A little imagination.

I'VE FOUND MYSELF thinking a lot about sustain-ability these days. It's a constant challenge to find the balance between staying aware and engaged with the realities we face, and yet being positive and patient enough to keep doing the work for social justice, as well as redefining what that work may look like for each of us.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

This first issue of 2008 continues with our second installment of "The Innovators." a selection of people moving innovative ideas within the broad spectrum of the racial justice constellation. As is often the case with us, we started our search without much fanfare or even any discernable method--just gravitating to the stories that excited and moved us.

Now as I look over the pages, I see a thread of common themes that shed light onto what might have been guiding us.

It was important to include people working on the big issues of the day--strategies to stop the war, interventions in the immigration debate, connecting to Global South struggles for sustainable development. But it was also necessary to highlight certain values and characteristics for doing the work, like the importance of partnerships and relationship-building, the centrality of grassroots leadership and the vital role of culture and art. And not least of all, we wanted to be inspired and delighted.

We found all of that in these stories--about growing food along ...