Dear ones,
I’ve been working on building my capacity for optimism this past year. It helps that there are some extraordinary things going on in NYC that inspire some faith in humanity. There are buy-nothing stores where folks can pick up clothing, books, and household items for free, and mutual aid groups made up of neighbors who shop for and deliver groceries to peoples’ doors. There are food pantries, free fridges, coat drives, bail funds, and groups that distribute tablets and other tech to support remote schooling.
While the amount of human need is staggering right now, it is amazing to see the resourcefulness and the love that have activated so many people.
A friend alerted me to the difficulties that The Brooklyn Relief Kitchen (BRK) is having to meet the demand for groceries. The organization aims to fill more than 300 bags with quality food for distribution each week. From Tuesday - Saturday, they are accepting donations in front of Old First Church on 7th Avenue and Carroll St.
See the list of urgently needed items and/or donate here to Brooklyn Relief Kitchen.
Recently a few of us banded together with some new friends from Kensington Windsor Terrace Mutual Aid to establish a free fridge. Although we are still negotiating our location, we have a fridge, we’ve formed an LLC (really!) and are forging a potential partnership with People In Need. We’ve even applied for funds through NYC Participatory Budgeting. Those of us who have been working on this for 3 weeks (though it seems like a longer time because of the 2020 wormhole) are raring to go and we hope to have the fridge up and running in the next few weeks. You can join this effort!
Donate to KWT Mutual Aid! If you live in the neighborhood and want to be more involved, please email me at esalynn@gmail.com
Vaccinations for “teachers, education workers and those 75 and older, first responders, public safety workers, and public transit workers” are underway in NYC. There are serious concerns about the scheduling portal, which is “bewildering” by many accounts. My fingers are crossed that vaccines will make it into arms and that glitchy systems will be sorted out ASAP. If you have ideas about how we can bring this about, please write.
I am, of course, following the developments in the investigation of the events of January 6. Grisly and disturbing details continue to emerge, as I expect they will for quite a while. The Article of Impeachment introduced in the House yesterday refers directly to section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which will enable us to remove from office anyone who
shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the [United States], or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.
There is no shortage of bad news, and I am not a pollyanna. I do, however, feel gratitude for the determination of the people around me, and around the nation and the world, to defend democracy and care for one another.
with love,
L