A crowd gathers in Leipzig, Germany to commemorate the 70,000 people who courageously joined together in 1989 to peacefully demand freedom and democracy, a catalyst for the fall of the Berlin Wall. (Image: LTM/PUNCTUM)

Originally published on Common Dreams, December 11,...

Lady Liberty getting arrested. "Being 'good'—kind and honest with those we touch directly—is admirable and desirable, but we need more," writes the author. "It's time to elevate another virtue: courage." (Democracy Spring - April 2016)

This is the 8th of Frances' Though...

Fear can be a seedling for change.  Green Belt Movement tree nursery in Tumutumu Hills, Kenya.

(Photograph by Ariel Poster)

Originally published on Common Dreams, November 19, 2018

This is the 7th of Frances' Thought Sparks Video Series as she opens her heart about what...

One of the world’s happiest cities – Helsinki, Finland (Martti Kainulainen/Lehtikuva, via Associated Press)

Originally published on Common Dreams, September 17, 2018

This is the 6th of Frances' Thought Sparks Video Series as she opens her heart about what fortifies her i...