reconsider 'Crazy Hair Day'

Beyond the racist and xenophobic implications of this practice, using the word “crazy” as a joke and an insult pushes people with mental health conditions to the margins and isolates students when they most need support.

KIDS ACTIVITY via FOR THE PEOPLE

Libraries & Lemonade

Show your support for public libraries this summer by sharing the impact they make on your community while serving up some cold lemonade. Libraries and Lemonade is back this year with resources to help you host your own lemonade stand.

SUMMER WORKSHOP via RAISING LUMINARIES

Summer Luminator Collective

Join our 6-week summer collective, where radically progressive parents reflect, assess, and take action to make a laser-beam impact all year round.

It’s fun. You will like it. Join us.

Enrollment closes 7/1/24 | Online | Sliding Scale

Let us know we're not alone:

What does local action look like for your family?

RAISING LUMINARIES

Raising Luminaries creates workshops, training, and educational resources for parents & caregivers igniting the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

ABOUT | MISSION | FINANCIALS | ACCOUNTABILITY

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

MEMBER LOGIN

STAY IN TOUCH

Get free email notifications with stories, toolkits, guides to help you raise kind & courageous leaders

FREE STUFF

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

SHOP

Bookshop

Posts may contain affiliate links and sponsorships, which allow me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

AFFILIATE POLICY

PARTNERS IN CAHOOTS

TOPICS

CONTACT

WHAT DID I MISS?

RECIPROCATE

You’re welcome to share & boost this toolkit, with attribution to Raising Luminaries.

Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
Support Wôpanâak early childhood education here.

▲

This page may use affiliate referral links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to make an order using these links. Learn how we use affiliate links to support our community.

Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.

June 4, 2023 0 comments

What's New

June 2, 2023

by Ashia June 2, 2023

written by Ashia

Luminary Brain Trust Updates

June 2, 2023

GATHER

Contact Ashia

Not a member yet?

Join the Luminary Braintrust for full access

Members get full access to our ridiculously helpful ecosystem of resources to help you ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

NEW IN THE COLLABORATOR LABORATORY

Talking With Kids About Generational Trauma

This summer we examine generational trauma and how to disrupt cycles of harm together with our kids.

Hi Friends!

Along with the burst of hot weather, I’ve gotta BUCKET OF REFRESHING STUFF FOR YOU.

Over in the Collab Lab, our most popular request was for tools to disrupt generational trauma before we hoist that baggage onto our kids.

So this summer, we gather in the chat group to discuss generational trauma, the tools we use to address it, and what we can create together – (a workshop? A family action toolkit? a recipe book?) to help caregivers disrupt perpetuating cycles of harm.

Even more tools to make this the best summer ever:

Let’s rumble into summer with easy-access resources for all:

(Yup, they’re all free. Yes, please do share!)

Toolkit: June Family Actions
Parent Activist Workshop: The Busy Parents Guide To Getting Shit Done
6-Email DIY guide to ending parent activist burnout for good
(See the first one here)
New 20-day challenge: June Accountabili-Buddies Challenge
(I accidentally emailed this everybody instead of just the LBT, so our June challenge is open to the public. Welcome, new friends!)
Recent heroics: May League of Badassery
And a new Summer Parent Activist Horoscope for shits and giggles.

“This was a helpful orientation!”

“The triumvirate is really helpful as a lens in thinking both about what i need and what those around me (who i seek to organize) may need or what barriers they are facing”

– Jenn

Join our free virtual workshop

Register now – we launch June 5th

Coming up next:

I’ll be back next week with a new reflection prompt from our Dismantling Supremacy series.

With you,

– Ashia

PS: 4 Spots left in the Summer Accelerator. We need your voice – if cost is the only thing holding you back – use the sliding scale!

PPS: Want to make an impact but have ABSOLUTELY NO BANDWIDTH left to spare? Join Project Ally to fund a Black, queer, single mom’s adventures in organizing & activating targeted communities – so you don’t have to! Learn more here.

LET'S BRAINSTORM

Join the discussion group

I'd love to connect with you! New discussion prompts every Tuesday.

Join Us

Weekly Check-Ins

Group Discussion

New polls & prompts Tuesdays.
Chime in whenever.

Listen In

Little Wins

What small (or big?) thing have you managed to work through this month?

Share Your Wins

Collaboration Laboratory

Vote on topics &
share your advice

Share Your Ideas

Friday Failure Party

What did you mess up this week?
Let's talk about what we learned!

Share Your Fail

Self-Care Challenge

Cheer each other on & become a lean, mean, kyriarchy-smashing machine.

Check In

This page may use affiliate referral links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to make an order using these links.
Learn how we use affiliate links to support our community.

Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
Support Wôpanâak early childhood education here.

Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.

▲

June 2, 2023 0 comments

Horoscope

Year of The Rabbit: Summer Edition

by Ashia May 30, 2023

written by Ashia

For unmoored caregivers who want to tackle ALL THE THINGS - a simple way to focus on one main initiative this season

Only Luminary Brain Trust members have access to this feature.

Join Now. Log In

May 30, 2023 0 comments

What's New

May 26, 2023

by Ashia May 26, 2023

written by Ashia

Luminary Brain Trust Updates

May 26, 2023

GATHER

Contact Ashia

Not a member yet?

Join the Luminary Braintrust for full access

Members get full access to our ridiculously helpful ecosystem of resources to help you ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

NEW IN THE RESOURCE LIBRARY

Kidlit Analysis Workbook

See what's new in the resource library

Hi Friends!

I made an activity book for you!

Together with your kids, learn critical literacy skills and learn how to identify subtle bigotry in your family bookshelf.

Logged-in members can find a download link above. Be sure to check out the rest of our Resource Library, where I’m always adding new helpful stuff.

If you need guidance or want more on this activity, ping me in comments and I’ll create a recorded webinar / workshop thingie to help guide your kids through the process.

Coming this June – an at-your-own-pace Parent Activist Workshop

Whether you struggle with executive functioning disabilities, or just have WAY TOO MUCH TO HANDLE, the Busy Parent’s Guide To Getting Shit Done is our annual early-summer virtual retreat where we shake off the dust and kick into summer.

“I’m going to do the thing.”

“This summer instead of reading and watching and listening to all the problems and possible solutions and the problems with the possible solutions and then doing nothing, I want to look at one problem and do one not-perfect action to try to help.”

“This will break me out of the doomscrolling/just talking with my immediate people about problems and into taking action. Once I do this, it will show me that I can (!) which will make it easier/less anxiety inducing to take another step.”

– Rebecca B.

Join our free virtual workshop

Invite a friend – we launch this June!

Coming up next:

Join us for the next 20-Day Mini-Habit Challenge, starting June 1st.

I’ll be back next week with a new Summer Collab Lab Challenge for us to tackle together.

With you,

– Ashia

PS: 4 Spots left in the Summer Accelerator. We need your voice – if cost is the only thing holding you back – use the sliding scale!

PPS: Join the LBT chat group – no need to ‘catch up’ on the conversation- just pop in and say ‘hi!’

PPPS: Who pays for this, and where does the money go? Our 2022 Financial Transparency breakdown is up.

PPPPS: Revolutionary Humans are on the go! Sponsor a single Black queer disabled mom and her kiddos as she runs social justice art camps for kids – help us make this work sustainable!

THIS WEEK'S CALL TO CONNECT

Check out the Resource Library

Share the tools you use to ignite kind & courageous leaders.

Browse

Weekly Check-Ins

Group Discussion

New polls & prompts Tuesdays.
Chime in whenever.

Listen In

Little Wins

What small (or big?) thing have you managed to work through this month?

Share Your Wins

Collaboration Laboratory

Vote on topics &
share your advice

Share Your Ideas

Friday Failure Party

What did you mess up this week?
Let's talk about what we learned!

Share Your Fail

Self-Care Challenge

Cheer each other on & become a lean, mean, kyriarchy-smashing machine.

Check In

This page may use affiliate referral links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to make an order using these links.
Learn how we use affiliate links to support our community.

Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
Support Wôpanâak early childhood education here.

Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.

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May 26, 2023 0 comments

What's New

May 19, 2023

by Ashia May 19, 2023

written by Ashia

Luminary Brain Trust Updates

May 19, 2023

GATHER

Contact Ashia

Not a member yet?

Join the Luminary Braintrust for full access

Members get full access to our ridiculously helpful ecosystem of resources to help you ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

Choose your adventure

New June Family Action Toolkit

From developing a resilient self-identity to ending gun violence, we can tackle hard conversations with our kids. Here’s everything you need to get started.

Hi Friends!

We’ve got LOTS to cover in the next few weeks, so I’m sending you our new June Family Action Toolkit now, before it gets lost in the shuffle.

In June, kids build resilient self-identities and redefine what it means to be ‘us’ for the next generation.

I really appreciate you boosting & sharing this toolkit out so more families can tackle these topics with their kids!

Get the new June Family Action Toolkit

“I haven’t STOPPED therapy. But I feel like I could? And therapy is a shitload of money!

I was working very, very slowly with a very good therapist. And then every week you were like ‘Here’s how to life. Here’s a guidebook.’

Then go would back to therapy with ‘Today I figured out all of my wants and values.‘ And my therapist is like ‘Why do you think this experience was so helpful?‘

I wanted to say “Because Ashia Ray is so awesome?!” (But you can’t say that to a therapist, because like, they might feel bad in comparison.)

So there’s that.

This entire accelerator is the support I’ve been desperately needing for the past two years and could not find. Thank you.”

– Alison L.

Want to do less, but make a deeper impact?

Amplify the work you’re already doing – join the Summer Caregiver Collective before spots fill up.

Coming up next:

You’ve got 4 days to vote for our Summer Collab Lab project.
Register for free virtual workshop ‘A Busy Parent’s Guide To Getting Shit Done’ launching this June.
Kick off this summer with a new fun habit – our next 20-Day Challenge starts June 1st.

With you,

– Ashia

PS: Working with courage means trying real hard and usually falling directly on your face – join our monthly Failure Party to make the most of what you’ve learned.

PPS:Join us in the LBT chat group, where we’re re-learning what it means to rely on each other.

COLLABORATION LABORATORY

Vote for our Summer Collab Lab Project

What challenges are you facing raising kind & courageous leaders right now?

Vote

Weekly Check-Ins

Group Discussion

New polls & prompts Tuesdays.
Chime in whenever.

Listen In

Little Wins

What small (or big?) thing have you managed to work through this month?

Share Your Wins

Collaboration Laboratory

Vote on topics &
share your advice

Share Your Ideas

Friday Failure Party

What did you mess up this week?
Let's talk about what we learned!

Share Your Fail

Self-Care Challenge

Cheer each other on & become a lean, mean, kyriarchy-smashing machine.

Check In

This page may use affiliate referral links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to make an order using these links.
Learn how we use affiliate links to support our community.

Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
Support Wôpanâak early childhood education here.

Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.

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May 19, 2023 0 comments

What's New

May 12, 2023

by Ashia May 12, 2023

written by Ashia

Luminary Brain Trust Updates

May 12, 2023

GATHER

Contact Ashia

Not a member yet?

Join the Luminary Braintrust for full access

Members get full access to our ridiculously helpful ecosystem of resources to help you ignite the next generation of kind & courageous leaders.

SPECIAL EDITION RANTS

Family Movie Night

Let's unpack gothy tween movies with our kids!

Hi Friends!

One of the Earthquakes turns 11 next week, and he’s hurtling toward a navel-gazing, angsty tweendom.

We’ve been watching lots of gloomy, purple-shaded TV filled with grouchy characters and an intense eyebrow furrow.

If your little ghoul is overwhelmed by blossoming flora and the horrible, wholesome sunshine of spring, sink into some dark and spooky Family Movie Nights together.

New Family Movie Night Rants

Wendell & Wild – The goth school-to-prison pipeline kids movie we’ve been waiting for
The School for Good & Evil – We DO need a tween movie dismantling the supremacist binary behind good/evil tropes…. but this definitely ain’t it.

From the archive:

Enjoy these huddled up together in a dark room with some cookies n’ cream clown sundaes (the most sinister of ice cream experiences).

“I’m doing a lot of spinning and thinking ‘I need these credentials and these qualifications’ in order to do the work that I want to do to make an impact.”

“But I’ve already been doing the work, and making the impact. And that’s a place that I need to focus more energy.”

– Maura Kate M.

Enrollment is OPEN for the Summer Parent Activist Collective.

You know that friend who keeps setting themself on fire to keep others warm?

Join the Summer Accelerator as a team and help each other make a deep, joyful impact – without burning out.

Coming up next:

I’ll be back next week with new tools to help you raise creative little weir…leaders. Creative little leaders.

(weirdos are the best kind of leaders anyway).

With you,

– Ashia

PS: Let’s dismantle hyper-independence together in the LBT chat group.

PPS: Kick off summer with a good tiny habit – the next Accountabili-Buddies Challenge starts June 1st.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

What was your favorite movie when you were 10?

Let's dismantle the problematic movie tropes we grew up with.

Group Discussion

New polls & prompts Tuesdays.
Chime in whenever.

Listen In

Little Wins

What small (or big?) thing have you managed to work through this month?

Share Your Wins

Collaboration Laboratory

Vote on topics &
share your advice

Share Your Ideas

Friday Failure Party

What did you mess up this week?
Let's talk about what we learned!

Share Your Fail

Self-Care Challenge

Cheer each other on & become a lean, mean, kyriarchy-smashing machine.

Check In

This page may use affiliate referral links. We may earn a small commission if you choose to make an order using these links.
Learn how we use affiliate links to support our community.

Raising Luminaries is anchored in the land of the Wampanoag & Massachusett People.
Support Wôpanâak early childhood education here.

Photographs via Unsplash & Illustrations via Storyset, used with permission.

▲

May 12, 2023 1 comment

Book Collections

Christmas

by Ashia May 11, 2023

written by Ashia

Raising Luminaries & Books for Littles are free and accessible for readers who can’t afford a paywall. Posts may contain affiliate links, which allow me to earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Check out the full affiliate disclosure along with my statement of accountability.

Let’s reveal & reject all the shitty parts of Christmas-season consumerism & sexism

Every year, I’m like:

“YEAH! This is the year we’re gonna DO CHRISTMAS TO THE MAX! I’m gonna create so much friggin’ warm and joyous memories, the Earthquakes will be hardcore resilient for the rest of their lives!”

“THIS IS THE YEAR we will start sustainable family traditions. THIS IS THE YEAR I’m gonna start sending Christmas cards and deepen friendships! THIS IS THE YEAR we’re gonna PUMP UP THE GENEROSITY and schmaltz it up to 11!”

And then I pull together some shitty DIY cookies or whatever, run out of steam, and do a big online order of plastic garbage because I’m too tired to Christmas any farther.

But what I’ve figured out after trying to do a decade of CHRISTMAS TO THE MAX!!!!**, is that the less I scramble to keep up with ‘mom’ responsibilities for the holiday, the more fun we all have.

So over in Bumblebee Hollow, this upcoming Christmas will focus on our basic staples: thoughtful giving, receiving with appreciation, and keeping our heads above the snow.

When is it?

25th of December

Read:

Tree of Cranes (ages 4+)
The Tomtes’ Christmas Porridge (ages 4+)
The King of Too Many Things (ages 4-8)
Little Sid (ages 4-8)
The Better Tree Fort (ages 4-8)
The Table Where Rich People Sit (ages 6+)

Discuss: Invisible Labor & The Tomtes’ Christmas Porridge

The English translation of The Tomtes’ Christmas Porridge is a bit jarring, referencing the man of the house as ‘master’ – which has some nasty connotations in American English (re: slavery). Discuss with your kids!

Beyond that – this story creates an opportunity to talk about emotional and invisible labor. Specifically – how the mother tomte has to run herself ragged to protect her husband’s fragile ego.

The story also reinforces a gender binary and implies ridiculous magic powers that come as a part of pooping out a baby, suggesting female tomtes have foresight magic that men lack. But with the right spin, we were able to discuss how this ‘like all mother tomtes’ situation reflects a cultural tendency to dump all of the invisible labor of orchestrating holidays on women – on mothers in particular – and how this ‘ability’ could be a skill developed by demand and survival in a sexist world, rather than biology.

What does the porridge symbolize? (Recognition, appreciation, respect, reciprocity)
Why is it important to Papa that we recognize his hard work?
Who else in the Tomte family works hard?
Who does NOT get recognition for their hard work?
Why is it that only mother tomtes have the job of knowing what is important and urgent?
Do women have a natural biological ability to pay more attention? Or are they nurtured and raised to pay attention?
How does it feel when your hard work goes unrecognized and unappreciated?
Why did Papa throw a fit & hold a grudge when he didn’t feel appreciated?
Who did Papa take out his hurt on?
How did Papa’s reaction force Mama to work harder to protect his feelings next time?
Whose responsibility is it to manage our behavior when we are upset?
Why do we assume men are too weak and fragile to work without recognition?
What ‘invisible’ work is each member of our family expected to do? What are the consequences to them if they don’t keep up?

Resources to create a better Christmas:

Christmas Stories for Secular Families
Stories on Post-Consumerism for Kids
Overcoming False Scarcity & Xenophobia with ‘Shelter’
Appreciating hand-me-downs with ‘A Fire Truck Named Red’
Santa Narratives & Origin Stories
Comic for kids 9+ and adults: the Mental Load
Raising Luminaries Podcast: How the Earthquakes Cancelled Christmas
How to limit advertising influence on your kids
Gathering with family causing holiday stress? Listen to the Come Back to Care podcast on How my Parents & I are breaking our family cycles together
Teaching Kids To Share For The Holidays

**No judgement if you still love to do CHRISTMAS TO THE MAX!!!!! It’s not my thing, but if it brings you joy, BRING ALL THE CHRISTMAS.

Unless your family has reached a state of enlightenment or you’ve managed to extricate yourself from a community saturated in capitalism and reciprocity, you’re probably going to have to participate in the whole gift-giving ordeal just to lubricate your social life for the next 12 months. So here we go, our old comprehensive list of gifts: The Books For Littles Gift guide.

May 11, 2023 0 comments

Book Collections

Voter Registration & Election Day

by Ashia May 11, 2023

written by Ashia

Let’s Learn About Voting & Elections

Teaching kids not just about the power of our vote, but the ways voting rights have been (and continue to be) denied to targeted people, and the importance of voting in smaller, local elections.

When is it?

The first Tuesday following the first Monday of November

Read:

Lillian’s Right to Vote (ages 6-9)
Amelia Bedelia’s First Vote (ages 4-8)
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo (ages 4-9)
Act (ages 8+)

Watch:

Discuss

Who in our community has the right to vote?
Who is blocked from voting? Who is blocking them? Why?
What are voting rights and who we believe should have access to them?
Why is voting in small, local elections just as important as big national elections?
Who makes laws in your state? What have they done so far?

Take Action:

Kids Voting Activities via Moms Rising
US Voters: Sign up for election reminders
Practice election: Are there any rules, decisions, or family events we could hold up for a vote?
How can we influence local elections, even if we don’t have voting rights?
Sign the petition to support voter registration at Indian Health Service facilities

Additional resources to dig deeper:

Books on Elections, Politics & Democracy for Kids
Your Vote Counts: A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Voting in the US, easy-read edition
Trans Formations Project: Check whether your state legislators have sponsored or voted on any anti-trans bills.

May 11, 2023 0 comments

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June 30, 2023