June 2025 - Dialogue - lists.wedgeblade.net

Clarifying RSVP Details for Linda Alton’s Celebration of Life
by Richard Alton 30 Jun '25

30 Jun '25

Dear friends, Thank you to everyone who has already responded or expressed interest in joining us to celebrate the life of Linda Alton on *Saturday, July 26th*. We are so touched by the love and support pouring in from near and far. We wanted to send a quick note to clarify a few details about the RSVP process: - *To RSVP*, please use the ticketing link we shared. While it may look like you're “purchasing a ticket,” this is simply how the system collects RSVPs. There is no cost to attend. - When RSVPing, *please be sure to select either “In-Person” or “Online” attendance*. This helps us plan accordingly and ensures you receive the right information—such as the livestream/Zoom link for those joining remotely or reception details for those attending in person. It also is helpful in knowing how many will be joining in person (seating & food). - *A recording of the event will be made available afterward*, so if you’re unable to attend live, you’ll still be able to view and remember Linda with us. We hope this gathering brings together the many people whose lives Linda touched so deeply. Your RSVP helps us honor her with the care and intention she gave so freely to others. Here is the event page to RSVP if you haven't already done so. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-celebration-of-linda-altons-life-tickets-141… > > -- > Richard H. T. Alton > ICA Global Fund > United Methodist Net Zero > T: 773.344.7172 > richard.alton(a)gmail.com > Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2 > Won't you be my neighbor? > -- Richard H. T. Alton ICA Global Fund United Methodist Net Zero T: 773.344.7172 richard.alton(a)gmail.com Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2 Won't you be my neighbor?

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Fw: 🗽 An Open Letter to America
by Debra Harris 26 Jun '25

26 Jun '25

An Open Letter to America. On Tuesday, June 24, 2025, 9:04 AM, Vishen from Mindvalley <info(a)mailer.mindvalley.com> wrote: #yiv2835952930 *{}#yiv2835952930 body{margin:0;padding:0;}#yiv2835952930 a .yiv2835952930filtered99999 {color:inherit!important;text-decoration:inherit!important;}#yiv2835952930 #yiv2835952930MessageViewBody a{color:inherit;text-decoration:none;}#yiv2835952930 p{line-height:inherit;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930desktop_hide, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930desktop_hide table{display:none;max-height:0;overflow:hidden;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930image_block img+div{display:none;}#yiv2835952930 sub, #yiv2835952930 sup{font-size:75%;line-height:0;}@media (max-width:600px){#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930mobile_hide, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row .yiv2835952930side{display:none;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-content{width:100%!important;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930stack .yiv2835952930column{width:100%;display:block;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930mobile_hide{min-height:0;max-height:0;max-width:0;overflow:hidden;font-size:0;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930desktop_hide, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930desktop_hide table{display:table!important;max-height:none!important;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-4 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-1.yiv2835952930text_block td.yiv2835952930pad, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-8 .yiv2835952930column-1{padding:0!important;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-6 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-2.yiv2835952930text_block td.yiv2835952930pad{padding:0 0 20px!important;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-6 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-11.yiv2835952930text_block td.yiv2835952930pad, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-6 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-14.yiv2835952930text_block td.yiv2835952930pad, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-6 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-17.yiv2835952930text_block td.yiv2835952930pad, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-6 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-20.yiv2835952930text_block td.yiv2835952930pad, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-6 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-24.yiv2835952930text_block td.yiv2835952930pad, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-6 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-27.yiv2835952930text_block td.yiv2835952930pad, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-6 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-5.yiv2835952930text_block td.yiv2835952930pad, #yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-6 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-8.yiv2835952930text_block td.yiv2835952930pad{padding:0 0 15px!important;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-8 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-1.yiv2835952930image_block td.yiv2835952930pad{padding:0 2px 25px 50px!important;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-10 .yiv2835952930column-1 .yiv2835952930block-1.yiv2835952930spacer_block{min-height:24px!important;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-4 .yiv2835952930column-1{padding:5px 24px 20px!important;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-6 .yiv2835952930column-1{padding:20px 24px!important;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-9 .yiv2835952930column-1{padding:26px 0 5px!important;}#yiv2835952930 .yiv2835952930row-9 .yiv2835952930column-2{padding:5px 0 26px!important;}}A global citizen’s plea to the soul of a country that once inspired the world. | | | | View in browser | | | | | | | | | | | | 🗽 An Open Letter to America – From Someone Who Still Believes in You… But Can No Longer Stay Silent | | | | | | Dear America, I want to begin with this: I love you. I really, truly do. I lived in your cities. I walked your campuses. I sat in your coffee shops, dreaming of building something that could change the world. America was where I studied. Where I discovered my voice. Where I fell in love with ideas that reshaped my life. Where I started Mindvalley, with nothing but ambition and a belief that anything was possible. For a full decade, you were my home. And in many ways, you still are. I may live elsewhere now, but I still identify as American more than anything else. Because America — the idea of America — isn’t just geography. It’s a frequency. A dream. A promise that inspired not just me, but billions of people around the world. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 🌟 What We Loved About You | | We loved your optimism — the way you believed anything was possible. We loved your rebels — the ones who spoke truth to power and rewrote the rules. We loved Martin Luther King Jr., whose voice still echoes across continents. We loved your Silicon Valley, which dared to invent the future. We loved your Apple, born in a garage, changing the way we connect. We loved Burning Man, a wild celebration of freedom, creativity, and community in the desert. We loved your poets, your scientists, your dreamers. You were never perfect. But damn — you had soul. You were the lighthouse. The messy, brilliant, complicated beacon we looked toward for what was possible. But lately… that light feels like it’s flickering. | | | | | | 🌍 What the World Sees Now | | In just six months, this is what the world has seen: – Threats to abandon NATO, the alliance that preserved peace for generations. – Pointless trade wars where everyone loses. – Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Treaty, while the Earth burns. – And now — bombs falling on Iran. Another unwinnable war in the Middle East. A war your people swore they’d never allow again. Not after Iraq. Not after Afghanistan. And it's not just the outer world that you see destroyed. We see you tearing yourselves apart from within. - Immigration raids that tear apart families and have caused LA to burn. - Politicians who sound like children while openly taking bribes. - Tax cuts for billionaires, while those struggling now actually have to pay more in taxes. - A climate movement abandoned by the very country where it was born. And yet — I’m writing this letter with an open heart. Because I haven't given up. This week, I'm helping my son apply to U.S. universities. We're preparing for a tour of East Coast campuses. Then, I’m driving from South Dakota to Yosemite, with stops at Mount Rushmore and the great open spaces I fell in love with. I want to show my son America. Because I still believe in what America can be. But I also cannot stay silent — not as a lover of your culture, not as a global citizen. This spiral you're in? It must be named. And it must be stopped. Because true friends don’t stay silent when they see you crashing. | | | | | | 🧠 The Spiral Was Not a Mystery. It Was a Choice. | | Every war. Every broken treaty. Every erosion of trust. It didn’t just happen. It was chosen through voting decisions. By people who, often unknowingly, chose: - Ego over empathy. - Charisma over character. - Soundbites over substance. And I don’t blame you. You were caught in a storm of propaganda. You were tired, misled, and afraid. But we need to be honest: When you vote for leaders who enable war, destabilize peace, and govern through vengeance — you are not just voting for policy. You are voting for self-destruction. | | | | | | 🇺🇸 What Happened to Service? | | A great American president once said: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” – John F. Kennedy Another said: “We must never remain silent in the face of injustice.” – Barack Obama Even Ronald Reagan once called America a “shining city upon a hill.” What happened to that America? Now we see leaders who sow division instead of unity. Those who thrive on conflict rather than compassion. Who look not to serve, but to rule. And as Sun Tzu warned: “Some men would set their own nation ablaze, just to be king over the ashes.” Can you recognize them? Because now more than ever, you must. | | | | | | 🎬 America, You’ve Always Known How to Tell the Story. Now It’s Time to Live It. | | Think of your heroes. The ones you’ve shown us on screen for decades. Will Smith in Independence Day. Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible. They save the world, not just themselves. They protect their families — but they also rise to a higher mission. That’s what made us fall in love with you. Your heroes were never selfish. They were flawed, yes. But they stood up for something bigger. So why, in real life, do you so often vote for the opposite? | | | | | | 🌎 Your Vote Is Not Just Yours | | I say this with love — and urgency: Your vote doesn’t just affect your neighborhood. It involves the entire planet. - It affects the air we all breathe. - The treaties we all depend on. - The peace we all hope for. - The future our children will inherit. This is no longer about party loyalty or economic policy. This is about consciousness. This is about whether the most powerful country on Earth will continue to operate from fear and ego — Or rise into wisdom and service. | | | | | | 🌎 What the World Needs From You Now | | We don’t need another American empire. We need an American elder. Not one who dominates. One who guides. Not one who fears. One who serves. Because you were never meant to be a fortress. You were meant to be a lighthouse. But a lighthouse cannot fulfill its purpose if it forgets to shine inward first. | | | | | | | | 🙏 You Taught Us to Dream. Now We’re Asking You to Dream Again. | | The world doesn’t hate you. We’re not laughing at you. We’re just watching… and hoping. Hoping that the America we believed in is still in there. The next time you march in the streets, March for all of us. Not just for the poor or hungry in your zip code — But for the citizens of our shared planet who need you to shine again. And when the time comes… Vote with your heart. And with your higher self. | | | | | | 🔥 The Choice Is Yours | | Not every election is a turning point. But some are. And the one you're facing now? This is that moment. You can vote for leaders who turn the world into a battlefield. Or vote for those who understand that true power is service. You can choose: - Ego or evolution - Division or destiny - Fear or the future The world is not asking you to be perfect. We are simply asking you to remember who you are, at your best. The America that marched with MLK. That wrote the Moonshot speech. That created iPhones, NASA, jazz, and the dream that all humans are created equal. That’s the America we still believe in. That’s the America the world needs. Let that be the America you choose. — Vishen Founder, Mindvalley Citizen of Earth. Forever shaped by the promise of America. 🌍 PS: This letter isn’t just mine — it’s a conversation we all need to have. I’d love to hear how this landed for you. What do you believe America still stands for? What does it need to stand for? 👉 Click here to read and comment on the blog post Let’s make this a space for reflection, dialogue, and hope. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Mindvalley Inc, 407 California Avenue, Suite #2, Palo Alto, CA 94306, United States | | | Support Privacy Policy Unsubscribe | | | | | | | |

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Iron Man
by James Wiegel 26 Jun '25

26 Jun '25

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NOAM CHOMSKY; Re: [Oe List ...] OE Digest, Vol 159, Issue 15
by Ellie Stock 25 Jun '25

25 Jun '25

Hi Karen,Thanks for sending the links to Jean's background of the Iron Man symbol and to the Fifth City Film--which is excellent and still inspiring. Fifth City, HDPs, Town Meetings/Community Forums, Lens, Training Inc., ToPS, etc. are demonstrations of what Noam Chomsky is talking about--worth taking the 20+ minutes to listen to this. Noam Chomsky || How Much Time Is Left Until the End of Trump ( Must Watch ) - YouTube Ellie Stockelliestock(a)aol.com On Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 08:38:44 AM EDT, Karen Snyder via OE <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> wrote: Here is Jean Loomis telling her story about creating the Iron Man statue: https://wedgeblade.net/files/archives_assets/21019.pdf. It is found in the ICA Global Archives Community Development Collection on the 5th City Pilot: https://icaglobalarchives.org/collections/human-development/human-developme…. Peace and love, Karen

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Celebration of Linda Alton's life
by Richard Alton 18 Jun '25

18 Jun '25

Here is the invitation to the July 26th event. Please share out & encourage people to RSVP soon...you will notice there are two ticket options: IN PERSON OR ONLINE ATTENDANCE. We need people to RSVP so we have a sense of how many people will be in attendance. The great thing about the platform is that whenever we make changes to the invitation, like location, it will automatically update all that have rsvp'd with these changes. So share out now & encourage folks to RSVP. A Celebration of Linda Alton's Life! Tickets, Sat, Jul 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-celebration-of-linda-altons-life-tickets-141…> -- Richard H. T. Alton ICA Global Fund United Methodist Net Zero T: 773.344.7172 richard.alton(a)gmail.com Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2 Won't you be my neighbor?

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Statements by: Ret. Maj Gen. Paul Eaton, US Army:; Prep for June 14: Take a look at this image; and Ret Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis
by Ellie Stock 12 Jun '25

12 Jun '25

Subject: Prep for June 14: Take a look at this image: Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, U.S. Army (Ret.) <info(a)e.votevets.org Dear Friends, Just forwarding (without the fundraising part). I find this military display of Trump's celebration of Flag Day not only disagreeable but disgusting, despicable, disturbing, and dangerous, not to mention the $40,000,000-$93,000,000.00 cost to taxpayers. We do not respect and honor the country nor the citizens nor military of this country by extravagant, ego-centric, machoistic, militaristic displays. Saturday is No Kings Day. The U.S. had a revolution and created a Constitution and democracy to declare, implement, and support that it will not be governed by Kings or wanna be autocrats or dictators. Unfortunately, the present administration is in the process of destroying this democracy via its playbook Project 2025's drastic and dangerous budget and staff cuts (to health, security and wellbeing), intimidation, fear, violence, cultural and religious and racial bigotry, corruption, and myopic isolationism. Be vigilant. It's all happening now in plain sight--just as happened in pre-WWII Germany. Those who don't learn from history are condemned to repeat it, be victims of it, and suffer from it--or maybe worse, succumb to perpetrating it. Ellie elliestock(a)aol.com Ladies and gentlemen, this is Paul Eaton. Take a look at this image: It’s from earlier this week, a video showing tanks rolling into Washington for a birthday parade. Celebrating the US Army’s 250th birthday - or is it Mr Trump’s idea of strength projection on his own birthday? This is the kind of display we were accustomed to seeing during the Cold War. The Soviets would puff up their chests, roll out their tanks, missiles, thousands of soldiers, and march them around Red Square. It was an exercise in puffery projection of pseudo strength, because we all know how the USSR turned out. We never matched those parades in the United States. Not because we weren’t as strong, or stronger. Not because we couldn’t afford it. Not because it was too difficult. We didn’t do it because there was no questioning the power and global reach of our Military — and because our greatest strength was our democracy. Today, that democracy is under attack. The reputation of the Military is being impugned and politicized. Our National Security architecture is under immense strain. NATO is being weakened. Our allies question our support. Critical services for millions of Veterans are in danger. I deeply resent all of this. But I have not given up. VoteVets is working tirelessly to challenge this, fix it, and set it right. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Former Defense Secretary and retired Marine Corps General James Mattis has released a statement:IN UNION THERE IS STRENGTHI have watched this week’s unfolding events, angry and appalled. The words “Equal Justice Under Law” are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand—one that all of us should be able to get behind. We must not be distracted by a small number of lawbreakers. The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.When I joined the military, some 50 years ago, I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Never did I dream that troops taking that same oath would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens—much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.We must reject any thinking of our cities as a “battlespace” that our uniformed military is called upon to “dominate.” At home, we should use our military only when requested to do so, on very rare occasions, by state governors. Militarizing our response, as we witnessed in Washington, D.C., sets up a conflict—a false conflict—between the military and civilian society. It erodes the moral ground that ensures a trusted bond between men and women in uniform and the society they are sworn to protect, and of which they themselves are a part. Keeping public order rests with civilian state and local leaders who best understand their communities and are answerable to them.James Madison wrote in Federalist 14 that “America united with a handful of troops, or without a single soldier, exhibits a more forbidding posture to foreign ambition than America disunited, with a hundred thousand veterans ready for combat.” We do not need to militarize our response to protests. We need to unite around a common purpose. And it starts by guaranteeing that all of us are equal before the law.Instructions given by the military departments to our troops before the Normandy invasion reminded soldiers that “The Nazi slogan for destroying us…was ‘Divide and Conquer.’ Our American answer is ‘In Union there is Strength.’” We must summon that unity to surmount this crisis—confident that we are better than our politics.Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.We can come through this trying time stronger, and with a renewed sense of purpose and respect for one another. The pandemic has shown us that it is not only our troops who are willing to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of the community. Americans in hospitals, grocery stores, post offices, and elsewhere have put their lives on the line in order to serve their fellow citizens and their country. We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Square. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution. At the same time, we must remember Lincoln’s “better angels,” and listen to them, as we work to unite.Only by adopting a new path—which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals—will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad.

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Martin Gilbraith — a great colleague! Listen to his story
by James Wiegel 10 Jun '25

10 Jun '25

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Fwd: Selma
by Ken Fisher 06 Jun '25

06 Jun '25

Beloved Colleagues, It’s not March 25th. The 60th anniversary of MLK’s Selma to Montgomery passed 70 days ago. In searching for Marsha Hahn’s email address, I came across this email chain from 14 years ago. Its relevance to our circumstances today speaks for itself. Thank-you, Anne Woods, Judy Linblad and Charles Hahn for your witness. Your words are eternal. Ken https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches#:~:text=The%20Sel…. > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Charles or Doris Hahn <cdhahn(a)flash.net> > Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Selma > Date: August 6, 2011 at 5:47:55 PM EDT > To: Colleague Dialogue <dialogue(a)wedgeblade.net> > Reply-To: Colleague Dialogue <dialogue(a)wedgeblade.net> > > Selma seems to have captured us. So I shall tell an expanded account of Selma. Bob FishelFishel and I were the first to go from EI/the Order. We were working in the Local Church Project (what was to become Fifth City). The day after the terrible attack on MLK's attempt to march across the bridge, King put out an appeal for clergy from across the country to come and help. Fishel said let's go. I said OK. We asked JWM for permission to go and to be sent. He said yes. So that night (Monday night) we were on a flight to Montgomery. Also on the plane we met two Chicago pastors who were a part of the Clergy Cadre we had just formed. We were met at the airport and driven to Selma by a woman from Detroit who was helping the cause. > > It was a very exciting event with great services in one of the Black churches at least twice a day and almost continuous rallies of one kind or another. We stayed with black families in Selma. I think it was the second day after we arrived a Congregational Pastor from New England was beaten to death with baseball bats at a restaurant in Selma. We had been urged to stay in the neighborhood of the church, but two or three pastors decided it would be safe go for a meal in the center of town. How wrong they were. > > The decision had been made to keep a significant contingent of people ready to march toward and across the bridge toward Montgomery. The third or fourth night we were there Fishel and I were assigned to be in the "ready to march" contingent. There were other clergy and many students, both black and white---perhaps 75-100 altogether. We all were singing Freedom Movement songs and dancing, etc. After a while The two our three rows of students ahead of us began to surge toward the line of heavily armed State Police blocking the way to the Bridge, and the whole contingent joined in. Off to the side officers from the Alabama Bureau of Investigation were photographing us. The surge would go directly up to the faces of the officers almost bumping into them. Fishel and I were in the third row. This really frightened me. If someone should trip and fall into an officer, I could not imagine what might happen. I turned to Fishel and said: "We have to stop this. It's too dangerous. He broke into raucous laughter, and just shook his head. It suddenly dawned on me the reality of the famous phrase of the period "You can't trust anyone over 30." Fishel was 26 and I was 34. We survived the night. > > After a few days it was decided that I should return to Chicago and help get the busload of people from Fifth City recruited and ready to go for the final push. David Scott was sent to replace me, and to help prepare for the arrival of the bus. I was to stop in Washington on my way and visit two Texas Senators and two Texas Representatives I knew. Particularly, we wanted to thank Senator Ralph Yarborough of Texas, who was the only Southern Senator to express outrage in the Senate over what had happened on the Bridge. > > I cannot remember who was on the bus; however, I am certain that Joe was not. > > I hope I have shed a little common memory on the subject and that this has not been too verbose. > > Grace and Peace, > Charles > > From: Norm and Judy Lindblad <nj.lindblad(a)gmail.com <mailto:nj.lindblad@gmail.com>> > To: Colleague Dialogue <dialogue(a)wedgeblade.net <mailto:dialogue@wedgeblade.net>> > Sent: Sat, August 6, 2011 11:25:45 AM > Subject: Re: [Dialogue] Selma > > Thank you Anne for this vivid retelling. There are so many stories! We are blessed to have them and to have folks like you, who were eye witnesses to history, share them with us. > > In our pre-EI days, we were at First Presbyterian Church, Hartford, Conn. When our pastor, George Cox, told the congregation that he felt called to go to Selma, Norm and I dug into our newlywed pockets and contributed for his bus fare. > > These are still the times and we are still the people. > > Grace and peace, Judy Lindblad > > On Fri, Aug 5, 2011 at 3:17 PM, Anne Wood <awoodewm(a)aol.com <mailto:awoodewm@aol.com>> wrote: >> >> Betty Pesek was not there and neither was Joe Mathews. >> >> My memory of the event is vivid but the cast of characters is blurred.... >> >> I remember Donna McClesky was there and she was very pregnant at the time. I also think that Joe Slicker and Fred Buss were there. >> >> We rode all night on a Greyhound bus........We arrived at some field where they were putting up a huge tent.... there was to be some sort of entertainment that night. >> >> There had been much reported in the news about the "kind of trash" that was participating in the march (including the easy availability of prostitutes). Sooooooooo I had worn my most expensive "David Dow" suit, heels and yes white gloves. >> >> As we got off the bus and strolled across the field to the tent suddenly out of no where came wind and sheets of rain! We rushed under the tent for cover just as the tent pole pulled out of the ground...into the air.....and we were all knocked into what had become a mess of mud and we were trapped under the collapsed tent. So much for a respectable appearance! >> >> There's lots more to this story......it was indeed an awesome event and I will never forget a moment >> >> Anne Wood. >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Dialogue mailing list >> Dialogue(a)wedgeblade.net <mailto:Dialogue@wedgeblade.net> >> http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/dialogue_wedgeblade.net >> > > _______________________________________________ > Dialogue mailing list > Dialogue(a)wedgeblade.net <mailto:Dialogue@wedgeblade.net> > http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/dialogue_wedgeblade.net

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Remembering the gift that Linda Alton has been to the ToP Community.
by Marilyn Oyler 04 Jun '25

04 Jun '25

Though Parkinson's disease may have dimmed Linda's light in recent years, the brilliance of who she was—and the love she poured into building our ToP community—will shine on forever in each of us she touched. When Linda Alton <https://www.facebook.com/groups/117010510211/user/1019464018/?__cft__[0]=AZ…> left the full-time ICA staff and made Minneapolis her home, she didn't just relocate—she planted seeds that would grow into something beautiful. She became the heart of our training and facilitation family, and I was blessed to be her partner in this work. Together, we poured ourselves into creating something meaningful: more than 15 Mastering the Technology of Participation trainings, countless facilitation events, continuing to develop advanced courses and a network that became so much more than the sum of its parts. Linda had this extraordinary gift—she could see potential in everyone she met. I used to joke that she could recruit anyone to our cause. Put her in an elevator with a stranger on the eighth floor, and by the ground floor, they'd be signed up for a course! But it wasn't just her persuasive charm—it was her genuine belief in people and her infectious passion for what we were building together. She was a really dynamic facilitator who always had her groups laughing. She was our anchor when storms hit. When the ICA community faced its darkest hour and the training staff was dismissed, Linda didn't retreat—she opened her arms wider. She organized meetings to help us find our way forward. When new trainers and facilitators needed a chance, Linda became their champion, sharing not just her connections and expertise, but her generous heart. How many times did Linda welcome not just me but so many of us into her home for trainings and meetings? Her table was always set with good food, great humor, and even better conversation. Those evenings weren't just about work—they were about friendship, about sharing our dreams and dilemmas with someone who truly understood. Linda had this way of making you feel seen, supported, and never alone in the work. Linda was more than a colleague or ToP Network co-founder (among many) —she was a mentor to many of the those who Mentor today. She was a cheerleader and a friend who believed in the power of bringing people together. And she contained so many multitudes the Network had to invent a new title - the ToP Network 'Animator' when it hired her to bring life to it's early years. Her legacy lives on in every facilitator she guided, every trainer she encouraged, and every life touched by the community she helped nurture. We will carry her spirit forward—that generous, innovative, unstoppable force for good that was uniquely Linda. She is deeply missed and will be forever cherished. -- Marilyn Oyler Partners in Participation Phoenix, AZ marilyn.oyler(a)gmail.com www.partnersinparticipation.com 602 468 0605 or 602 460 8843 (mobile) Purchase a sticky wall on www.partnersinparticipation.com Visit our airbnb https://bit.ly/37HPqqq

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Re: [Dialogue] Dialogue Digest, Vol 159, Issue 2
by Lawrence Philbrook 03 Jun '25

03 Jun '25

Richard thank you for the note. Seva mentioned it to us Sunday or Monday just as I was arriving from Cambodia. Linda was always an ally, we worked together for five great years in Kenya and then off and on while she was in Brussels. Our last real connection was 10 years ago co-assessing a Ukrainian facilitator. She in Minnesota and Larry first in Taipei and then in Kyiv. Her energy and joy at the opportunity to connect with them and me was joyful Linda was always present with positive energy even when she was describing a challenge. A quick recognition of reality or a question that allowed it to be explored. Evelyn and I will miss her and stay in deep appreciation for her spirit and care. With love and respect Larry and Evelyn Philbrook > > From: Richard Alton <richard.alton(a)gmail.com <mailto:richard.alton@gmail.com>> > Subject: [Oe List ...] In Loving Memory of Linda Alton > Date: June 2, 2025 at 18:56:46 GMT-5 > To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net <mailto:oe@lists.wedgeblade.net>>, Colleague Dialogue <dialogue(a)lists.wedgeblade.net <mailto:dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>> > > >>>> In Loving Memory of Linda Alton >>>> >>>> Linda Alton’s life was one of courage, conviction, and compassionate service. >From her early days at the University of California, Berkeley—where she earned both her B.A. and M.A. between 1963 and 1970—Linda was a powerful force for change. As editor of the Berkeley Yearbook and an active voice in the Free Speech Movement and the anti-Vietnam War resistance, she stood firmly for justice and truth, even when it wasn’t easy. >>>> >>>> While still a student, Linda journeyed to Harlem to work in storefront schools, helping high school students who had dropped out find their way back to education and hope. It was there she encountered the Ecumenical Institute, whose mission of global community service would soon become her own. In 1970, she joined the Institute’s staff in San Francisco, beginning a lifelong commitment to international development and human dignity. >>>> >>>> In 1976, with her young daughter Christina by her side, Linda moved to the Philippines to co-direct a USAID-funded community development project with the newly formed Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA). There, she led efforts to support women’s small businesses, empowering families and transforming communities from the ground up. >>>> >>>> Her journey continued to Kenya, where Linda and her growing family—including her second daughter, Kay, born in Nairobi—devoted themselves to uplifting lives in both urban slums and rural villages. Together with a local staff of 150, she helped shape development initiatives that reached thousands of communities across the country. >>>> >>>> Later, in Brussels, Belgium, Linda served as Program Director at ICA’s global headquarters, bringing her deep wisdom, compassion, and leadership to an international stage. >>>> >>>> She moved to Minnesota with her partner Lynne Larsen to create a home for themselves in Minneapolis. She was a lead technical trainer/convenor with Minnesota Technology of Participation up until she retired. >>>> >>>> Linda’s legacy is not just found in the places she lived or the programs she led—but in the countless lives she touched, the justice she stood for, and the love she gave so freely. Her spirit lives on in the communities she served and in the hearts of all who knew and loved her. (Daughters: Christina & Katherine Alton, Grandson: Wyatt Wren, Wife: Lynne Larsen) >>>> > > > -- > Richard H. T. Alton > ICA Global Fund > United Methodist Net Zero > T: 773.344.7172 > richard.alton(a)gmail.com <mailto:richard.alton@gmail.com> > Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2 > Won't you be my neighbor?

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