The newly formed Six-Triple Eight battalion was charged with finding a solution. The predominantly black Army unit processed seventeen million pieces of undelivered mail in half the time expected. Yet their dedication was met with repeated bigotry. That historic mistreatment was magnified this year by Defense department’s removal of the webpage detailing the unit’s service. It is but one example of the greater burden of discrimination experienced by women of color, and has led to a more finely focused version of feminism, called Womanism.

Eleven years ago, a college student named Elliott Rodger shot three young women outside their California sorority, killing two of them. It was part of a rampage that would claim the lives of six and injure fourteen others. The coming months and years would bring copycat attacks by others, who like Rodger, were frustrated by their inability to successfully form romantic relationships. They would call themselves “Incels”, shorthand for Involuntary Celibates. While their movement accepting and even celebrating violence toward women would remain mostly on the fringes, the Incel’s anger toward and dehumanizing of women has expanded, particularly this year. We’ll examine what’s come to be called “Toxic Masculinity” in this episode of Challenge 2.0.

In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we met a small group of western Washington residents convinced that the courage to connect remains in what seems to be the Disunited States of America. They introduced us to the program they developed called Let’s Go Together that they believe can bring a sense of connection where there’s disconnection, replacing intolerance with acceptance, and prejudice with understanding. This week, we meet some of the early participants in this program; people with very different life experiences and outlooks who unexpectedly found common ground.

America in the twenty first century seems to be defined by disconnection. That it’s become atoxic blend of distrust, discrimination and defiance; rejectingthe legal and social norms of cooperation built over decades. But aprogram called Let’s Go Together is proving that the courageto connect remainsin this countryand can be nourished; that it can bring together Americans of different life experiences, beliefs and affiliations. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we meet three western Washington residents who have developed this program, and are proving that healing connections can develop not only in the Pacific Northwest, but throughout the United States.

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The Seattle-based Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment was founded thirty one years ago with the recognition that every purchase is a vote; one that reflects personal values and ethics. Those purchases include investments in corporate stocks and bonds. The efforts of faith based organizations to influence corporate policies and practices have recently encountered stiffer opposition. We discuss the importance, successes and frustrations of investor activism with board member Sister Susan Francoise

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More Ukrainian refugees come to Washington than any other state. The Ukrainian-American community here continues to extend monetary, physical and emotional support as the war with Russia enters its fourth year. But those efforts are becoming increasingly difficult with a change in national support for Ukraine and possible deportation of refugees living here. In this edition of Challenge, we talk with members of the local Ukrainian-American community, including Tanya Zayka

Dr. Harold Koenig is an internationally recognized psychiatrist who serves as the director of Duke University’s Center for the Study of Religion, Spirituality and Health. His research has produced documented evidence of the positive impacts of faith on both physical and mental disorders, findings that are leading to changes in the way doctors, nurses and therapists relate to their patients. In this week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we explore the healing power of connection through faith.

Joy would seem to be an unlikely emotion in a world increasingly filled with uncertainty, and the fear, anger and anxiety it creates. The noted figures of the Dalai Lama and the late South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu emphasized we can access and experience joy even in the face of great suffering. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we connect with faith leaders from Buddhism, Christianity and Islam who offer guidance of finding joy, even when it seems least likely.

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Last month’s elections left many Americans deeply troubled. Whatever our individual opinions might be, what approaches and thoughts will best help us navigate the uncertainty of the coming months? In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we turn to three leaders from the major faiths of Christianity, Judaism and Islam to offer their perspectives and guidance

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In our last episode of Challenge 2.0, we began a conversation with John Philip Newell, the author of a new book called “The Great Search”. It explored why an increasing number of people believe organized religious institutions are failing to help them cope with the challenges of contemporary life. We continue that conversation in Part 2 of Healing Shattered Spirits, examining possible solutions, and new perspectives on questions such as “if there is a God, how could such a God allow bad things happen”.

Churches are closing, faith communities are declaring bankruptcy, the ‘faithful’ are increasingly expressing a sense that their religious communities have broken faith with them. I recently read two sentences that provided a useful summary-“Religion as we have known it has failed to adequately address the most urgent challenges of humanity, including the threatened plight of Earth. These challenges are not just ecological, and political and economic. They are also spiritual.” Those words are in the new book, “The Great Search”...and it’s the focus of this episode of Challenge 2.0.

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One hundred and twelve years ago, Washington became one of the first states to adopt the initiative and referendum process. This gave citizens the ability to overturn laws and write new ones...essentially acting as a check on the power of elected officialsand on lobbyists. But some assert the initiative process has been coopted by the wealthy and powerful. Several initiatives on the ballot this year are sponsored by a hedge fund manager who has spentsix million dollars of his own money. In this edition ofChallenge 2.0, we’ll examine the implications of this trend.

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Last week, we met the father and mother of a young man who died from suicide. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, they’ll outline a program they’ve developed to prevent such tragedies, aided by their son’s friends, as well as medical and mental health professionals.

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Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among young people. Only car crashes claim more lives. The number of suicide deaths continues to increase dramatically, even among children as young as eight.In the next three editions of Challenge 2.0, we’ll meet the mother and father of a young man who took his own life, who now seek to prevent other families from experiencing the same tragedy.

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Holiday dinners frequently pose challenges. But as differences in politics, philosophy and faith have become more extreme, such gatherings can become toxic-even or perhaps especially when the guests are related. But a new program called Potluck for Democracy believes with the right approach, the dinner table can become a place of connection, not division-even when the guests hold vastly different views. That’s the subject of this week’s edition of Challenge 2.0

Workers who move to a region for oil, gas and mining jobs often set up what are called ‘man camps’; residential villages often located near or even on native reservations. Investigators from groups such as Amnesty International have documented the increased risk of murder, rape, sex and human trafficking experienced by Indigenous women and children. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we visit with two native American activists about this and the broader problem of murdered and missing Indigenous women, men and children

The story of today’s Challenge episode was born in tragedy. A young woman who unsuccessfully sought to escape an abusive husband died at his hands when she was unable to find safe shelter. But it inspired a response that has literally saved thousands from similar fates. That response is called Maher-“Mother’s Home”. The setting for the story of Maher is in India, but it demonstrates the healing power of determination, imagination and compassion-a healing power available worldwide.

Translating values into policy and law is never easy and rarely quick. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we visit with leaders from the group Faith Action Network which represents 167 faith communities throughout the state. Those communities encompass Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism and prove the existence of common ground and shared values across different belief systems. Today, we’ll discover how successful they were in achieving their goals this year in the Washington state legislature.

The most common narrative of the current conflict in the middle east is that it pits Muslims and Jews against each other. It suggests differences in the two religions, and the expectations inherent in those faiths makes finding common ground impossible. But are differences in faith at the center of the conflict? We’ll ask three faith leaders from Christianity, Islam and Judaism for their assessment, and whether finding common ground might be possible.

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In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we began a conversation with an internationally recognized advocate of nonviolence and how it’s a proven path to peace and justice. This week, we explore what the practice of nonviolence is, how change within us is needed to create change around us as well as the evidence supporting the effectiveness of this strategy.

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Violence or the threat of violence dominates the news-whether it’s in the Middle East, the Ukraine, on American streets or in classrooms. It seems to be a never-ending cycle, with peace and justice remaining ever elusive. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we speak with an advocate of nonviolence, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Activist John Dear asserts it offers a proven path to peace and justice, and is anything but passive.

Science has clearly implicated four dams  on the lower Snake River as bearing major responsibility for the precipitous decline of salmon in the Columbia basin. All four salmon and steel head populations in this area at risk of extinctions. The four major tribal nations living in this and the larger region of the Columbia River basin say that threatens what they call their ‘lifeway’s their culture, their diet, their religion. And it also violates specific treaty guarantees made in exchange for their land.

The George Orwell novel 1984 describes an era ruled by thought police with those who evade book bans charged with ‘thought crimes’. Ironically, as book bans are increasing rapidly in the United States, the Orwellian novel is among those books most frequently challenged and banned from classrooms and school libraries. The American Library Association reports that 2022 was a record year for banning books, with more than 1200 demands to remove books from libraries and schools, and that 2023 is likely to exceed that number. It has become a form of entertainment, as some local groups offer beer and babysitting together with book ban votes. What is the cost of such censorship to our educational system and country? That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0

The textbook definition of history is that it’s the study of the human past as described by written documents left by humans. But when such history is uncomfortable, inconvenient or controversial, some groups seek to erase it. That’s particularly true of black history today. One example is the state of Florida’s STOP WOKE law that limits students and teachers from learning about issues related to race and gender. Such efforts are spreading beyond Florida. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we speak with two black educators about the histories white nationalists seek to silence.

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Study after study documents the number of Americans who participate in most organized religions is decreasing. Most religions. The exception may be a surprise. At the turn of the century, census figures estimated 134,000 Americans identified themselves as Pagans. That number has increased ten-fold, to 1.5 million this year. What exactly is paganism, why is it becoming more popular and does it share any elements in common with more traditional religions? Those questions are the focus of this week’s edition of Challenge 2.0

Fear is the common denominator between Gaza and Israel. The continued violence, destruction and loss of life has most people fleeing Gaza if at all possible, and continuing to mourn both the dead and lost sense of safety in Israel. But there are volunteers now seeking to enter despite the risk, to help those impacted by the war, just as there have been volunteers during past conflicts. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we’ll continue our conversation with two such caregivers.

The Hamas attack in Israeli and the counter-attack by Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza have led to thousands of civilian casualties. It is a human tragedy of inconceivable scale and impact. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we’ll seek to move beyond the political, historical and military aspects. Instead, we’ll talk with two caregivers who have deep experience in this region. Each has focused on alleviating human pain, suffering and need, each has done so at great personal risk.

The Pacific Island culture is an important element of the Pacific Northwest identity. But the story behind the migration is often one of pain-the result of colonial domination, the loss of supportive family and friends, the need to adapt to an unfamiliar culture. Gay and trans Pacific Islanders face particularly difficult challenges. UTOPIA Washington is a group that advocates for their needs-in this program, we’ll explore the challenges they face, and what the larger Pacific Northwest community can do to help them.

Youth sports are a bigger business than professional baseball. Yet the number of boys and girls participating in team sports is declining, and that doesn’t reflect the impact of the COVID pandemic. It reflects the rising cost of participating in youth sports, the hostility of parents seeking advantages for their children to the detriment of their teammates, and the focus on competitive success at even early ages. In this week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we talk with a veteran Seattle sportscaster and athlete about the scope of the problem, why we should all be concerned, and some possible solutions.

In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we began a conversation with a leader of the Ukrainian Association of Washington; she has made repeated trips to her homeland since the Russians invaded last year. This week, we continue our exploration of what you don’t hear or read in news reports-part two of ‘What Ukrainians Want You to Know’.

In four days, Ukrainians will observe the twenty second anniversary of their nation’s declaration of Independence. The holiday will be a bittersweet one, coming during the continuing Russian invasion and occupation of the Ukraine; an invasion that has cost thousands of lives and resulted in the kidnapping and forced relocation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Although the International Criminal Court has issued a war crimes arrest warrant for Russian president Vladimir Putin, major American politicians continue to express support for Russia. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, a leader of the Ukrainian Association of Washington shares what her fellow Ukrainians would like Americans to know.

Last week, we spoke with two scientists who have explored how changes in the way our food is produced have harmed our health. This week, we look at how those changes are damaging the health of our planet...and explore some solutions that proven to improve our physical and emotional health-and save money.

Americans spend twice as much on health care than people living in other developed countries. But we land near the bottom of the heap in terms of our health. One aspect is our ability to access and afford health care, but another aspect is what we eat...and what we eat...ate. That’s the focus of this edition of Challenge 2.0

In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we spoke with a member of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility about the growing health impact of air pollution. This week, we hear the groups’ recommendations for change. Part two of “When Air Pollution Won’t Let Us Say “Ahh”.

In last week’s episode of Challenge 2.0, we spoke with a member of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility about the growing health impact of air pollution. This week, we hear the groups’ recommendations for change. Part two of “When Air Pollution Won’t Let Us Say “Ahh”. 

The World Health Organization is calling air pollution the new tobacco. It believes the health impact of air pollutants on our health is that serious and widespread. That assertion is supported by a Harvard study showing one in five deaths is caused by exposure to fossil fuel pollutants, and that people of color and lower income are affected the most. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, health professionals from Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility give their diagnosis of the problem, and their prescription for change. 

Shootings are now the biggest cause of death for children and teenagers...passing the longtime threat of automobile accidents. Washington is one of the few states to have taken steps to reduce that threat; the state legislature passed a series of gun responsibility laws, include an assault weapon ban. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we examine the influence of faith leaders in leading to changes that make this a healthier and safer state to raise children. 

More American women are dying in childbirth than in any other developed nation. Infant survival here ranks 33rd out of the 36 major western countries. And the World Health Organization ranks the United States in the bottom 10 of 180 countries in terms of providing children with a healthy, sustainable future. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we examine why the health and survival of American mothers...and their children... is at such risk...and what can be done about it. 

They’re called ‘Ag Gag rules’-passed by state legislators to punish people who reveal unsafe, unhealthy or unethical food production methods. Such rules are only one example of strategies to reduce or eliminate public knowledge and regulation of corporate agriculture and food production methods. But in this episode of Challenge 2.0, we meet a group seeking to counter that pressure-and increase access to food that is good, clean and fair...and affordable. 

Any parent knows how it can be a struggle to persuade their children to eat healthy foods. But for some parents, the struggle is simply affording healthy foods-for that matter, any food. We’ve examined the issue of food insecurity among indigenous communities, and those of color. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, we examine a program called ‘Little Sprouts’ that was founded in Denver Colorado. It’s designed to help such parents and to persuade children that eating healthy foods can be tasty and fun.

The earliest European settlers in this country would not have survived without the knowledge, assistance and charity of the indigenous peoples they encountered. The irony is that was repaid by forcing those native Americans onto reservations, limiting their access to traditional food sources and replacing them with highly processed, often unhealthy foods . In this episode of Challenge, we meet (continue our conversation) with a man called The Sioux Chef...who is seeking to right that wrong. 

In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we began an examination of what have been called food deserts or food wastelands...and its’ impact on the health and wealth of communities...particular those of color. We continue that conversation this week with a man called the Sioux Chef...winner of not one but several of the highly coveted James Beard awards. He has made it his mission to address the economic and health crises that impact indigenous communities.

Forty percent of the food produced in the United States is thrown away. That’s more than in any other country. Food waste takes up more room in landfills than any other source. Yet hunger, malnutrition and related health problems are increasing. More than thirteen million Americans live in what are called ‘food deserts’. What are food deserts, and how do efforts to achieve what’s called food sovereignty aim to bring new life and health to such places? That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.

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Faith communities seem to be subject to the same polarization seen throughout the United States. Yet an organization called the Faith Action Network coordinates the voices of more than 150 such groups in this state. FAN...as it’s called...asserts that translating prayer into policy is valid, needed, and can build community.

Although money spent on gifts during the holiday season increases yearly, one in five Americans now seeks to spend less. The founder of what is called The Church of Stop Shopping is hoping to expand that trend...and not just during the holiday season. This week on Challenge 2.0, we continue to explore the work of the man known as Reverend Billy...and why he believes our future is dependent on spending less, not more. 

Shopping malls have been called cathedrals of consumption...advertisers acolytes of excess. At no time is that more evident than during the Christmas season. Holiday spending drives 41% of Americans into debt. That behavior has many critics, but one man has made it his mission to convince us that the cost extends well beyond a single holiday season, well beyond our bank accounts. His work is the focus of this edition of Challenge 2.0-Reverend Billy, and the Church of Stop Shopping. 

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In last week’s program, we examined the damage wrought by Colonialism…the exploitation of one people by another for profit. Some historians point to colonialism…and the exploitation that was part of it… as the springboard of capitalism. Yet some faith and political leaders suggest religion and capitalism are inseparable. That assertion is the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.

‘They paid their debt to society’. That phrase is supposed to describe how someone convicted of a crime, and done their time, should be free to rebuild their life and that of their families. That’s not reality. But an imaginative program based in Seattle is aimed at transforming that situation. In this edition of Challenge 2.0; Emerging from the Prison Beyond Bars-The Prison Scholars program. 

In this episode of Wisdom from Our Neighborhood, Terry talk with Nina Fernando. Nina serves as the Executive Director of the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign (S2S). S2S is an interfaith organization that works across the nation to counter anti-Mulsim bigotry. Terry asks Nina about the work they do, why the work is needed, and how people can participate in this important work in their own community.

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http://chris-hoke.com/undergroundministries

Terry is joined by the executive director of Underground Ministries:

Since 2015 I’ve found a level of friendship, electric spiritual reflection, and heartbending stories in relationship with the incarcerated. The local county jail was just the first portal to the rabbit hole—into the underground of polite society, the streets, the supermax prisons, the cycle between the two that function like the circles of hell, or Hades today.

I am now the founding director of Underground Ministries. We want to pry open that underworld of our making, one relationship at a time. We are based in Skagit Valley, WA, but our models for churches and businesses to get in the game are resources of a wider movement. We want to make resurrection an ethic, a practice—for folks who thought they believed in it or not.

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In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, we joined the two thousand mile journey of a totem pole created by the Lummi Nation House of Tears carvers. We also joined a discussion of what that journey represents and what it calls for-a change in our relationship to the environment, a restoration of ancient Salmon runs that sustained life in the Pacific Northwest for millenia. Welcome to this edition of Challenge 2.0-Spirit of the Waters, Part Two.

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The Spirit of the Waters Totem Pole Journey in May stretched over seventeen days and more than two thousand miles. But the journey of this sixteen foot pole, created by the Lummi Nation House of Tears carvers, extends much farther in time. It reviews the relationship between humans and the environment that sustained a rich and sustainable culture for centuries in the Pacific Northwest, examines how abandoning that wisdom now threatens the lives and prosperity of this region and it calls us to reclaim that wisdom on our journey into the future. That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0, Spirit of the Waters.

In last week’s edition of Challenge 2.0, faith leaders from Judaism, Christianity and Islam looked at the environmental crisis and how it models a crisis within our lives-our faiths, our values. We continue and expand that conversation this week, looking at how solutions demand not only good science and careful application of technology…but also digging deeper into what we value and believe.

Last year brought the hottest month ever recorded on this planet, the longest drought ever recorded over the western United States and record rainfall and flooding over the eastern United States. Climate researchers agree it is a crisis demanding careful science and application of technology…but there’s an increasing sense that it also is a crisis of values and faith…that to successfully confront the challenges of the world we live in we must first confront the challenges of the world that lives in each of us. That’s the subject of this edition of Challenge 2.0.

Seven years ago, a twenty one year old white man walked into a predominantly black church in South Carolina, opened fire and killed nine members of that faith community.  Most religious communities condemned the action and beliefs of Dylan Roof. But many  have also failed to see the contradiction between their expressed beliefs and their fears, resentments and discomfort focused on people of color. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we examine Racism; Religion’s Blind Spot…what it’s like to be black in mostly white faith communities. 

In last weeks’ edition of Challenge 2.0, we began a conversation with two prominent atheists/humanists. What do those terms mean? Does their disbelief mean they don’t share common values with those who do profess a religious faith? Is there room for collaborative action and connection in a society that increasingly offers neither?

Devin Burghart is president of Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights and coordinates the Seattle office. He has researched, written, and organized on virtually all facets of contemporary white nationalism since 1992, and is internationally recognized for this effort.  Devin is frequently quoted as an expert by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Enquirer, Arizona Republic, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The Nation, and Rolling Stone. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, the CBS News and National Public Radio, and other broadcast media outlets. 

Learn more about Devin's work at: https://www.irehr.org/

Learn more about Paths to Understanding at https://www.PathsToUnderstanding.org Join the Paths Network at https://www.PathsNetwork.org

Health impacts have been the most recognized cost of the COVID epidemic. But perhaps a longer lived impact will be on the learning and future of today’s children. The damage depends upon where the children live and attend school. In this edition of Challenge 2.0, we’ll discuss the problems educators and their students face, and what needs to be done for a recovery of possibilities as well as health.

The mega-heatwave of this past June drove temperatures in the Pacific Northwest past the one hundred degree mark for days. Among the hundreds of deaths caused by that heat was a migrant farm worker in Oregon. In this episode of Challenge 2.0, we’ll examine the risks farm workers face to bring produce to our tables, needed protections and the hard questions we need to ask ourselves and our grocers.

Find out more https://pathstounderstanding.org