Facebook Publication Date: 6/9/2021 16:06

So of course, the Early June Ask is late. Researching the rest of the Floyd series and doing back of house stuff has been the perfect excuse to ignore, or more accurately, pretend to ignore, my least liked task.

So, I have been going my merry way this month–researching and drafting and engaging and mentoring, and still–there it is.

I was thinking about doing it (really!) as I was driving earlier today. I was thinking about its necessity, and how it was a part of my praxis to do the hard things, and this–pleading for money; let’s just call a thing a thing– is most certainly one of those (very) hard things.

I was thinking about the new people who have onboarded this last month, and what I could tell them (and reinforce for more seasoned walkers) that I have not already said before.

That’s the one of the hardest parts, you know–saying basically the same thing in novel ways. Deep sigh.

Asks always provide the perfect cue for folks, both new and seasoned, to bail out of the car and out of the work, and I don’t want that, not at all. Knowing that I will lose at least a few of you is so inhibiting. But there it is.

But Asks are what keeps the lights on, what allows us to partner with some amazing individuals and orgs, allow us to dream big, with plans for staffers and interns and LoR Lives and even more. So ya, it’s necessary. But how to make it fresh; how to convince (yet again) you all to tangibly engage with us so we can keep coming to you?

Particularly now, in this particular time. This time last year, people were galvanized with the energy of what the media called ‘The Black Spring’ (we will be getting to them–and to you– in the Floyd series), and they in the media alternately wondered, and predicted, and actually enabled and influenced if, or more accurately, *when* the zeal would fade.

The events of February aside when we at LoR had a force majeure, a toxic tornado we did not see coming and could not prepare for; even with that, we are not alone in decreased revenues from those who were fired up 12 short months ago.

We are lucky, actually–there are a lot of spaces which are now dormant or have faded altogether. That is incredibly unfortunate. There is no way anyone who started on a racial justice journey in the spring/summer of 2020 has all that they need to do this work well. We are lucky that, even with the real crisis and struggle we have collectively endured, we are still standing and serving. But. It shouldn’t be so hard; we shouldn’t have to endure the fickleness and the intermittency of those whose full throats suddenly closed. It has been hard, so hard, for us.

It has been exponentially worse for others. And I feel it. I feel it hard.

I was and am heartened by the large field of those doing incredible racial justice work–we at Lace on Race know we are by no means the only resource, and we also know that we ask differently, and in some ways more, of our readership and community than other spaces. We know that some of you, perhaps many of you, are not ready for us. Not ready for our particular make and model of car in which we exhort you to stay–or maybe you just don’t like our paint job. So, the one thing that mitigated the pain (somewhat) is that if people decided that we were not quite the community for them, that they would go elsewhere, and not leave the work altogether.

These days, I have less of that optimism. The quiet and sad truth is that people who leave this space don’t go on to find other ones. They may turn to other issues that are less provocative (at least for them), or they might opt out of any form of social justice at all. And for those who are looking for something different, it is that much harder to do so. The orgs and individuals who have been doing yeoman work are struggling. We are too, but so much more are they.

This is a conversation that is hard to have–particularly in the midst of an Ask.

But we at LoR have never believed that we should be the only people to experience growth, and affirmation, and influence. Since our very beginning, we have always encouraged, and strongly, that people find other spaces and individuals to fund in addition to ours, or even, and again, this is almost suicidal to say during an Ask, groups and individuals other than ours. It’s why we fund Community Partners with firstfruits; to make it easy for you all to have skin in the game beyond Lace on Race. It’s how we walk in deep solidarity with others who are doing good work, even if, especially if, their way of writing and connecting and activism is different than our own.

So we encourage ‘taking it outside’ with our dollars.

For the most part though, that hasn’t happened. It hurts my heart to see my colleagues and compatriots struggle. Again, we are struggling too; seven months post Holly, our revenues continue to decline, even as our readership has grown. We have not met our basic $12,000 budget since I retired in November 2020, and now, post Holly & Co, we are at less than half that.

But we have never wavered; not on firstfruits; not on the Mental Health Fund, not on serving pro bono to individuals and other groups with mentoring, coaching, and perspective outside of Lace on Race. We simply cannot. We cannot be hamstrung by what this community does or does not do.

We have to keep walking, and trust that people-that you all-will show up again. That the people that we attract and retain will see the value of the work here and outside, internalize the praxis and ethos which drives our convictions about financial engagement and will partner with us again–and, crucially, not only with us.

This is such a big deal. This is the crux of the work–tangibly walking with the people who have done and are doing the heavy lifting. It is not enough to read; not enough to show up for a march (most folks didn’t do that either; we will also be talking about this in the Floyd series).

And there are only so many ways to communicate this to you.

The words, and the emotion, and the bandwidth could be expended on other things. But, then, again as I have said before, this confrontation–me to the community; you to me; all of us with each other–is a brutally necessary part of the work. We don’t want to acknowledge this; that this piece, however clenchy and uncomfortable, is a crucial part of praxis.

That we do this every month speaks of the faith we have in you–not in this imperfect, shitty model–but of the faith we have in each of you.

Very simply, I would like to continue to serve you with my utmost. I thank you in advance for allowing me to do so.

I also thank those of you who have financially engaged without the prompt of the ask, and for those of you who are aware of the shortfall that has been endured post Holly. If you would like to earmark engagement specifically to address that shortfall, you can designate and we will see it, and again, your thanks for your faith in me, in us, and your commitment to our Western Star, even in the midst of adversity.

To Sustainers, Sustainers in Training, those who have registered for the Lace on Race Cafe, and those who aspire to be part of Chef’s Table, thank you in advance for your fulfilling your monthly commitment. It is you all who allow us to serve and influence and mentor and teach and abide. Every month, especially in these recent challenging months, my heart swells because of your continued faithfulness.

For those of you who engage a la carte at the Takeout Window, I hope you have seen and appreciated the value in the fare we offer you and directly invite (and gently and lovingly challenge) you to partner with us.

If you would like to know more about becoming a Sustainer or a Sustainer in Training, or if you would like to be seated in the Bistro, links are below. I look forward to walking with and abiding with you in ever deeper ways.

What we do is different from what you will see anywhere else. What we offer to you is different; and what we ask for and from you is different. We are grateful for you. You will find our walking with you will never waver.

Sometimes it’s hard to say variations of the same thing at least twice a month: but the truth is here every day: what we do here is important and needed; your financial engagement is what allows it to happen, and this: we have only scratched the surface of what could be and what reach we could have.

Thank you to those who are now and or are considering walking with me in this way.

And a candid thank you, and an invitation, to those who are considering re-engagement who have not since February. I hope you have seen our faithfulness to you individually and to the community as a whole. Our faithfulness and resolve will continue; on that you can rest. I look forward to your renewed commitment with anticipation and with deep gratitude and appreciation.

With deep and unshakable Hesed,

Your Lace

PayPal: paypal.me/LaceonRace

Sustainer Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFul2VLViJyv7Frn3fU_BStg2BMyk9x-M_CJv6jP4g-zQcuw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Sustainer in Training Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSess6XRJqLL934v_7eB2Ctq6EKOxMiu0Rsm-dZM1d_UHSWZUw/viewform?usp=sf_link

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