Dear Sovern LA Community:
Thank you so much for helping families in need as a result of the LA Fires. As you know while we are in an extraordinary moment, we are living through burning times that will persist well beyond this week.
As we reflect on some of the ways we collectively respond in times of crisis, we are reminded of some of the lessons we’ve learned in other recent times:
We must learn from these experiences to find another way forward more sustainably.
Obviously we are not going to fix 500 years of oppressive systems in 1 week. We need to build intentional relationships and communities that can respond with collective care in an iterative and ongoing way. We need to take care of ourselves and take care in activist communities even as we orient towards taking care of others. We need to stay in the work far into the future.
As an art + wellness space and community center in West Adams, we want to meet the needs of our local community and build lasting relationships across LA County.
Mutual aid is an innate part of the cultural fabric of our community's various ancestral lineages and as an organization we want to consciously build toward an ecosystem of care in these current times and into the future. While we are currently in an extraordinary moment, we are living through burning times that will persist well beyond the devastating LA fires that have affected so many who have been facing systemic inequities and economic barriers before this crisis. Our present focus for immediate aid is focused on the families of Altadena and Pasadena.
In many ways, we've become so used to the way the world works and reliant on the systems as they exist and operate. The aim of the Collective Care Mutual Aid Fund is to be another way to move forward sustainably that is more community-centered and goes beyond responses to global/climate crises by investing in interventions that support our community for the long haul.
This fund will help us continue to serve FAMILIES IN DIRECT NEED have access to the following items:
With your help, we can build intentional relationships and bridge communities so that we can respond with collective care in an iterative and ongoing way. We need to take care of ourselves and take care in activist communities even as we orient towards taking care of others. We need the ability to stay in the work far into the future.
Thank you so much for helping families in need as a result of the LA Fires. As you know while we are in an extraordinary moment, we are living through burning times that will persist well beyond this week.
As we reflect on some of the ways we collectively respond in times of crisis, we are reminded of some of the lessons we’ve learned in other recent times:
- Energy is high at the start and tends to wane; people experience burnout.
- Providing food, water, shelter, and clothing to meet basic needs feels urgent and critical. People want to help, and these feel like manageable, tactical, practical things we can do.
- We jump in, and are willing to do anything needed – even if we don’t quite know what is needed yet.
- It’s easy to get lost in shuffling supplies from center to center without them easily reaching the recipients who need them.
- We’re so used to the way the world works and reliant on the systems as they exist and operate.
- We respond with capitalism, while corporations profit off of our material concerns without doing their own part.
We must learn from these experiences to find another way forward more sustainably.
Obviously we are not going to fix 500 years of oppressive systems in 1 week. We need to build intentional relationships and communities that can respond with collective care in an iterative and ongoing way. We need to take care of ourselves and take care in activist communities even as we orient towards taking care of others. We need to stay in the work far into the future.
As an art + wellness space and community center in West Adams, we want to meet the needs of our local community and build lasting relationships across LA County.
Mutual aid is an innate part of the cultural fabric of our community's various ancestral lineages and as an organization we want to consciously build toward an ecosystem of care in these current times and into the future. While we are currently in an extraordinary moment, we are living through burning times that will persist well beyond the devastating LA fires that have affected so many who have been facing systemic inequities and economic barriers before this crisis. Our present focus for immediate aid is focused on the families of Altadena and Pasadena.
In many ways, we've become so used to the way the world works and reliant on the systems as they exist and operate. The aim of the Collective Care Mutual Aid Fund is to be another way to move forward sustainably that is more community-centered and goes beyond responses to global/climate crises by investing in interventions that support our community for the long haul.
This fund will help us continue to serve FAMILIES IN DIRECT NEED have access to the following items:
- supplies for the care of infants, toddlers, and children
- snack, clothing, and bedding for infants, toddlers, and children
- maternal health items and care in partnership with Malaya Midwifery
- menstrual hygiene products
With your help, we can build intentional relationships and bridge communities so that we can respond with collective care in an iterative and ongoing way. We need to take care of ourselves and take care in activist communities even as we orient towards taking care of others. We need the ability to stay in the work far into the future.
Partners & Funders
