Dance Through Time: A 60s Activist Then & Now

by Terry Dance-Bennink

Overview

Born in the UK and raised in the US, Terry Dance-Bennink found her way to Toronto as a university student in 1966. A sixties activist who never stopped, she became a peace advocate, civil rights campaigner, women's rights defender, union organizer, adult educator, environmental activist, and democracy champion.

Dance Through Time traces the author's evolution from youthful Marxism to electoral politics to peaceful civil disobedience. As a spiritual seeker, Terry relies on her faith to overcome personal and political obstacles. Born a Catholic, she becomes an atheist during her Marxist years, then returns to progressive Christianity in the nineties, joining the United Church when she moves to Victoria, B.C. She eventually calls herself a Buddhist-Christian with no church address.

A heart-breaking divorce, childlessness, breast cancer, and blindness challenge her, along with despair about the fate of the earth. But her belief in a power greater than fallible human beings—the "great mystery"— sustains her as she keeps pushing forward.

In mid-life, Terry encounters "the man in her dreams," her second husband, and builds a truly formidable career in both the non-profit and public sectors as an impassioned, spiritually informed advocate for adult education, proportional representation, Indigenous peoples, old-growth forests, and so much more. Seventy-five years later, Terry is still on the front lines to save B.C.'s ancient forests and combat climate change.

Dance Through Time revisits the revolutionary potential of the sixties and celebrates the enduring power of political solidarity, forgiveness, and spiritual connection.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940186021605
Publisher:	FriesenPress
Publication date:	01/22/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Terry Dance-Bennink is a former sixties activist whose passion for justice has carried her through seventy-five years. During this time, she’s campaigned for civil and women’s rights, organized unions, worked as an adult educator, and advocated for environmental and pro-democracy causes.

The child of two writers, writing has always been a part of Terry’s life, and she’s inherited her mother’s passion for justice along with her faith. A former Vice-President Academic of Fleming College, Ontario, and a dean at George Brown College, Terry has had an impressive career, which includes directing a retreat centre, and writing and editing the book, Stories United: Harvesting Elders’ Wisdom. She has a master’s degree in adult education and a diploma in spiritual direction, both from the University of Toronto.

Legally blind, Terry lives with her husband in an assisted living community in Victoria, B.C., where she enjoys listening to classical music and the blues, practising meditation, and solitary walks in nature. She continues to act in solidarity with those facing injustice, including Indigenous people, women, seniors, and old-growth forests.

She is a member of the Green Party of Canada, the BC Green Party, Elders for Ancient Forests, the BC Civil Liberties Association, RAVEN (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs), and Dying with Dignity. Her passion for helping others has never left her.