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| ISSUE NO. 597 |
| DO YOU REMEMBER . . . what life was like before the pandemic? I stumbled across this question sometime last week, and it got me thinking about the difference between nostalgia and relief. I realized that I don't feel the former about pre-pandemic life, only the latter. We're not the only ones to acknowledge the impossibility of a return to 'normal' or to redefine what 'normal' even is...but more than just acknowledging that I can't 'un-know' the societal injustices - always present but laid bare in the past two years - I find that I don't want to. I am no longer in a state of shock, all my energy going toward processing the stark difference between today and yesterday. I am able to reflect on those differences and find clarity at the center. That's where the relief comes in. I don't ever want to go back to the state of ignorance and complacency in which I once dwelled. This speaks to Heather McGhee's writing about the 'Solidarity Dividend' in her book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, in which she illuminates the research behind the fact that social equity and antiracism benefit us all. This is why I still believe, in spite of all the negative press around this word, that being 'woke' is a positive. If you recall, 'feminist' is another word that people in power tried to wield against us as an insult, something that one should be ashamed of or keep hidden about oneself, for fear of social ostracizing, or worse. The simple fact is, I'd rather be awake. Last week we wrote about how upholding the humanity of ourselves and others cannot just be about your personal beliefs, or even about what you do in your daily life and work - it has to be about how and where you spend your money, too. We have shared a lot in the past year about the difficulties and challenges of making GFJ work toward equity in more tangible ways, but we have also mentioned that GFJ is more successful today than it was two years ago as a direct result of this equity work. According to conventional thinking, our policy changes could have put our business at risk - by leaving money on the table when we refuse to post jobs paying less than $15/hour, or by questioning employers about the language in a job post instead of just publishing it as written. But contrary to 'normal' business wisdom: we have profited by standing up for social justice. Our business growth means that we, in turn, have a responsibility to reinvest in organizations that are doing their own great work to advance equity, things that we could never do because no one can do it all on their own - we need one another, and that's where the opportunity comes in to make your budget speak your values. While we make regular small contributions to dozens of organizations and efforts (every time you see a prompt for a fundraising effort in our Tidbits, it's because we have donated $60 dollars to the cause before we shared it with you - such as the Food For All Fund you'll see there today), we also made a profit sharing commitment for 2021 by donating much more substantial sums to the organizations below. If you don't already know them, we hope you'll get to know them, consider supporting them, or feel inspired to think about ways your own budget can be transformed, even a little bit. /// Kite's Nest in Hudson, New York builds the collective capacity of young people to bring about healing, personal transformation, social connection, and systemic change. Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York provides employment opportunities to thousands of the ten million Americans facing barriers to employment. Drive Change in Brooklyn, New York supports formerly incarcerated young people by creating quality employment pathways to ensure their economic and emotional wellbeing. /// |
tidbits...resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we're reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . . |
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