Hola Bushwick Familia,

Bushwick Ayuda Mutua (BAM) admin team here - Fernando Ramos, Maria Herron, Samy Nemir Olivares, Sara Rodas, Kristen Ablamsky, and Anne Guiney.

We are sending you so much love. This is a heartbreaking time when so many folks in Bushwick and the larger NYC community are facing trauma and violence on a daily basis. We want to take time to acknowledge this pain and stand in solidarity with our Black siblings in Bushwick and beyond. 

Speaking on behalf of the BAM admin team - we commit to fighting to dismantle the systemic racism that this country is built on. This can mean a lot of things and may look different in each of our lives - talking to the streets; calling out racism at work; having difficult conversations with our parents, ti@s, friends, etc.; doing radical work in our communities such as mutual aid; and, most importantly, holding ourselves accountable. Every single non-Black member of BAM is responsible for actively doing this work.

As a part of our first BAM newsletter, we’ve compiled self care resources for Black folks, Black-owned restaurants in Bushwick to support, suggested reading for allies, and some important BAM updates.

SELF CARE RESOURCES FOR BLACK FOLKS

Well Williamsburg is offering one free single 50 minute therapy session for BIPOC.

Ethel’s Club is an online community design to help POC thrive. They are holding two free healing and grieving circles later this month.

Therapy for Black Girls works to destigmatize mental health care and help Black women find therapists.

Inclusive Therapists helps folks find therapists that understands the needs of POC.

Therapy for Queer People of Color is a therapy directory specifically for QPOC.

Therapy for Black Men helps connect Black men with therapists.

Melanin and Mental Health helps connect POC with clinicians of color.

Black Female Therapists is a national network and directory of Black female therapists.

Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund helps cover the cost of therapy for Black women.

Ayana offers online therapy for POC.

Black Virtual Therapist Network helps connect folks to Black therapists across the country.

LGBTQ Psychotherapists of Color helps folks find LGBTQ therapists of color.

Tru Circle (from Black Therapists Rock) provides access to a national network of Black therapists.

National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network is a national directory of queer and trans therapists of color.

The Association of Black Psychologists is a national listing of Black therapists

BEAM (Black Emotional & Mental Health) is a training, movement building and grant making organization dedicated to the healing, wellness and liberation of Black and marginalized communities.

The Nap Ministry is a blog by Black performance artist Tricia Hersey that offers resources for and writing on self care.

BLACK-OWNED RESTAURANTS IN BUSHWICK*

Sol Sips, Tea Boté, Milk and Pull, Sally Roots, Sweet Science, Bunna Cafe, Drip Coffee, Burton’s World Famous, Hills Kitchen, Bushwick Grind, Salud Bar & Grill, Brooklyn Barista

*If we missed anyone, please let us know and we will post an updated list to IG!

SUGGESTED READING FOR ALLIES

Mil Mundos Books has put together a reading list for allies looking to learn more on how to support the Black community and actively combat racism.

Additional reading lists: curated by Layla F Saad, curated by Ibram X. Kendi, kids books, and kids & YA books.

BUSHWICK AYUDA MUTUA UPDATES

Lastly, we want to share some updates on BAM’s work. Neighbors continue to reach out to our hotline on a daily basis requesting assistance with food and other basic necessities. We are organizing to meet this need and support each other in the face of systemic violence against committees of color and a pandemic that is primarily impacting brown and black folks.

Funded by small-dollar donations to our Open Collective, we are currently spearheading the following projects:

Wednesday Food Deliveries: Serving ~75 households each week in partnership with Mayday Space, Hungry Monk, and ReThink Food.

Sunday Food Deliveries: Serving ~200 households each week in partnership with Latinos Unidos.

Gift Cards for Urgent Cases: Supplying neighbors in urgent need of groceries and supplies with gift cards provided by a partnership between Councilmember Antonio Reynoso and Food Bazaar.

Mil Mundos Depot: Mil Mundos Books has opened their storefront to be a depot for donations of masks, food, and other essential items. Donations to the depot have allowed us to kick off weekly mask deliveries to any neighbors requesting masks.

Supporting Local Organizations: Assisting Community Dialogue NYC in setting up a food pantry in United Revival Mennonite Church which is serving food to 300+ neighbors on a weekly basis. Supporting Estela’s Messengers in setting up food distribution at Knickerbocker United Church that serves 300+ neighbors on Saturdays in collaboration with University City NYC.

We'd also like to give a huge shout out to the other partners that support our work through donations and transportation: JunXion, City Harvest, Invisible Hands, Alone Bread Bakery, and more!

 GET INVOLVED

We are always in need of more donations and more volunteers. This includes raising $5k weely to continue our projects. To get involved:

1. Join us in Slack. For the time being, we are organizing virtually in Slack. Join us here.

2. We are (very) in need of more Spanish-speaking volunteers to support our Wednesday and Sunday deliveries. To sign up, please email [email protected]. We are hosting a training this Sunday 2-3 pm and another next Monday 8-9 pm.

3. Please keep fundraising! Reach out to your networks. Y’all are doing amazing with the creative fundraisers. Please keep it up. Every donation counts. Currently, it takes us $19 to feed a household for one week.

4. Post flyers throughout Bushwick. They are available for pick up Mil Mundos Book on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, 12:00pm to 4:00pm.

In closing, Black Lives Matter. Take care of yourselves and look out for each other. 

In Solidarity,

Fernando, Maria, Samy, Sara, Kristen, and Anne