Sue’s Musings is a place that features viewpoints on community, equity, inclusion, justice, family, organizational change, and more from The Creative Discourse Group Co-Founder Susan McCormack. Engage with Sue’s thinking and stretch your own.
The Roots of Repair: What Old Growth Forests Teach Us About Creating Healthier Human Systems
Restoring forests and restoring human systems both require an honest reckoning with the past, a clear understanding of current challenges, and a proactive, intentional approach to repair. Sometimes foresters sacrifice mature growth to nourish the system as a whole. We may also need to let go of entrenched systems, habits, or practices that limit progress. By making space for diverse voices and new ways of thinking, we can foster a healthier, more inclusive environment.
How Public Conversations Can Lead to More Diverse Leadership
Three stories about how a series of public conversations led to more diverse leadership.
Four Essential Qualities for Equity & Justice Work
Four Essential Qualities for Equity & Justice Work
Education, Equity, and Engagement During COVID-19
In Vermont (like other places around the country), the closure of school buildings has made plain the serious inequities that are present in our communities. Without the safety net of…
We’ve Failed Our Children. Can the Pandemic Help Us Change?
Like many of us, I am trying to make sense of what is unfolding as this invisible virus makes its way around the world and across our country. The pandemic has laid bare the inequities…
Lessons in Patriotism
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Overcoming Prejudice and Privilege to Find True Love
Linda has beautiful eyes. Blue, lively, mischievous, with a deep kindness there, too. When I first encountered her, I had no idea those eyes would eventually be the catalyst…
The Students Are Watching
After the February 14, 2018 shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, courageous students who just endured the unthinkable are stepping up to create a movement for change…
Young Vermonters Lead Us Towards Justice
In my work with communities, I always make it a priority to ensure that young people have a meaningful seat at the table. The presence and participation of young people always leads…
Swimming In the Muddy Pond of Racism
I grew up in a household where black people were venerated. My dad was a jazz musician and a lover of jazz and soul music. As a teenager, unbeknownst to his parents…
An Encounter With Hope
A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from a complete stranger. He was traveling all fifty states with his family. He was in Vermont and wanted to meet with me to hear the story of my life and my work…
A Force for Good
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A Letter to My Family the Morning After Fear Trumped Love
This morning I woke up in a country that feels foreign and scary, that isn’t what I thought it was, and yet, of course it’s exactly the country I know it is…
The Secrets of Our Neighborhood Exposed by a Little Free Library
About a year ago we installed a Little Free Library on the front lawn of our house. Our Little Free Library is an unofficial one. We installed it on the corner of our property with little fanfare…
Work is Love Made Visible
This quote from Kahlil Gibran hangs on the wall in my office, an aspiration that I don’t always keep in the forefront of my mind. Every once in a while, though, life presents an opportunity to do…