Be the Change
Poems, Prayers & Meditations for Peacemakers & Justice Seekers
Stephen M. Shick
"In a radio series I produced long ago, Studs Terkel, the intrepid Chicago radio personality and author, said something like this: "I wake up in the morning and read the papers and say the human species is not going to make it. Then," he continued, "I run into people who are making a difference...." I offer this book to those people, to you, who look upon the carnage of war, the cruelty of poverty, and the destruction of our environment with open eyes and simply say, 'We can and must do better.' This book is for you, the ones who, despite fears and limitations, give hope and courage to all of us by the way you live. It is dedicated to you who have a pestering need to love more boldly and live more courageously so that others might live better lives."
—From the Introduction
This collection is designed to inspire and sustain activists and others who are working for a better world. Shick draws on his four decades of activist experience to offer motivation and encouragement to those just starting out as well as reflections and insights to veteran justice-seekers. Brimming with poignant and inspirational quotations and verse from Jesus to Shakespeare to Edna St. Vincent Millay, Rachel Carson and Maya Angelou.
Praise for Be the Change
"Steve has drawn from his own richly lived tapestry of spirituality and
activism to give us a gift that can soothe, inspire, gently provoke or lead us
to contemplation. Be the Change will be at my side for years to come."
—Charlie
Clements, president and CEO, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
"Stephen Shick has given activists, trouble-makers, and prophetic freedom
fighters a thoughtfully crafted gift. We know the best boat in a storm is one
with a good keel. That's why we who are committed to creating a just and
peaceful world must tend to our spiritual wellsprings."
—Nick Carter,
president, Andover Newton Theological School
"Steve Schick's Be the Change is a rich resource for social activists
who change the world because they change themselves in the process. In a varied
collection of short readings, meditations and personal vignettes, Schick
effectively links the spiritual and the social, love and justice. He explores
many of the dilemmas faced by those who would change the world. Drawing on
resources from a variety of cultures, Schick captures the essence of the linkage
of spiritual growth and social change. Be the Change would be a valuable
addition to any activist's library"
—Richard S. Gilbert, social justice
coordinator, St. Lawrence District
For more information contact bookstore @ uua.org.
Last updated on Tuesday, March 17, 2009.
