Website launched December 15, 2013
It is with a sense of gratitude that I launch this Tough Mind & Tender Heart website. I chose today, December 15, 2013, to go “live” to honor Nelson Mandela.
Over the last week, there have been many observances in Mandela’s honor. They range from last Sunday’s national day of prayer and reflection where South Africans celebrated Madiba’s life and legacy in their homes, places of worship and communities to Tuesday’s memorial service where dignitaries from around the globe gathered, along with South Africans, to celebrate Mandela and his road to freedom, to special tributes and gatherings around the world all week long to today, when a procession leads him to Qunu, a village on the Eastern Cape where his people, the Thembu, will welcome him to his final resting place.
It seems appropriate to go “live” on this day because Mandela, like the activists featured on this site, is of the people.
Why This Site? Well, It Was Needed AND It Still IS 8 Years Later
Every day, against incredible odds, women, and men fight the good fight for justice. Yet, beyond the lives they touch, most people will never hear about their work. We need to hear about their work and not just so we can celebrate them and their victories, though we definitely should. We need to hear about their work so that their strategies and approaches to dealing with complex issues can be shared with others who are working on the same, similar, or totally different issues. Their approach to the work can be a catalyst for someone else working on the frontline or someone who has been thinking about doing justice work but needed a “rallying call”. That’s what this site is all about.
A Tough Mind & Tender Heart is a platform created by and for social justice workers to share their work, gain insight, garner strength, and build a community of activists working on the same, similar, or totally different issues.
So, How Do They Do This Incredible Work? With A Tough Mind & A Tender Heart.
On this website, we hope to:
· Amplify the voices of leaders creating social change.
· Serve as a resource by providing new strategies and approaches to dealing with diverse issues.
· Provide an encouraging and accessible community for activists and supporters.
