In This Issue:

• From the Director
• Message from the Associate Director
• October Classes
• November Classes
• Truth School Fundraising Concert
• George Lakey Event

From the Director 

It is with bittersweet feelings that we share with the wider Truth School family that our beloved Associate Director, Amihan Matias, will be leaving her position with the School at the end of September.  Amihan has written an article, which you will find below, sharing her news.  But let me just add a few words here.  Amihan became the Associate Director at the Truth School two years ago and it is impossible to overstate what a difference she has made in the life of the School.  She is wise, creative, and deeply committed to dismantling all forms of systematic oppression.  She is artistic, loving, reliable, and dedicated to the mission of the School and to caring for our many TS trainers.  Amihan has brought her warmth, humor, organizational savvy, and experience as a trainer herself to her work at the School and has changed how we think about our work and how we operate in countless ways.  She is beloved by the staff, trainers, and board, and will be deeply missed.  Amihan is going on to GREAT things with another wonderful nonprofit and so we rejoice about that.  And we are not letting her get very far from us, she will leave the TS staff but join our Advisory Board.  We know you will wish her well, and we send her off with enormous gratitude and great love.

Love and blessings,

Andrea

Dear Truth School Friends,

It is with mixed emotions that I announce I am leaving my position at the Truth School. I will be taking on a full-time position as the Senior Director of Community Partnerships at the Women’s Fund of Western MA starting in October. I will continue my social justice work with another fine organization. This transition is poignant for me because my time at the Truth School and my connection with all of you has been so deep and meaningful.

The social justice, movement-building work of the Truth School is so critically important right now. We are at a crossroads in our country. Our rights and democracy are being challenged and we are being called on to remain steadfast in our movement towards justice, transformation, and the healing of our people and our planet. We need each other. The Truth School and all those involved–the Truth School staff and board, our participants, trainers, and hosts, all of our donors and supporters, have made me hopeful about what is possible when we all pull together.

I have loved being a part of this movement and this community. As Black writer, activist, and poet Yolo Akili says, “Remember, oppression thrives off isolation. Connection is the only thing that can save us.” This is the work of the Truth School, to create connection and community that will buoy us and give us hope, inspiration, strength, and a new path toward a future that we all believe in and deserve.

I want to extend a special thanks to the Truth School leadership team and staff. Andrea, you are a passionate, compassionate, and visionary leader. People are involved with the Truth School because your commitment to social justice is so compelling and because your heart is so loving. You collect us and enfold us in this movement for social change. The leadership team is such an incredible group of thoughtful, capable, supportive movers and shakers, who, along with Andrea, skillfully help to guide the work of the Truth School. The rest of the team is also brilliant and is the backbone of the organization working on the day-to-day tasks that serve as the engine for the Truth School. Thank you to our dedicated Board, our inspiring, powerful, and transformational trainers, the steadfast hosts, and all who have supported the Truth School in a myriad of ways.

I feel honored and privileged to have shared this part of the journey with you. You have become part of me and live in my heart. I leave the Truth School in such capable hands. Be well and stay strong in the struggle.

With love and deep gratitude,
Amihan

Dream a New Dream: Live a New Story
Sundays from 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM: October 1, 8, 15, and 22, 2023
with Amber Chand

The Prison Fix
Thursdays from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM: October 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2023
with Dr. Sut Jhally

Calling In the Call Out Culture
Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
with Loretta J. Ross

Holding the In-Between: A Path to Wholeness
Saturday, October 21, 2023, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
with Ann Augustine

Finding Joy and Community in a Time of Discord and Disconnection
Saturday, October 28, 2023, 4:00 – 5:30 PM
with Sonji Johnson-Anderson and Susan Theberge