...The relationship between song and education is well-known. Many have written on the subject, perhaps most famously Plato in The Republic. In it, Socrates warns about the dangers of teaching certain ungodly songs. If the gods are portrayed as vengeful and cruel, he says, what will prevent our children from emulating them?

The Mamos want the world to hear their warning and their deep concerns about the precarious state of all life on Mother Earth: “Our ancestors left us in this space, caring for and harmonizing the Earth and Humanity. We live in harmony with all nature's beings: water, earth, fire, wind, the sun, humans, and also animals and plants, which are essence of the divine.”

Gender, like race, is a social construction, which is to say, a story. And the stories of sexism and racism that have cast such a pall over our history and our present illustrate the power of worldview and narrative in generating and maintaining systemic oppression.

Pat McCabe | As women, I see us as the relational glue, the relational builders, so I need to get it really straight in my own mind and heart from what ethic will I address these pressures and potential conflicts around water.

Since 2012 Brian Sokol has focused on telling the stories of refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), and stateless people in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. The Most Important Thing—his ongoing, long-term portraiture project—seeks to humanize and convey the dignity of individuals who have been dehumanized by conflict, government policies and the media.