Endings: Also
- Why I Give
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Why I Give
Leslie Lewis is a faculty member at the University of California, San Diego. She has been reading YES! since 2014.
What kind of work and/or volunteering do you do?
I am a scholar and an activist. I try to bundle together teaching, learning, justice-oriented action, and love in every part of my life, especially with my students and local communities.
What are your passions?
My passions are multitudinous鈥攁nd they drive me and nourish me through the long, hard slog of movement work and social change. My driving passion is building a world that values and cares for all beings. One that recognizes that we are interdependent, that harm to one diminishes us all, and that we all do better when we all do better.
I try to invite the people around me to see the goodness, beauty, and possibility in every moment, every individual, every encounter. I point out the systems of inequity and oppression, extraction and exploitation, that govern our lives, and I try to galvanize my beloveds and co-conspirators to change the status quo, while making music, art, poetry, dance, joy, humor, and love along the way.
How did you come to YES!?
I stumbled on YES! during an internet search as I was prepping one of my courses. It was one of those experiences that thrills you to the core because you鈥檝e read something that resonates deeply. I continue to use YES! articles in my courses and my students love them. They share what they read with family and friends so the goodness radiates outward.
How does YES! support your values and your work to build a better world?
YES! aligns with my efforts to generate love, equity, connection, and resilience. It parallels my work to 鈥渃hange the story鈥 to one that is inclusive and life-affirming. YES! stories show me what鈥檚 possible and the good things that are happening right now. They remind me about what really matters: caring for others, ourselves, and our shared world.
Why do you support YES!?
YES! deserves to be uplifted, supported, and celebrated to the umpteenth degree because it is an antidote to despair! I recommend giving subscriptions as gifts for weddings, graduations, birthdays, or just to say 鈥淚 love you and I want to build a better world with you!鈥