lqb2weekly #168 (4 mar 2022)

Mar 4

hey,

this week’s newsletter is a full one! i’m gonna be a little all over the place with things (jupiter in pisces abundance/overflow?) i want to share with you, so buckle in or bail! here we go…

a few final fun bits of black history month:

check out kitty knox, an early black cyclist and civil rights hero
during the beautiful ventures networks for black futures event, i met jamye wooten and he runs a dope project in baltimore, 28 days of black futures. check it out.
frugal bookstore had a fire a few weeks ago. they raised $57k in 8 days and then closed the gofundme. fucking incredible. i love this. it’s a great story and reminder that projects don’t need infinite money. this story says to me: things can go wrong, we can get what we need, and then when we’ve had enough, we can collectively direct our attention to the next thing. everything is a lot lighter when we carry it together. <3

here’s a few cool things that have come across my plate since the last newsletter:

i forgot about this tree of contemplative practices but it’s dope. thx cassie z for reminding me of this!
this 750 words a day tool/app seems cool. in my experience, meditating and morning pages accomplish approximately (not exactly) the same thing. i find when i do both, it’s too much. but i can do one or the other and feel approximately the same type of benefit.
on feeling your feelings
- one hilarious tiktok (2 min. i can’t stop watching this. idk why i think it’s so funny but i do)
- one longread article

three slightly longer things (click through to read a little more)

a play: young nerds of color @ central square theater
therapy for BIPOC formerly incarcerated and/or injustice involved folks
childbirth education series co-lead by my dear friend, melissa!

two final thoughts:

on the ukraine

i still feeling my way through how i relate to what’s happening in the ukraine. these three bullets from this piece sum up why.

i have a tender heart for all suffering. and i’m terrified of nuclear proliferation. and the media response to this feels racist to me. i don’t want to let my emotions and wellness be dragged around by large racist apparatuses. idk. maybe i’m a bad person.

daylight is coming. also depression is v high rn.

sunday mar 13 is the day the time springs forward in the US. while that’s on the way, depression in people in my community is peaking. this is a tough moment. if you’re holding folks with depression, it’s not your place to solve it. i know, i’ve tried. the best i’ve learned to do is be present for them and the depression. stay steady. don’t run or turn away from it. but don’t try to fix or solve it either. just being present without working towards solution is one of the toughest things i’ve ever had to do (because my fixer/patriarchal solutionist instincts are strong). if you are depressed or holding someone with depression, hold tight. the light is coming.

on to the things!
(!!) pick of the pack

writing

some things i’ve written since the last newsletter:

Mar 1, 2022 | book review: centering prayer by m. basil pennington
Feb 28, 2022 | book review: no bad parts by richard schwartz
Feb 26, 2022 | rest in 2022
Feb 25, 2022 | book review: the nonprofit strategy revolution

quotes

there is nothing new under the sun.

the point is not to pay back kindness but to pass it on. — Julia Alvarez

There are two types of tired: one that requires rest, the other requires peace. — Anonymous

There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. — Edith Wharton in ‘Vesalius in Zante’

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. — Winston Churchill

Simple is nearly always better. But if it’s going to be complicated, then make sure the problem is worth the complexity. A great deal of time is wasted creating complex solutions to relatively unimportant problems. — James Clear

Many situations in life are similar to going on a hike: the view changes once you start walking.
You don’t need all the answers right now. New paths will reveal themselves if you have the courage to get started. — James Clear

You cannot define a person on just one thing. You can’t just forget all these wonderful and good things that a person has done because one thing didn’t come off the way you thought it should come off. — Aretha Franklin

I will have to remember ‘I am here today to cross the swamp, not to fight all the alligators.’ — From the Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander

Accept the truth from whatever source it comes. — Moses Maimonides

poetry

the low road by marge piercy

reads

some things i’ve read since the last newsletter:

listens

some audio and/or podcasts i’ve listened to since the last newsletter:

watches

some videos i watched since the last newsletter:

jams

some things i’ve been (aurally) enjoying since the last newsletter:

black folk — tank and the bangas
in tune — robert glasper
try me, evil — tobi adey
my journey to the sky — sister rosetta tharpe

jobs

jobs postings will clear out next newsletter! it’s getting long in here lol

housing

A friend is looking for a new place to live, preferably (but not exclusively) in Cambridge, Somerville, or JP. Rent under $900. Available to move-in any time after 2/1. Please send any leads to jordanmudd54@gmail.com! More about him:

I’m a 23-year old white, queer, gender non-conforming man, vaccinated & boosted, mostly vegetarian. I work both at home and in the office. I like to play card/ board games, cook, read, make & write music, dance, craft, bike, and be among trees. As a housemate, I like to keep things clean, and build relationships with the people I live with through sharing food and generally hanging out. Big fan of direct communication and intentionality around conflict resolution and domestic labor practices.

another friend and dope organizer in boston is looking for a roommate!

ISO human to share space with in Dorchester near Morton and Norfolk street on the Mattapan line. Accessible by multiple public transit options including the commuter rail (5 minutes from Morton Street stop on the Fairmont line), multiple bus lines and about 15 -20 minutes from Ashmont and Forest Hills station. Two rooms are available starting April 1st. The room rental is a flat fee ($1,300 - $1,450) depending on room size and includes all utilities, off street parking, wifi, cable access, access to a semi-private bathroom, yard and a hot tub. BIPOC and queer folks are favored and welcome. Check out this doc form for details including pictures of the space. Email Khalida at khalidasmalls@gmail.com if you have any questions. Please complete this form to be considered.

upcoming events

$$ (fun-raising)

Join Resource Organizing Project in growing stronger, more sustainable movements for justice and liberation in New England. Become a Seed Sustainer!
cynthia lin is fundraising for bcnc (now 64% of the way there!)
i am currently working on writing an essay for a tarot deck to be released this year: liberation tarot. you can check out some lovely previews and bios of the artists here and you can help support the fundraising here. here’s the fundraising ask from the website in case you don’t have energy to click through:

We are now looking to raise an additional $10,000 for the design and writing of the Liberation Tarot handbook! The handbook will include magnificent written contributions from emet ezell, Lawrence Barriner II, Elicia Epstein, and adrienne maree brown.

Can you help us reach $10,000 by May, 2022?

if you’ve got funds to help this project get over the finish line, here is where to send them. 🙃 i’m v excited. obvi.

other opportunities

Consultant for Union of Concerned Scientists to support the development of a Train the Trainer program for an effort called Science Rising
White Men to Explore Humble Leadership towards Racial & Gender Justice | Three Sessions: March 8, 15, 29 (2-5pm ET, on Zoom)
Relaunch of Boston Opportunity Fund announced
Reading Work - Open Call (get paid to read abolitionist texts)
Rivers of Kusir: Path & Purpose - Men's Integrity Circle 2022

newsletters

emet ezell: what kind of ancestor do you want to become?
building belonging: Wounds want to be healed
astroradicals: THE MOOD: Condensed and Cross-Eyed
better humans daily: A model for even more aggressive self-care (if you think you’re worth it)

right now i’m learning…

very specific reasons (affirming my experience) why 3-year strategic plans aren’t effective. see the nonprofit strategy revolution.