"Solidarity, Not Charity": Mutual Aid & Wellness Led by People of Colour, Women, & Queer Folks

"Solidarity, Not Charity": Mutual Aid & Wellness Led by People of Colour, Women, & Queer Folks

Almila Kakinc
The Guide
llustration ℅ True Grit Texture Supply

llustration ℅ True Grit Texture Supply

Thank you immensely to Isabel Osgood-Roach of Worn Ware & Everybody Gym Los Angeles for compiling the list below of wellness resources. We have converted her original slides into links for accessibility and ease. Below are also resources from two longtime mutual aid organisers & activists in two hot spots of the pandemic Mutual Aid Hub. Thanks to Mariame Kaba, a longtime organiser, abolitionist, educator, socialist-feminist and the founder of the grassroots organization Project NIA, which works to end the incarceration of children and young adults. This is a critical movement and effort as those imprisoned as well as the houseless are some of the most vulnerable populations right now; our incarcerated comrades are paid 60 cents/hour to make hand sanitiser from which they’re not benefitting. Our houseless comrades do not or have limited access to sanitary measures with public spaces being shutdown, making them even more vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 and its ensuing complications.

If you’d like to learn more about Prison Industrial Complex abolitionism that’s even more critical now in this pandemic, take a listen to this episode of the Seattle-based organiser podcast Activist Class or this recent clip from Democracy Now! episode. Another episode to listen to is this episode of The Intercepted with organiser Mariame Kaba and how we need a people’s bailout to fully contain the coronavirus. We also recommend this video by Democracy Now! of Naomi Klein explaining “Coronavirus Capitalism,” illustrating the disease that has preceded the pandemic and worsening it what with everything from lack of Medicare for All to adequate worker compensation/protection.

Medical providers: If you are a medical provider fighting the pandemic in an area where sweetgreen serves, you can reach out to the team here to request FREE meals for you and your co-workers.

Studio Owners & Practitioners: Nicole Cardoza of Reclamation Ventures has written a powerful piece on how “the systemic inequities present in the wellness industry are all the more apparent as our country grapples with a growing outbreak,” which you can read here. They have shifted all of their funding to reclaim one month of missed revenue for eligible studios and instructors. If you’re a studio and need support, you can find more information on their efforts and apply here. They also have a survey with Setu Yoga that's specifically to learn more about the needs of yoga instructors. You can review the questions here. They’re looking for more people to apply for this incredibly generous grant and take this survey to learn how to support the community, so please do if you’re a part of it.

Mutual Aid: Here is the Mutual Aid Hub resource and the Mutual Aid Disaster Relief resources for you and the greater community in these trying times. Please find solace in these resources and, if you have the means, contribute to them. Restaurants and small businesses are also particularly vulnerable, which Jessica Koslow of Sqirl in Los Angeles has aptly explained here. If you’re able to, please support the in your area with a take-out order or buying a gift card for future use from your favourite restaurant.

Free or Fair-Cost Online Wellness Resources Led by People of Colour, Women, and Queer Folks

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About the Authors

Almila Kakinc-Dodd is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief of The Thirlby. She is also the author of the book The Thirlby: A Field Guide to a Vibrant Mind, Body, & Soul. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Nursing as a Dean’s Scholar at Johns Hopkins University. Her background is in Anthropology & Literature, which she has further enriched through her Integrative Health Practitioner training at Duke University. She lives in Baltimore, MD, where she regularly contributes to various publications. She is a member of Democratic Socialists of America and urges others to join the movement.

Isabel Osgood-Roach has a BA in Critical Theory & Social Justice with an emphasis in queer & feminist studies from Occidental College in Los Angeles. She received her Master’s in Early Childhood, Inclusive Education, Curriculum & Instruction with a specialization in infant/toddler mental health from Portland State University. She spent five years working for an Early Head Start program at All Our Kin, an east coast-based non-profit whose mission is to train and sustain family child care providers. She also spent one year living abroad with her partner in Paris! Isabel is currently the Social Media Manager for EVERYBODY Los Angeles, the producer of Queer Mall, a maker & purveyor of clothes, and an aspiring stylist/costume designer/production assistant for queer media. You can follow her on Instagram here.

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