First they came for...
Don't stay silent. Speak Your Truth!
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.
This poem has been haunting me lately.
It was penned by Rev. Martin Niemöller, a German Lutheran pastor who started out as a Nazi sympathizer and ended up spending most of World War II in the Dachau concentration camp, for daring to criticize the Nazi rules for churches.
Having survived the death camp, he shared the poem as a life lesson learned from grievous experience—which is one of the most powerful forms of “writing to right the world.”
When we write and share tough passages from our own lives, we alchemize the trauma into nuggets of wisdom that we hope may benefit others, rippling out in much wider circles than we will ever know.
Individually and collectively, we Americans are in tough times now.
Even those who think that the new administration is doing the right thing will soon find the criminal hacking of the US government boomeranging back on them too.
This is a time to recognize, as Niemöller did, that when you are a silent bystander, you are an accomplice to the crime being committed.
If you disagree with something happening in front of you, you need to speak your truth, as loudly and clearly as possible.
Yes, I know that taking a stand can be dangerous, whether in person or online.
And yet those we admire most, from history and in the present, are those who have stood up on principle and refused to be cowed by the mob.
Right now federal judges are standing up for the rule of law in America, and no doubt making themselves targets of the MAGA mob as a result.
I have such gratitude for brave judges like my brilliant former student Loren AliKhan, who blocked the regime’s attempt to freeze federal funds for all nonprofits other than Medicare and Social Security.
Few of us have that kind of power.
But we always have the choice of whether to stay silent in the face of injustice, or to speak up.
You know where I stand on this choice.
Friends, we cannot afford to stay on the sidelines. We can’t afford to pretend that what is happening to the US government will not affect each one of us, and indeed the whole world.
Don’t stay silent! Grab your pens and microphones, gather in community, and speak your truth!
Yours in the crucible of 2025,
Jennifer
To write and speak our truths, we have to recharge our creative fuel cells, right?
I’m leading three in-person retreats this spring, designed to help you ground, center and reconnect to your own creative spirit.
Read on for details, and come join me!
Meet me in Petaluma, California on March 30 for a daylong writing retreat!
Come on retreat with me and Birth Your Truest Story co-host Audrey Kalman along the Petaluma River in northern California. We'll write, share, grab lunch at a neighborhood cafe, and amble to the river for inspiration. Join us to:
Trace your inspiration back to its source
Follow the twists and turns of your creative flow state
Learn to ride the rapids of your creative life and float gently through the quiet stretches
Write together and share your work
Savor the group energy of our Birth Your Truest Story creative community
March 30, 2025. Early registration ($139) runs through February 28.
Meet me in Rowe, Massachusetts for a weekend retreat in the beautiful month of May!
Come on retreat with me in the budding springtime setting of Rowe, Massachusetts, where we’ll write to explore our deep connections with our Mother Earth, Gaia, as well as how the potent theme of mothering and nurturing has shown up in our lives.
Rowe is a magical retreat center nestled in the northern Berkshire mountains, with trails through mature forests bordering a tranquil lake. It’s rustic in a way that encourages communion with the land and camaraderie with the kindred spirits in our circle.
May 9 - 11, 2025. Sliding scale tuition and a variety of accommodations on site. I can’t wait to share this special experience with you!
Come Riding & Writing in Iceland with me in June!
Riding & Writing in Iceland!
June 2 - 8, 2025
The creative tonic of Iceland has to be experienced to be understood.
Come experience the body, mind and spirit glow that comes from Riding & Writing in good company in a beautiful place, warmly hosted by our friends Gudmar and Christina at Hestaland.
Click here to find out more and see beautiful photos from my past Riding & Writing trips to Iceland.
Friends, it’s my pleasure and my passion to support you as we stretch towards living our lives creatively and to the fullest.
The motto of my author consulting business is “Writing to Right the World,” and the motto of my book publishing business, Green Fire Press, is “Books that Make the World Better.”
If these intentions resonate with you and you are working on a book, or have one in mind, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Supporting creative people bring their work more strongly out into the world is one way I try to make the world better.
Thank you for this. I really want a chance to work with you since we live in the same neck of the woods (just moved to Pitssfield) Hoping I can join your May writing retreat weekend.
Niemoeller's quote has been with me since before the election. Here is the version I wrote to make it relevant to our times:
And Then They Came for Me
First they came for the immigrants,
and I didn’t speak up,
Because I wasn’t an immigrant.
Then they came for the gay and trans folx
and I didn’t speak up,
Because I wasn’t gay or trans.
Then they came for the Black and brown folk
and I didn’t speak up,
Because I was white.
Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one
left to speak up for me.
~ 2024
So wish I could join the course, but moving and travel interfere.