Do good, feel good

Friends,

I’d like to recommend a few ways you may be able to perk up by supporting others. While there are options for support through $$$, support by sharing/promotion/sending love are just as important! I know not everyone has $$ to share right now.

ALLISON’S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUPPORTING NEIGHBORS:

• UNCHARTED BOOKS: https://www.unchartedbooks.com/
  This rad independent bookstore located in Chicago is run by my redheaded chum Tanner, with lots of support from his partner Rachel and dog Ramona! Peruse the digital storefront or be DELIGHTED by a subscription to the Substack. A subscription will guarantee you TOP NOTCH RAMONA THE DOG CONTENT. Do it. Or follow/like/share.
  Instagram: @UnchartedBooks
  Tweeters: @UnchartedBooks
  Facebooks: @UnchartedBooks
• JOSH OPTICAL/GUITARS RUIN LIVES:
  Josh is a guitarist’s guitarist. He is adept at so many styles and knows so much about music that I can’t even. His soul-touching, bone-rattling, face-melting AND foot-tapping performances have all been cancelled, so check him out on the interwebs and throw him a like, comment, share, or buck.
  Instagram: @guitarsruinlives or @joshoptical
  YouTube: @guitarsruinlives
  Facebooks: @guitarsruinlives
  I hear he’s also on the TIK TOK @joshoptical but I haven’t been there yet.
• Support your favorite 3 restaurants by ordering pickup/delivery, buying a gift card, or promoting them on social media. Masala Story is still open in DC and I’ll be ordering from Huacatay as soon as it re-opens! Already ordered Jackie Lees and Menomale!
• Support your local brewery/distillery or coffee shop. I’ve been impressed with DC’s Cotton & Reed‘s work to make hand sanitizer AND rum, available for purchase and pickup at their storefront window. Right now we can safely buy Zeke’s Coffee at the local farmer’s market, but they are also selling growlers, bags, and gift cards online! I may stock up…
• Support your local food pantry. Monetary donations may be the most helpful right now! If you’re looking for a place to donate OR if you need food, see https://www.feedingamerica.org/ and type in your ZIP code. In the DC area I recommend Martha’s Table. You can also look at Meals on Wheels or food services for schoolchildren.
• Support your neighbors who are entangled in the criminal justice system. TWO POINT THREE MILLION (2,300,000) people are incarcerated in the United States right now. All of them are at a very high risk of death from COVID-19. More than half a million are being held pre-trial, meaning they have not been convicted of any crime. Some are being detained because of racist immigration policies–cut off from family and society for months without a hearing. Whatever your opinions of criminal justice in the United States, the FACT is that detention facilities are public health risks to all who work, visit, and live there. Reducing the prison and jail population will save at least THOUSANDS OF LIVES. Make a call today to demand decarceration AND immediate steps to protect the health of those who are in facilities. Not sure if it’s that bad? Read this piece in WaPo with a report from one of my spouse’s colleagues (PDF here if you hit a paywall)–content warning–very disturbing.
  • In DC call Mayor Bowser at 202-727-2643 and Attorney General Karl Racine at 202-727-3400. You can find a script and social media posts to share at bit.ly/releasethemalldc
  • Elsewhere use this page from The Justice Collaborative--scroll down to Resources-Taking Action to find guidance on who to contact, how to contact them, and what to ask for.
• Support your neighbors who need financial help. Do you have a relief check coming from the government but you can make ends meet without it? Consider donating part or all of it through the #ShareMyCheck or #ShareMyCheckDMV campaigns. A couple suggestions:
  • Give to the M4BL (Movement For Black Lives) Money Pot to support organizers doing front line mutual aid and organizing work in the DC area.
  • Support immigrant families in the DMV who aren’t eligible for assistance because they don’t have a SSN–even if they are documented.
  • See Sharemycheck.org for more ideas and to take the pledge!
  • Share this with your friends and family!

Hope you find ways to do good and feel good in this difficult time. Comment with YOUR #ShareMyCheck suggestions/favorite artists/ local businesses/ nonprofits to support.

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