Our monthly cohousing meeting was the Saturday morning after the election. Many of us at Rocky Hill Cohousing gathered feeling sad, angry, upset, dazed, and fearful as a result of the election of Donald Trump for President. We began by watching a three minute old Monty Python video, “Dennis the Constitutional Peasant,” which seemed quite relevant as well as funny. We were indeed in need of some humor at this moment. We spent thirty minutes of our valuable community meeting time sharing how we felt and the need to support each other and those working for progressive change in the United States despite what we perceived as a major setback. We learned of the safety pin movement and put on safety pins to indicate we will serve as a safe place for anyone being threatened or treated unfairly. Finally we discussed and reached consensus to help an international refugee family coming to our country; below is a consensus resolution we adopted. This was one way to indicate we plan to move ahead and not be set back in our efforts to make our country more loving and open to all. We also adopted by consensus our plan for a Care Committee along the lines suggested by Laird Schaub at the 2016 Aging Together Conference. I want our fellow cohousers to know that there is still hope and much to be encouraged about in what are often seen as dark times.

David Entin, Rocky Hill Cohousing, Northampton, MA

Rocky Hill Cohousing Resolution on Refugee Resettlement Project

Whereas, there are millions of international refugees who have fled war and persecution and other forms of oppression and wish to find a land that is free and safe and offers opportunities,

Whereas, the Northampton City Council has unanimously resolved to welcome refugees to our city,

Whereas, the Mission and Values statement of Rocky Hill Cohousing includes giving “our care, time and work” to both ourselves and “the wider community and the world,”

Whereas, six members of Rocky Hill Cohousing have volunteered to serve as a Circle of Care for the Northampton Refugee Resettlement project and twenty other resident adults strongly support this effort and wish to assist in helping to resettle a refugee family,

Whereas, our neighbor and sister cohousing community Pathways wishes to join this effort, with one person volunteering to serve on the Circle of Care and eleven others wanting to offer assistance,

Whereas, Rocky Hill Cohousing recognizes that some members of our community and Pathways have lives that are already full and demanding and cannot participate at this time for various reasons,

Be it hereby resolved that Rocky Hill Cohousing has agreed by consensus that helping to resettle a refugee family is a worthy service project for our community, consistent with our mission and values, and applauds those members who wish to volunteer their time and effort in support of the Northampton refugee resettlement project carried out by Catholic Charities.

Rocky Hill Cohousing recognizes that there is no expectation or requirement that every member of the community participate in this project.