Posts Tagged ‘Marti Maltby’
Groundhog Day
Peace House Community””A Place to Belong By MARTI MALTBY Back in May, when people had settled into the Covid-19 lockdown, a survey by OnePoll asked Americans how their sense of time was being affected by spending day after day in their homes. The results included: The average American got confused about what day it was five times every week.59% of respondents didn”™t even know what day it was when they took the survey.65% of those polled said they were struggling to stay motivated during self-isolation. When I heard the results, my mind immediately flashed back many months to a meditation discussion I led at PHC. I asked community members what parts of homelessness could never be explained but simply had to be experienced. Several people gave answers that almost exactly mirrored the survey results I just mentioned. Among other things, the community members said: “It”™s like Groundhog Day. Every day is just like the day [...]
Systemic Racism isn”™t the Problem
By MARTI MALTBY In the aftermath of George Floyd”™s death, I”™ve heard a lot about systemic racism. As far as I can tell, though, no one is saying anything new. I first heard of systemic racism in university over 25 years ago, and I”™ve heard it discussed consistently since then, and now I”™m hearing it discussed more loudly. Unfortunately, and tragically, discussing “systemic racism” misses the point. The system isn”™t an impersonal force. It is made and controlled by people, by us. But of course, some of us have more power and control over the system than others. Those (including me) who have power and privilege need to recognize their (our/my) power and privilege and then do something with it. Systemic racism (or whatever other impersonal term you want to use) shields them/us/me from personal responsibility for not doing what we can to change the system. So instead of discussing systemic racism, we/I need to [...]
Steps towards peace: Peace via community
Marti Maltby By MARTI MALTBI Before I get to the point of this article, allow me to lay a little groundwork. Peace House Community has been open in the Phillips neighborhood since 1985. Our founder, Sister Rose Tillemans, established PHC at 510 E. Franklin Ave, and in 2013 we moved to our current building at 1816 Portland Ave. S. PHC is a community center (not a “drop-in center,” please) focusing on homeless and low income adults. As our full name indicates, Peace House Community is a community, a series of relationships and connections. The building is simply a tool for bringing people together. The focus of the day at PHC is what we call “Meditation,” although it is more of a group discussion. For 45 minutes a day, our community (community members, volunteers, guests and staff) discuss a question designed to help us understand and relate to each other. The questions can revolve around anything from community events to childhood experiences to the [...]
