Monique Verdin: The Right to Remain and Reclaim [Repost]

08/31/21 • 36 min

Hurricane Ida made landfall in southern Louisiana on Sunday, leaving a wake of devastation in its place and more than 1 million without power. Some of the hardest hit areas are home to Indigenous communities from the region, including the Houma people.
Today, we want to highlight their stories and offer a chance for you to give. Our friend Monique Verdin is a poet, activist, and artist, and part of the Houma people from southern Louisiana. Take a moment to hear her story, and consider giving to her organization, Another Gulf is Possible, which is providing emergency aid to folks on the ground who need it most.
Another Gulf is Possible Just Ida Recovery Fund - https://anothergulf.com/ida/

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking - https://www.telosgroup.org/what-we-do/#principles-practices

Subscribe to the Telos Newsletter for more news analysis and peacemaking resources - http://eepurl.com/cG1LGHd

Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroup

If you’re enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos - https://www.telosgroup.org/donate

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What does it mean to call a place “home,” to stay and heal it when it's broken and hurting? In this episode, South Louisiana native and interdisciplinary storyteller Monique Verdin shares with us what her home on the disappearing coast of the Louisiana bayou means to her, and the radical ways she’s working to protect it—its land, its people, and its stories.

Monique shed so much light on the interconnectedness of place, story and justice in our conversation. The way she's worked to protect her home as an indigenous woman, artist, and activist inspired us to “remain and reclaim” the places we call home too.

Find more information about Monique’s work on her website - https://www.moniqueverdin.com/

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking - https://www.telosgroup.org/what-we-do/#principles-practices

Subscribe to the Telos Newsletter for more news analysis and peacemaking resources - http://eepurl.com/cG1LGHd

Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroup

If you’re enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos - https://www.telosgroup.org/donate

Find more information about Monique’s work on her website - https://www.moniqueverdin.com/

Previous Episode

The Check-in: How to avoid compassion fatigue

A group of nearly 30 activists were arrested by the Palestinian Authority last weekend as they demanded accountability for the death of PA critic Nizar Banat. We discuss this worrisome trend of crackdowns against PA dissent, and ask what it means for the prospects of peace in the region.

And with things seemingly continuing to spiral in Afghanistan, Haiti, Lebanon, and elsewhere, we talk through strategies for staying engaged while avoiding the very real threat of compassion fatigue.

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

Subscribe to the Telos Newsletter for more news analysis and peacemaking resources

Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroup

If you’re enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos

Our resource list on Afghanistan - ways to learn, give, and advocate

Ways to support Haitian recovery and emergency relief efforts

Next Episode

The Check-in: America's global role & Ida's unseen victims

The U.S. officially completed its pullout of Afghanistan this week, raising questions about America’s historic and future role on the global stage. We discuss responsibility, opportunity, and what we mean when we use terms like “peacemaking.”

We also take a moment to acknowledge the destruction caused by Hurricane Ida, especially in the low-country areas of Louisiana. Many of the lands directly hit by the storm are home to Indigenous communities already facing a plethora of other challenges. We discuss the historic and ongoing reasons behind these challenges and offer some suggestions for how to support these often marginalized communities.

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

Subscribe to the Telos Newsletter for more news analysis and peacemaking resources

Follow Telos on Instagram @thetelosgroup

If you’re enjoying the podcast, become a monthly donor to Telos!

Another Gulf is Possible Just Ida Recovery: https://anothergulf.com/ida/
Listen to Monique Verdin's story on Undaunted: https://theteloschannel.buzzsprout.com/1384696/9118082-monique-verdin-the-right-to-remain-and-reclaim-repost

DC Residents support Afghan refugees: https://docs.google.com/document/d/107Eb9jBXF68Y0QZ6BuW6QTRjXpD2I4bvUDw1wpG7pzo/edit

Our resource list on Afghanistan - ways to learn, give, and advocate: https://mailchi.mp/telosgroup/afghanistan-leaning-in-join-us-today-at-330-edt