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 issue 175 ~ week of June 26, 2020
Note from the Editor


Hi <<First Name>>,

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about communities: their function, the inequalities found within them, the comfort they provide, and how I can better care for mine. During this time of isolation and social distancing in particular, I’ve found myself in a more focused mindset, often asking: How can I offer quick and immediate relief to the people around me?

Historically, when I’ve thought about change-making, I’ve assumed that getting at the root of an issue—like racism and violence against Black people—meant donating nationally. But over the last few weeks especially, I’ve felt a pull toward grassroots, local efforts.

I recently added “mutual aid networks” (here’s a NYT piece about them and a Curbed feature on them) to my vocab because they feel like the exact essence of what “community care” really is: members of a community looking out for each other in a way that gives everyone an opportunity to thrive. Yet, as the Curbed piece mentions, these groups are often composed of individuals who, as a result of not having had support from mainstream systems, “had to create their own networks as a matter of survival.” It’s an amazing structure and a testament to what communities are capable of, but I'm frustrated that they have to exist in the first place. (For anyone local to D.C., here’s a link to the East of the River Mutual Aid Fund if you're looking to contribute.)

Of course, there are other ways to help locally, too. For me it’s starting with small kindnesses and working my way up from there. The other day, a few GNI readers recommended I donate my books to a local Little Free Library, since our public libraries are closed right now. They had it right — that’s a prime example of community care.

Last weekend, I donated some art supplies to a family in our building. Then I emailed a local summer arts camp to learn more about donating classes to kids whose parents might not be able to afford them right now. This isn’t a “look at me” humble-brag; it just feels necessary to give back directly to my city and neighbors right now, and access to child care is a huge issue of inequality right now. 


Writer and author Rachel Miller put it perfectly in The Art of Showing Up, this month's book club pick: We each have a finite amount of TME (time, money, and energy) to give. By defining what’s important to us, we can prioritize what we're able to do in the short- and long-term to continue to show up for ourselves and our people. This is an important step.

Since starting GNI, I’ve learned that while it’s important to take care of yourself, it shouldn’t be the end goal. It’s the means that makes it possible to decide what you want to put your TME into right now. For me, personally (and for GNI), the taking care scale is tipping toward community care because when everyone in a community doesn’t have access to the proper tools to feel good, that means there’s still work to be done.

How are you participating in community care efforts on a local level lately? Are there any orgs, networks, groups, or people doing great work that you want to shout out? Reply to this email and we’ll share some here next week. 

Until next Friday, 
Alisha Ramos, @alisharamos

Founder at GNI

P.S. Speaking of community care, I’d love for you to take our GNI 2020 survey to help shape our own community moving forward. As last week's issue proved, GNI is always better with input from you. ✨

weekly picks


what to explore this weekend
just over here liking everything @thejungalow posts
  1. Do something nice for yourself... 👩‍🍳 Cooking Solo by Klancy Miller is a celebration of the sometimes tricky ins and outs of cooking for yourself. It's also a great reminder to do it with love. Send this cookbook to a friend who's riding out quarantine alone (and tell them to double the recipe when you're allowed to hang again!). 
     
  2. If you're making a house a home... 🌼 it's all in the details. We're recently ogling this bookend vase from The Jungalow, this planter from Etsy, and ceramics from @notworkrelated_ and @lollylollyceramics.
     
  3. A one-size-does-NOT-fit-all approach to your finances... ✍️ Wondering how you can start taking a more active role in your long-term finances? UBS can help identify some starting points. GNI readers can take the Money Move Quiz now to learn which of the Top 10 Money Moves are right for you. #SPONSORSTHING
  4. The mesmerizing food content you need in your life... 🔥 Chef Chris Cho's TikToks are so entertaining. We vote watching this one on kimchi pancakes first and fully going down the rabbit hole from there. 

  5. If you're looking for more helpful newsletters to follow... ☕️ we love Morning Brew for an enjoyable morning snapshot of business news and Nicole Cardoza's Anti-Racism Daily to make sure you're continuing to do things like: diversify your news sources, fight voter suppression, and reflect. 
     
  6. If you're looking for a little bit more joy while spending time at home.... 🕺 bring in the disco balls. "I highly recommend getting a disco ball for your space to add some golden hour warmth. To be honest, it just really makes me smile—look at this light!" - Tyler, GNI Team
  7. Sending your best friend an inflatable kiddie pool out of nowhere? 👯‍♀️ This tweet about friendship captures the very real friendship phase of sending gifts back and forth forever. (Speaking of which, here are all our favorite ideas for getting outdoors this summer.)

sponsor spotlight: Everlane

Keep things simple this summer. ☀️

We love a good all-in-one moment, so it's almost like Everlane made their Super-Soft Summer Jean Coverall with us in mind. This is one of those lightweight denim items that you can put on in the morning knowing that its production was safer for the environment — Everlane's denim factory partner recycles 98% of their water and reduced its CO2 emissions by 80%.

Other items we're loving right now: this Tie Dye Tee/Bike Short combo and this entire loungewear shop.

SHOP EVERLANE FOR SUMMER

read/watch/listen


what we're sitting down with in the days to come
what's your next step? (via @raisaaziz)

What We’re Reading: 🤓
I'm a Black Trans Woman, and Celebrating My 36th Birthday Felt Like a MilestoneHow My Family Cookbook Brought Me Back Home5 Things I Want to Tell My White Friends | Where Bail Funds Go From Here | On Insecure, Black Women's Hair is Allowed to Simply ExistWhere Will We Pee When Out in Our Half-Reopened States | Climate Change Tied to Pregnancy Risks, Affecting Black Mothers Most | A Fat Chick Walks Into the Doctor's Office | Built-In Ableism Makes Queer Spaces Inaccessible to Disabled People | Our Lives Happen in Restaurants

What We’re Watching: 👩🏾‍🍳

"For all my fellow Great British Bake Off obsessees, this one's for you: If you want a joyful Netflix show to watch at the end of a long day, I'm loving Nadiya's Time to Eat, featuring Nadiya from Season six. The great part about the show is that it's all about simplifying and shamelessly embracing ALL the hacks while cooking at home (see: pre-made pastry dough), which we're all doing more than ever before now." - Alisha, GNI Team

What We’re Celebrating: 🌴
"It's Caribbean Heritage Month, and celebrating with books feels like a great way to approach it this year. I appreciate this list of 6 Audiobooks by Caribbean Women, which even included one of our GNI book club picks from last summer — The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins." - Tyler, GNI Team 

What We’re Thinking On: 📚
"I recently finished the book Being Numerous by Natasha Lennard. It's about collective action and has essays and repurposed articles on BLM, Standing Rock, and more. It was a productively stressful read in that the essays span several years but not much has changed." - Mary Anne, GNI Team 

What We're Supporting: ❤️
Thanks to many of you for donating to the Loveland Foundation. We’re raising $10,000 for the Therapy Fund—which goes toward finding culturally competent therapy for Black women and girls. If you're looking for one small thing you can do this weekend to make a difference and help others take better care, you can make a donation here. (Make sure to select “Alisha Ramos” as the Team Captain when donating.)
DONATE HERE

something to look forward to...

 
Anyone else finishing Homegoing and excited to read Yaa Gyasi's upcoming book, Transcendent Kingdom? (via @readingbringsjoy)
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