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DO YOU FEEL THE CHANGE . . .
It's easy to focus on the many massive shifts taking place from our executive branch here in the U.S., but we're talking about a different one. The one you see when you look closely and clear away the media grabs.
It's a change coming up on us, slowly but surely, as people wake up to the reality of systems that need to collapse, in order to save the ones that really matter (like our planet Earth).
Change is terrifying to a lot of us, and even more so when it comes in the form of a word like 'collapse.' What we have seen most recently is how the deep, unsettling fear of the unknown causes reflexive reactions that have folks clutching on to a status quo that is harming them, that is killing us.
What we are asking ourselves lately is, how can we disrupt the unexamined notion that what we have right now must be better than whatever change could bring? How can the loss or collapse of systems of familiar harm be worse than the demise of whole ecosystems, whole communities, whole systems of value that truly sustain us?
And yes, we know, we understand - it's not up to any one of us, and it's not happening overnight. If you're exhausted by the idea of change, do a scan of those questions to make sure you're not thinking it's a fast or solitary solution. And once you've done that, we're here to ask: what are some changes that energize you?
Because you get to decide whether your work will contribute to a collapse of destructive systems that are not ultimately serving us or the Earth, or whether it's a collapse of humanity - first, through the systems that help us to see and relate to one another as whole human beings, and then by the Earth kicking us out.
Your efforts can be simple, even if they are not easy. We're here to be part of the collective, and help to answer the question: what can we do? Remember,
1) You are not alone.
2) You have all the tools that you need.
3) Start with 'one small thing.' This week's tidbits are dedicated to a whole slew of options.
Let's build some inertia,
Tay + Dor
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tidbits...
resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we're reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . .
Do One Small Thing . . . This week do at least ONE of the actions below. You don't have to do them all. Each one is a way to be a part of organized action. Tell us about which one you did (or if you had a DIY alternative).
Find your people. Sign up to join Monique Melton's Community Connection Gathering on February 20th.
As per the suggestion of AOC (or see a quick recap here), print out and distribute Know Your Rights with ICE flyers like this one or this. You can hand them out to friends, leave them at your local coffee shop or pub, or hang them on community bulletin boards. Or join the 1,600 people calling Congress per minute to voice concerns to their representatives (as opposed to the usual 40).
Beyond your representatives there are other people where you can concentrate your communication energy. Speak up and speak out - with bonus points if you get together with a few friends and send out a flurry of letters together. This series of posts has templates you can adapt and contact info for regulatory agencies or donors to political campaigns. Remembers Seth Godin's wise wisdom on The Weird Arithmetic of Coordinated Action.
Read and share Chris Talbot-Heindl's beautiful and enlightening graphic essay 'chrissplaining' nonbinary advocacy to cisgender people, in Community-Centric Fundraising.
Clean out your pantry. Discard any expired items and organize and inventory what is still good. Then make a meal from your pantry and share it with a friend. We already have so much more than we think we do - these little revolutionary acts can remind us in real time.
Make sure you have a library card, and use it to take out a book this week (and every week). Bonus points if you learn about the New York Public Library Teen Banned Book Club and share it with two teens that you know - or start your own banned book club (here you can find a library of banned books) or join an existing one. Sign up to learn about upcoming screenings for the new documentary The Librarians.
Activate your Black History Month by signing up to attend Nikki Blak's free 90-minute workshop 28 Radical Ways to Affirm Black Life. The live workshop is February 12th at 8 PM EST, but everyone who registers will get a replay to watch when their schedule permits.
Celebrate Valentine's Day with true love (the bell hooks kind, rather than the Hallmark kind): 1) read bell hooks' all about love, 2) Send a valentine via snail mail that includes toi marie's message 'I love you, I need you, and you make my world better.', and / or 3) Make Palestine your Valentine by sending flour instead of flowers. Donate here.
For self love, Maggie Battista is offering a series of elemental Cacao rituals during which participants may feel, amplify, embody, receive, and speak from the language and energy of love deep within. You Are Your Soul(mate): Three Cacao Rituals to Awaken Your Soul & Deepen Self-Love, takes place on February 19, 20, and 21, and you can sign up here.
"Explore your motivations for doing" - listen to this message from Sonya Renee Taylor and let it sink into your actions for the rest of the week.
If you have the flexibility to challenge yourself to shop elsewhere, and you're holding onto your Amazon Prime account, cancel it today.
Hope. If you are having a hard time doing that right now, read this from Joshua P. Hill who confirms that there is always opportunity: "Find an organization that you can plug into, reach out to that one political friend and attend the next meeting or event they’re going to." Nobody has to do it alone.
View and share this free guide to How to Write a More Equitable Job Post, and stay tuned for new resources to deepen this work.
"Plenty has been written about the economic impact of the pandemic on the food industry, but not enough about its lingering effects on the bodies of people whose mission is to nourish us." Read the latest GFJ Story on the creator behind Anjali's Cup, with words by Nicole J. Caruth and photos by Christine Han.
got a tidbit? drop it here for us and we'll share it in next week's newsletter.
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