Winter Solstice What's Update
Published on December 6, 2023 by alycia kamil moaton
Hello All! We hope during these tough times that 2023 has presented, that you all were able to find solace in peaceful moments. This year has affirmed the importance of having a tight-knit community, and understanding individualism is not a useful tool for achieving liberation. This year, we prioritized leaning into our mutual aid programming. Undoing Our Erasure's Pass it On mutual aid initiative has been working to provide Illinois residents with a myriad of resources. Although most of the world has moved on from the pandemic, the aftermath is still deeply impacting marginalized communities. From food prices rising, medicine being too costly, or folks still having to miss work if they've become sick- we really wanted to help in that regard. We helped to provide grocery deliveries for over 30+ individuals & families, "sick kits" which contained anything from herbal teas and cough medicine were sent to 15+ individuals who were hit with COVID, buying individuals gift cards so they were able to have transportation to & from appointments, or being able to have food delivered to their homes. COVID isn't going away, and since our government no longer cares to ensure citizens are safe- it's our job as a community to step up and help each other.
Aside from our mutual aid programming that focused specifically on COVID care, we continued our Radical Essentials for the Youth initiative. This time we extended the ages to servicing people up to 25. These kits included the following books: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston, and Jambalaya by Luisah Teish.
Of course, we continued our mutual aid efforts by supplying funds to cover the utility expenses of those in need. Buying CTA bus passes, covering light bills, or buying necessities such as toiletries or baby supplies for mothers. We also invested in amazing collectives that run constant mutual aid initiatives supporting single mothers and victims of gun violence.
We also had our first in-person event since 2021! We had a movie screening of In Our Mothers Gardens that was followed by a collage workshop. We were so fortunate to be able to have this event at 18th Street Casa De Cultura's beautiful space in Pilsen. All of the food and art supplies used for the collage section were thanks to our funding from Crossroads and the amazing donations you all have sent! We're planning another in-person event for February!
As we transition into 2024, we will be pouring heavily into our education and arts education programming. New episodes of our podcast, our book club series will be returning, and our creative writing workshops will come back into circulation. Thank you for all the endless support, we couldn't do this work without the rest of y'all. Stay tuned for the programming we will start up in February.
Aside from our mutual aid programming that focused specifically on COVID care, we continued our Radical Essentials for the Youth initiative. This time we extended the ages to servicing people up to 25. These kits included the following books: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston, and Jambalaya by Luisah Teish.
Of course, we continued our mutual aid efforts by supplying funds to cover the utility expenses of those in need. Buying CTA bus passes, covering light bills, or buying necessities such as toiletries or baby supplies for mothers. We also invested in amazing collectives that run constant mutual aid initiatives supporting single mothers and victims of gun violence.
We also had our first in-person event since 2021! We had a movie screening of In Our Mothers Gardens that was followed by a collage workshop. We were so fortunate to be able to have this event at 18th Street Casa De Cultura's beautiful space in Pilsen. All of the food and art supplies used for the collage section were thanks to our funding from Crossroads and the amazing donations you all have sent! We're planning another in-person event for February!
As we transition into 2024, we will be pouring heavily into our education and arts education programming. New episodes of our podcast, our book club series will be returning, and our creative writing workshops will come back into circulation. Thank you for all the endless support, we couldn't do this work without the rest of y'all. Stay tuned for the programming we will start up in February.