when I first discovered valarie kaur, I cried. I cried watching her six-minute video that went viral and garnered over 40 million views. I cried reading her book “see no stranger: a memoir  & manifesto of revolutionary love,” and I cried in our conversation as she shared her wisdom, heart, passion and love.

valarie is a seasoned civil rights activist and celebrated prophetic voice “at the forefront of progressive change.” she leads the revolutionary love project to “reclaim love as a force for justice in america.” she is a lawyer, filmmaker, and innovator who has been a regular tv commentator on MSNBC and contributor to CNN, NPR, PBS, the Hill, Huffington Post, and the Washington Post. she is the daughter of Sikh farmer’s from California’s hearltand and the author of “see no stranger.”

this conversation is one of my favorites from the series, “art, activism and the great unknown.” may it move you as much as it did me.

some things we talk about: 

• hearing her first racial slur
• the revolutionary power of love
• the voice of the little critic and the power of the wise woman
• grief as a way to know each other
• deep listening as an act of freedom
• the need to listen and share our stories
• and the labor of the revolution

you can hear more interviews with brave and experimental artists here.

you can follow all things BEYOND and my personal writing on instagram here.