Space Between Stories

Session Three:
Bridge to the Political

with guest Jodie Evans

What is the role of shame and disruption in social change? How can we avoid ‘sub-oppression’ – turning the tools of oppression against the perpetrators and thus becoming perpetrators ourselves?

In this session, we dive into the topic of social activism and system change. Our guest is Jodie Evans, one of the founders of Code Pink, a fearless peace activist and love revolutionary. As I’ve gotten to know her, I’ve seen that she also has a deep understanding that effective activism and personal transformation go hand in hand. Her ferocity is tempered by a spirit of fun, her passion for justice with deep empathy for the perpetrators as well as the victims.

We hear some of Jodie’s stories, and explore with her questions like, “How do we serve the changing of other people’s stories?” “What is the relationship between activism and personal transformation?” “What is the role of shame in social change?” “What is the role of disruption?” “How can we avoid ‘sub-oppression’ – turning the tools of oppression against the perpetrators and thus becoming perpetrators ourselves?”

About Jodie

is a life-long peace and social justice activist and a co-founder of CODEPINK: Women for Peace. Her experience is in politics. She sat in Jerry Brown’s cabinet when he served as Governor of California in the 1970’s, ran his Senate campaign in 1982, and his revolutionary 1992 campaign for President. She has led citizen diplomacy delegations to Iran, the Gaza Strip and Afghanistan and has published two books Stop the Next War Now: Effective Responses to Terrorism, and Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation.

As a life-long peace and social justice activist, Jodie has traveled extensively in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Asia. She and her organizations have been at the forefront of calling out the failed policies of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, arguing instead for peaceful and constructive means to resolve conflicts. codepink.org

Bridge to the Political with Jodie Evans

Assignment for Study and Deepening

In the session, Jodie Evans shares a beautiful story of how Code Pink changed the mind of a war-mongering senator who’d sponsored a bill to blockade Iran in what would have been an act of war. They discovered he was staying on a houseboat, so Code Pink blockaded his houseboat, but in a loving, nonviolent way. I got the image of pink feminine boats, a feeling of humor and love. The senator woke up that morning, looked out of his boat, and started laughing. You can hear the story on the recording.

Her story is an example of the fusion of art and activism that came up as a question prior to the session. It was an inspired action, a creative action for which there is no formula. It did not follow inevitably from principles of nonviolent action, although it certainly drew from that field. It did not force an outcome, it did not *make* the senator change his mind. It was a letting go in service to the artwork. When I write a book, I may have a sponsoring idea, but I hold it lightly, recognizing that the book that wants to be written might be different than what I can know at the outset.

I invite you to describe an event where you took inspired action, and that created a result beyond anything you could have forced. As Jodie said, we are all activists and we are all artists. This assignment is not necessarily about political action. It could be action in a relationship or your family or community. The Code Pink blockade accomplished much more than debate, pressure, or other ways of forcing change. It gives us a glimpse of a vastly expanded field of possibility. Surely you have experienced this as well. Tell about a time when you did something a little out of the ordinary, not necessarily knowing how or whether it would “work,” but nonetheless operating from a feeling of inspiration, purpose, guidance — and maybe a bit of humor.