if you’re interested in mutual aid and aren’t sure where to start, i can’t recommend enough joining a local Buy Nothing group. in a nutshell, it’s a totally free gift economy— people give from their own abundance and ask for what they need. it’s indispensable as a recent grad household— we got the majority of our basic furniture, as well as an AC unit through the group— but what i find particularly wonderful are the ways other forms of community aid popup through the group.
i’ve seen people organize meal trains for strangers. people fleeing from domestic violence have gone from a suitcase of possessions to a fully stocked house in 48 hours. home hospices being set up with goods from six different households. cookbook lending. distribution of windfall apples and tomato harvest overabundance. grocery pickup for ill folks. people looking out for listings for others. everything from bread to baby carseats to house paint to pet food.
and much of it is done between strangers, often between people who would not recognize or identify with the term “mutual aid”. it lowers waste, goods go directly to people who need them, and it avoids the sometimes dubious morality of the thrift shop circuit. i’d really recommend it.
Here’s a link to a Google Doc with a bunch of Indigenous organisations which you can donate to, including Black Rainbow (LGBTQIA+ Indigenous organisation) and groups that support incarcerated Aboriginal people and work towards ending Indigenous deaths in custody
hiii folks I had to miss a Ton of work last week for medical reasons and my paycheck was pretty much cut in half. after rent and bills for this month I'm only going to have about 50 dollars to cover food, transportation, and anything else my pets and I might need for the next two and a half weeks before I get paid again. this is especially stressful because I'm really trying to save up money for when I'll have to take time off of work after my top surgery in october. if anybody can help me out I'd really appreciate it!!
YOUR HEART FILLS WITH DREAD with the announcement that JUDAS’S COMMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN get one if you dare.
I take payments through PayPal and Venmo, clients must pay before I get started. I have the right to refuse any commission for any reason. Don’t be weird. I will also refuse a commission if you don’t have a visual reference. Moodboards/rough drawings are acceptable for visual refs, just don’t show up with a text description please.
Y'all mention the "indigenous experience" and COMPLETELY exclude continental + diasporic Africans and Western/Central Africa entirely lol
Not slick at all
"Indigenous people make up a tiny percentage of the population but protect a vast majority of the planet's biodiversity" *only shows nonblack Natives, zero mentions of Black people's GENERATIONS long fight for climate/environmental justice, ignores how Black communities are devastated by environmental destruction and pollution*
"We need to look to Indigenous communities for alternatives" *zero mention of Black people AGAIN, no mention of Maroon societies and communities, or tribes/nations with visibly large Black populations on in Eastern regions get ignored or excluded from talks about self determination strangely*
“If I die because I gambled on love, it will have been a worthy death” is a pretty raw line despite the context being that a woman is politely asking a man-shark to not eat her in her sleep.