January 2022 – Honoring, Growing, and Thriving
Happy New Year from Progress North! In this edition of First Fridays, we honor Martin Luther King Jr., and highlight books to help you grow and thrive in 2022! As we work together to challenge corporate power, structural racism & gender oppression, we must take time to take care of ourselves too! Growing and thriving as individuals helps us to grow and thrive as a community of engaged Wisconsinites from all backgrounds.
Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.
Online Program of Observance
The 37th annual official MLK Day Observance in Madison will take place virtually on Monday, January 17, from 6:00 to 7:00 PM.
It will feature the MLK community choir and keynote speaker Ilyasah Shabazz – daughter of Malcolm X and award-winning author, educator, and producer. Instructions for viewing available soon at: http://mlkingcoalition.org/
MLK Day: A day ON, not a day off by Adriana Salgado-Santiago
In this quick-read blog post, we are reminded of Dr. King’s value of service to others. The writer shares her own reflection and motivation to serve at a time when all of us may be struggling differently throughout another pandemic winter. Her family-friendly examples provide great ways to get kids involved.
I Am Martin Luther King Jr by Brad Meltzer - Books Read Aloud by StoryTimeWithMsMelange
This book, for kids ages 5-8, includes influential childhood moments, a timeline of key events, and features aspirational character traits of Dr. King alongside comic-book-style illustrations. A free reading of the book by Ms Melange is available on Youtube!
Selma (film, 2014)
Available for streaming rental on Amazon
A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.
Did you know that you can access thousands of books for FREE from your home as e-books and audiobooks using a library card and the app Libby? Libby is available in the App Store, Google Play, and from your web browser at https://libbyapp.com/
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Miguel Ruiz
In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don’t Take Anything Personally, Don’t Make Assumptions, Always Do Your Best.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
A pioneering researcher and one of the world’s foremost experts on traumatic stress offers a bold new paradigm for healing.
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Such experiences inevitably leave traces on minds, emotions, and even on biology. Sadly, trauma sufferers frequently pass on their stress to their partners and children.
Renowned trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he transforms our understanding of traumatic stress, revealing how it literally rearranges the brain’s wiring—specifically areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust. He shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, mindfulness techniques, play, yoga, and other therapies. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score offers proven alternatives to drugs and talk therapy—and a way to reclaim lives.
Not Drinking Tonight: A Guide to Creating a Sober Life You Love by Amanda White, LPC
When “retired party girl” and popular therapist Amanda White admitted she was an alcoholic, it wasn’t because she’d done something outrageous while under the influence, like land herself in jail or get married in Vegas. It was because she realized three things: 1. Alcohol was making her life worse. 2. Moderation wasn’t helping. 3. She could not be a therapist if she continued to use alcohol to numb her life. Something needed to change—not just her relationship with alcohol, but her relationship with herself.
Choosing not to drink can be daunting. It’s everywhere in our culture, our socializing, and our destressing. And it can seem black or white: you drink, or you don’t (and if you don’t, people ask why). That’s where Not Drinking Tonight comes in. Judgement-free and relatable, Amanda helps you unpack your relationship with alcohol by showing you how to:
Find out why you drink. Whether it’s a glass of wine after work or a weekly bar crawl, your drinking habits can be the result of everything from biology to trauma.
Heal your relationship with alcohol. Understand how your relationships have been affecting your life, and learn how to set boundaries and create true self care.
Build the sober life you love. Learn what comes next—how to maintain your social life, navigate sex and relationships, and love yourself.
Not Drinking Tonight isn’t a program to stop drinking. It’s the first book to help you address the root issues that cause you to reach for a drink, and create a life you love—one that is not perfect, but is messy and real and one you are fully present for.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Based on his own experience and the stories of his patients, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. At the heart of his theory, known as logotherapy, is a conviction that the primary human drive is not pleasure but the pursuit of what we find meaningful. Man’s Search for Meaning has become one of the most influential books in America; it continues to inspire us all to find significance in the very act of living.
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night’s sleep every night.
Kaleigh Nelles is a member of the Progress North Community Contributor Team
