Scattered Sundays

Here’s what I know.

*Not all experiences are shared. When faced with hearing or seeing something that you haven’t experienced, the most important thing you can do is to listen and not insert yourself into another’s narrative.

*It is not your job to be an expert in someone else’s story. It is your job to truly hear what they are telling you.

*The most powerful words in the English language are “I’m sorry”.  And “I don’t know, but I’m willing to learn”.

*Everyone would be much better off if we never again said “yes…but”. 

*Not everything is about you. Or me. Or us.

*Easily 99% of people I know absolutely hate asking for help and would avoid it at all costs. If someone sincerely asks for you to help them, they don’t want pity or platitudes. They want acknowledgment and understanding.

*It’s called hard work for a reason.

*Nothing about hard work is going to be comfortable.

Here’s what I don’t know.

*Everything else. But I’m willing going to learn.

To anyone who has been paying attention, the last week has been very overwhelming for a lot of people. But most of us are embarrassingly late to the party in terms of understanding even 1/10th of 1% of what Black people in America face every day.

For the first time since my mom passed away in 2017, I will be skipping a traditional Sunday post. The events of the last week feel too huge and powerful for me to get on here and tell you about the recipes we published, or my garden, or the fact that Bennett has been wearing a sloth costume non-stop for five days. 

I would encourage you to check out the recipe archives and other posts on the blog, because 100% of any ad revenue earned today will be donated to Black Girls Code and will be matched by my ad company.

The vision of Black Girls Code is “to increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering girls of color ages 7 to 17 to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in their communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer science and technology”. (source)

It seems like right now many people are feeling overcome with “analysis paralysis”. Today, I’m offering targeted categories so you can narrow in on what is speaking to your heart. No links in this post are affiliate and will not earn me any income if you choose to support an organization or purchase a product.

Reading

• HereWeeRead – this was recommended by many people on Instagram.
• LilMissStoryHour – another recommendation from a reader. Miss Vanessa is a literacy themed entertainer and also a teacher.
• Campaign Zero – a data-driven campaign to effect change to end police violence. 
• The Warmth of Other Suns is about the great migration. I read this years ago and it’s a long read but opened my eyes to things I thought I understood.

Financial Support

• If you’ve been supporting small businesses during the shutdown by getting takeout, this list of Black-owned restaurants is organized by city. It is constantly being updated so if you have suggestions to add, there is an email address in the post.
• If you’re buying any books listed above (or others), consider purchasing from this list of Black-owned bookstores. There are online ordering options included.
• Rose McGee started the Sweet Potato Comfort Pie Project as a catalyst for caring and building community. The mission of Sweet Potato Comfort Pie is to strengthen existing — and nurture new — relationships through the creation and distribution of sweet potato pies. If you are someone who uses food as a love language, the SPCP project will feed both your heart and spirit of community. You can donate here.

Ways to Support Without Money

• Follow Black-owned businesses and bloggers/influencers on social media and go visit their sites. Stay awhile. Read a lot. If a site is monetized by ad revenue, “time on page” (how much you read and how long you stay there) will result in more ad income. This costs you nothing other than scrolling past a few ads or videos. See my list below for a good starting point.
• If you’re interested in reading any books suggested above (or more), the public library is an awesome resource. Many libraries are still closed and those that are open currently have huge waitlists for many anti-racism books. Consider getting on the waitlist now or see if ebooks are an option. Even if you don’t have a kindle or ebook reader, many libraries will allow you to download an electronic file to your phone or computer.
• This list of anti-racism resources is packed with free ways to learn and take action.
• Vote. Vote. Vote.

Bloggers/Influencers to Follow

There are many lists on Instagram right now of accounts to follow. I won’t repeat them all here, but I will direct you to #blackfoodbloggers if you’d like to find more lists.

Instead, I want to talk about accounts that have been in my feed for a while. People who blow me away with their photos, recipes, knowledge, and/or humor. 

• Savory Thoughts – Mirlene is a mom of three who shares family-friendly recipes that you’ll love! You’ll find lots of great air fryer meals as well as Haitian recipes. I’m not sharing our DMs with you…but she is funny as hell too. 🙂 {Follow on Instagram}
• MyForkingLife – I first heard Tanya interviewed on a podcast in early 2019 and was an instant fan. A food pun blog name that also sounds like curse words? Yes, please! To my eternal shame, I totally botched meeting her in person last year at a blogging conference. She said “are you Sarah Cook” when I met her and I completely froze while fangirling out. The hamster running my brain at that moment got its head stuck in the wheel and I totally made a fool out of myself. Classy. {Follow on Instagram}
• SixEightChef – not sure how I found Kevin’s Instagram account initially, but I stayed for the Tuesday taco photos and the common understanding that most kitchens are not built for tall people. {Follow on Instagram}
• StaySnatched – I also initially discovered Brandi’s blog via a podcast interview. She has tons of Instant Pot, air fryer, and keto/low carb recipes. You won’t find another blogger who works harder to dial into what their audience wants. {Follow on Instagram}
• Bakes By Brown Sugar – I met Cheryl at a Portland blogger meet up in December of last year. She was on the Great American Baking Show season 4; how freaking cool is that?! Her Instagram profile will make you lick your phone. But don’t do that, cause you know, germs. {Follow on Instagram}
• Recipes From a Pantry – It was actually an SEO expert who first told me to check out Bintu’s blog back in summer 2018. Her photography is so beautiful and makes me want to happy scream whenever I see one on my feed. {Follow on Instagram}
• She Dreams of Travel – Been following Eli for a few years now and her account has evolved into the most gorgeous love letter to Southern California, fashion, and street art. I’m sure there is an actual term for matching your outfits to surroundings…whatever that is, Eli does it in stunning ways. Oh and um, she works for NASA which might make her the coolest person on earth. {Follow on Instagram}
• Natasha Cooked – I was lucky enough to meet and sit next to Natasha at a blogging conference last year and love her plant-based recipes and stunning photos. {Follow on Instagram}
• A Classic Twist – It was another podcast that helped me discover Zainab’s gorgeous recipes of mostly desserts and treats. {Follow on Instagram}

And before you hop over and follow them, a few quick notes:

• Don’t just follow someone on social media because you feel like you should. Engage, read, and learn from their accounts. An “empty” follow actually harms influencers in the long run because it skews the algorithm to show low engagement. When influencers are given the opportunity to work with brands, those brands use engagement rates as a metric for campaigns.
• Do make and share recipes that interest you. Take photos of what you make and share on social media and tag the bloggers.
• Do leave a rating and review on those recipes on their blogs. Google and your fellow searchers LOVE a five-star review. 

This post should not really surprise anyone who has been reading my site for any length of time. As always, civil discourse and comments are welcome. But if that can’t be managed, remember the internet is not an airport. There is no need to announce your departure.

Be well, be safe, be kind, show grace.

Quick note: three weeks ago I had to move comments to a “pre-approval” system after some troll went after one of my readers. When it comes to the safety of my readers, I’m not here to play. Since then, all comments have to be moderated before they show up on the blog.

We’re celebrating Troy’s birthday today so I will have limited availability to moderate/approve comments. All comments practicing civil and construction discourse will be approved. Even if you disagree with me, your comment will be made public as long as you’re not presenting yourself as a raging dbag.

I promise I’ll get to them as soon as I can, but if you don’t see yours pop up right away, that’s why. Except for dbags.