Category Archives: Reflections

People of the Mask

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser
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My son is now a project manager for a large hospital system.  Two weeks ago, he took on the task of getting remote communications and monitoring programs into ICUs  so nurses could monitor Covid-19 patients without having to always enter … Continue reading →

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A Revolution of Rest: A Case For ‘Radical Renewal’

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Kim Alston
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While I was brainstorming for this piece I found myself struggling to formulate something that hasn’t already been said about this moment of absolute turmoil. At first, I aimed to express something  profound, original… politically galvanizing even. But quite quickly, … Continue reading →

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Shooting a Virus Dred Feminist Rant #16

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Kim Alston
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The corona virus exposes unmistakable crises in capitalism. While we reconfigure our expectations and lifestyles because of a virus few of us knew about three months ago, we endure this unimaginable crisis under a ruthless economic philosophy that sacrifices people … Continue reading →

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A Note About The Use of Sacred Texts

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Matilda Cantwell
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Dear Friends, On behalf of the Smith College Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, I write to condemn the recent use of a sacred text to illustrate a political point. Christian scripture in particular has been manipulated to oppress black … Continue reading →

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Seeking Refuge in Uncertainty: A Rite of Passage for These Times

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Matilda Cantwell
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My college graduation was very strange. I had been accepted into the Smith College School for Social Work and was scheduled to begin the summer program there on June 4. This was, however, the very same day of my undergraduate … Continue reading →

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On Isolation and Consolation

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Matilda Cantwell
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As we all know, in these days of quarantine, loneliness and isolation are prevalent. Zoom is as depleting as it is efficient. Social distance may be wearing on us, our own particular responses to stress may be in full action. One … Continue reading →

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Fear and Freedom: Hand in Hand

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Matilda Cantwell
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“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill, of things unknown, but longed for still, and his tune is heard on the distant hill, for the caged bird sings of freedom.”  ― Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Here … Continue reading →

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Liberation Poetry

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Kim Alston
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In this midst of this COVID-19 pandemic The Center for Religious and Spiritual Life  invited members of the Smith community to reflect on the concept of liberation; what does it mean, how is it embraced, what can it illuminate? Smithies … Continue reading →

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Times of Captivity, a Time of Liberation

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Matilda Cantwell
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For the next two issues, our newsletter will focus on the theme of liberation. Passover, the holiday which began last night, April 8, commemorates the successful exodus of the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt. The COVID-19 crisis kept … Continue reading →

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Be Like the Water

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Matilda Cantwell
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While he is not going into his classroom, my 9-year-old son is still continuing with his third-grade work, which includes a “river study.” When we go out for walks and come by one of the many streams and tributaries that … Continue reading →

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