This Mid October Invitation to Engagement  is short(ish) and sweet. 

Not because it isn’t important; it most certainly is.

Rather, it’s because there is simply so much going on–like always, I have a list of things to write, reminders to engage, one on ones that give me such joy, planning a surprise that I hope will delight you (coming soon!), abiding with my staff and Leadership Team, being a presence in the greater community, both online and offline, researching, advocating–good grief, where can I possibly find the time to SHAKE YOU DOWN FOR MONEY??

But shake you down I must. And I will.  With happy gratitude. The work I am allowed, that we are allowed to do,  is only possible because of you. It really is that simple. 

But demands never cease. The idea of taking time to invite you all to engagement so I can do the work I am called to do sometimes competes with the actual doing of the work, and I have to remind myself that this, this invitation *is* a part of the work, and not a departure or a distraction from the work. 

It’s important for my praxis to face each of you squarely and ask you to partner with me. Imagine me, looking up in the stands from the coliseum, looking each of you in the eye. Some of you are already in the field with me, surrounding me with durable and reliable and, importantly, tangible affirmation of the work we do here. For those of you Sustainers and a la carte alike, I thank you. I thank you for your trust in my stewardship and discernment, and I doubly thank you for partnering with me and the Lace on Race Center for Racial Equity to insure our reach, our influence, and our contribution to the greater conversation. It’s a very big deal. 

To those of you still in the stands, total candor; eye to eye. 

I know you feel that what we do is valuable and needed; I see you. I am glad you are with us. It is a pleasure to sit with you at our flat and round table and partake and connect and laugh and learn, all in service to our shared North Star. 

I know that, like two years ago, and again eight months ago, many of you would be distressed were we to close our doors. I know that you all know that our endowment, which we are charged to steward faithfully in service to our Western Star–the continued health and sustainability of this space, and to fund even more and bigger initiatives–is not meant for day to day operations. We turn to, and trust in, the community to meet our modest needs. We don’t want to be the ‘biggest player’ in the racial justice arena, but we do want to continue to change the conversation. We do want to continue to see our ripples, whether or not our name is mentioned. 

We do want to continue to support our contributors. We do want to continue our commitment to the Lace on Race Mental and Emotional Health fund–and we have seen that this month the need is greater than ever, even as the headlines and the action from last year’s Black Spring have faded into memory. 

Black women continue to be Ground Zero; Black women have continued to be at the forefront of the fight for justice–by necessity–because of the hostility of a world that continues to insist on putting them dead last, even though they do heavy lifting that positively affects us all. They don’t have to be a public figure. Most of us will never be household names. But they are no less deserving of affirmation.

Every Black woman is, by necessity and call, an activist. Every Black woman is, as a matter of course, weary, so weary, but also resilient and relentlessly reliable in their refusal to die. And rarely, so rarely are they fully seen and cherished. 

So we do. Cherish them. 

One of my greatest joys is to be able to provide succor and rest and joy to the women who carry this country. I deeply thank each of you for your commitment to the fund. The women in this shared community are being seen, and tangibly loved. My heart is so full. 

In this last month or so, a couple of things happened which tickled me. 

In our quest to become a formal non profit (our rationale for that can be found in earlier posts) we got a summons of sorts from the agent handling our case. 

She had questions about our governance and praxis. And about the percentage of monies we give away. To Black women for their self care and well being. To community partners, whether or not they themselves are recognized by the IRS. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around what we do. She had never seen anything like it. No application? No progress reports? No lengthy interviews? 

Welp. No. 

We know, both from our own experience and from the amazing work we have seen and funded over the last almost four years, that some of the best work in racial justice has been and is being done by those on the ground, with muddy knees and compost streaked faces, planting and nurturing their own orchards. Mostly without government or private sector funding. But constantly raising the bar and setting the standards and pushing the envelope. They inspire and galvanize us, the Leadership Team of Lace on Race. Where others are hesitant to fund, we are eager. The future of anti racism work is in the field. 

Or rather, in the Orchard. 

Yes, we have operating expenses. But we keep it modest. We do a lot with a little, precisely so we can identify and partner with those also doing necessary work, who will often not receive significant funding absent us. We do it quietly, we do it with appreciation, we do it eye to eye. 

And it is you who allows this. Again, thank you. 

We are, as always grateful for your continued support of our ethos, method, and praxis. I feel it deeply. 

If you want to designate your engagement to specific programs, be it the Fund, or Community Partners, or to our General Fund, which allows us to continue to deepen and broaden our reach, and allows us to serve more and better, you absolutely can. If you want to support our new initiatives, like advocacy, resources and curriculum, LoR Lives, the addition of a San Diego staff person to assist Lace, for studio space for videos, and or to allow us to say ‘yes!’ to grassroots individuals and organizations so we can serve them gratis, just let us know. We will make sure your request is honored. 

If you want to go deeper and become a Sustainer, a person invested in the ongoing health of LoR, the link to do so is below. If you want more information on what that looks like, we would be delighted to talk with you. 

And if you want to go deeper still, and become an Endowment Partner, to ensure the long term sustainability of this space, and to make sure that our methods, resources, and message will be available for years to come, talk to us! Our goal is to have an Endowment that cements sustainability for the long haul. 

Sustainers if you have not yet fulfilled your monthly commitment, I happily ask you to do so! A la carte, belly up to the till. 

And for those of you still in the stands, a strong and direct invitation to join us on the field. This is where growth happens. This field is North Star loam. Thank you in advance for your support. 

With love, 

Your Lace

PayPal: paypal.me/LaceonRace

Sustainer Form: https://bit.ly/SustainerForm

Sustainer in Training Form: https://bit.ly/SustainerInTrainingForm2021

Join in the Bistro discussion below.