Welcome to the second edition of our bimonthly newsletter! If April brought you downpours, we hope May gifts you with sunshine and flowers.
Since March, ABRIR has been focused on mutual aid efforts, raffles, and events.
In March and April, we:
Hosted a Post-Valentine’s Spaces on Twitter 🎙️
Completed 2 Book Chats via Zoom
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 📚
Tokyo Euno Station by Yu Muri 📚
Check out the recaps on our Instagram page (Midnight Library recap coming soon) !
Opened and closed our Spring Raffle in support of Mutual Aid
Opened and closed a Mutual Aid Request
Opened our Agave Fund Raffle for a special project (read more below)
Commissioned Rocio’s Art Shop and updated our logo!
We would especially like to thank Brenda Heredia, David Munoz-Sarabia, Tania Dominguez-Rangel, and our cohosts Arely and Fabi for agreeing to be our speakers for the Post-Valentine’s Spaces event. As we navigate relationships (platonic and romantic, friendships and family), listening to your experiences and advice was incredibly insightful. Thank you so much for being willing to share your experiences,
We would also like to thank our participants for attending and contributing to our Spaces and book chats discussions. Our events are a success because of all of you!
ABRIR is excited for our future programming, stay tuned for more! In the meanwhile, what do you think of our new logo?
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Segment Written by Andrea and Edited by Arely.
✨AGAVE FUND RAFFLE
We are excited to announce our AGAVE Fund Raffle in support of our upcoming Special Project! We utilize the funds to sponsor events that further our community initiatives.
The raffle prizes include: Topicals Lip Balm, Drawnbynana Tote Bag, two stickers, and a Crocs Classic Clogs pair (your color choice). All of the prizes were donated entirely by ABRIR Coalition members. No funds from the Agave Fund were used to purchase prizes.
YOU HAVE UNTIL MAY 27 TO ENTER! SNAG THESE PRIZES! 🫶 We would greatly appreciate your support. Even sharing, commenting, and liking our posts on Instagram and Twitter can make a difference!
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Ongoing Events
📚 Book Chats: Coming soon!
Keep an eye out for our announcement about our next Book Chats event on Instagram and/or Twitter! We hope to see you there!
#FilmFeels for May 📺
One Day (Netflix)
If you are a bit of a romantic and love seeing the development of characters in a show, this may just be for you. One Day is a limited series that revolves around Emma and Dex! After an almost hookup between the two the night of their graduation, they go from complete strangers to, well, soulmates.
Their love story spans for over 20 years. Nonetheless, I cannot say that this series will make you swoon all the time, it may make you frustrated, especially when Emma & Dex can’t seem to get together for.. such a good chunk of years. Also, please grab your tissues. I hope you feel all the love! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plan B (Hulu)
Watching this film for the first time was such an adventure. The film revolves around two teenagers, Sunny and Lupe. They both reside in South Dakota and don’t exactly have the best relationships with their parents. This film does an amazing job at mixing comedy with real life situations that can happen to any young girl or woman, especially growing up in Southern U.S.
Watching this friendship on-screen was so wholesome. I loved being able to witness the two characters lean on one another and finding more about themselves throughout the night as they embark on a journey to finding, free, accessible contraception, aka Plan B. I genuinely felt the anxiety and pain (towards the end of the film, no spoiler). It was also great to know as it highlighted the friendship and bond between Asian & Latina girls - I love to see it! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Segment written by Arely.
Artists & Small Shops You Should Know About!👩🏻💻
Meet Marlene Vega ✨🌸🎨 marlenevegastudio.com ⭐️
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After scrolling through hours on Tik Tok and Instagram, I came to the realization I had found the cutest list of small shops/artists ever! So here I am making it an entirely new segment. To kick things off, let’s meet Marlene Vega!
About Marlene 🎀
Marlene Vega is a Mexican-American part-time artist with a day job (as she states on Instagram) and is based in Southern California. She currently enjoys painting with gouache and illustrating digitally. Her work is inspired by beautiful sunsets and her love for food.1
Marlene’s Etsy shop is filled with the cutest enamel pins, vinyl stickers, colorful prints, and some cutie keychains. You can easily tell a lot is inspired by her culture. I don’t know about you but me thinks I will be placing an order soon 💳
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You can visit her website (linked at the top) or over at Instagram, Tik Tok, and even Youtube. I’ll be linking a Tik Tok of hers packing an order below. Go support!🙌
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Segment written by Arely.
May News! 📬
~ Celebrating Haitian Heritage Month! ~
Happy Haitian Heritage Month! 🇭🇹
A little bit of Haiti: It is a Caribbean country just a little over 10,000 square miles in size. Haiti includes 11 states, each one of them containing cultural context sharing with the island of Hispaniola and with the Dominican Republic. Most of the entire current population of Haiti is of African or African-Europe descent. Haiti’s official languages are Haitian Creole and French.
Haiti was first occupied by the Taino population, the island was claimed by Spain, until about the 17th century. Afterward, it was then claimed by France, that during this time; people who had been enslaved were brought to the island to work on sugarcane plantations. Then the Haitian Revolution led to the abolition of slavery, thus making Haiti the first nation in Latin America to become free from colonial rule!
Below are some ways we found to explore the history, traditions, and influences of Haitai to celebrate Haitian Heritage Month! 🙂
Learning about the history of Haiti
Educating yourself on the history of Haiti is a way to celebrate Haitian Heritage Month! There are numerous videos on YouTube or even other resources to help you deep dive into the fascinating history of the country. We also recommend visiting your local library for books, films, magazines, or other resources about Haitian culture!
Listening to a Haitian podcast
Below I am including podcasts hosted by Haitians. Supporting these podcasts by regularly listening may improve your understanding of Haiti.
Here are some podcasts that can be found in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or even youtube:
Haitian Millenial Podcast- covers the experiences of three millennials in the U.S. and how their heritage has impacted their life in the U.S.
Haitian Arts Podcast Series- offers informative interviews with Haitian and Haitian-American individuals
Haitian American Diaries- covers in-depth chit-chatting and personal stories about family, traditions, friendships, and reactions to current events.
Epi Dat’s It- offers the experiences of first-generation Haitian Americans
Haitian All-StarZ- collectively unity of Haitian DJs coming together to represent Haiti.
Donate to an organization supporting Haiti
Haiti has been facing numerous challenges and suffering in the past 15 years. Due to political unrest, various natural disasters such as earthquakes in 2010 and 2021 were big ones. As for the aftermath, it produced thousands of fatalities and severe damage to buildings and power supplies.
Here are a few we have included where you can donate and/or volunteer:
Segment written by Fabiana.
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~ Mental Health Awareness Month ~
This month we are highlighting why awareness is crucial and with various resources. Within our population, we still do not have access to the high-quality, comprehensive treatment and care that is highly needed. Within the U.S. we have found this data collected by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing:
1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.
Only 47.2% of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2021.
1 in 6 U.S. youth have mental health conditions but only receive half treatment.
50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by the age of 24.
It is important to remember to reduce the stigma and discrimination around mental illnesses and treatment by educating yourself and others, by also using your voice to improve access to healthcare. It is important to know that stigmas can lead to harassment, bullying, discrimination, or even fewer opportunities for work, or social activities. This can make it hard for individuals to improve their mental health.
What can you do to raise awareness?
There are various events or opportunities taking place in May, it is important to see which ones are near you! Here are some examples of mental health organizations: Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the National Institute of Mental Health where they may hold events and fundraisers, check out their websites!
NAMIWalks is a national event where people come together to walk and promote awareness by raising funds. Mental Health America (MHA) has a toolkit that provides education on mental health conditions and tools and tips for people to improve their mental health, and where you can learn to help others. Do not be afraid as we recommend contacting your local mental health organization to see how you can get involved or volunteer. :)
RESOURCES
Raise your voice. Help others advocate by clicking this link.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline where includes a 24/7 treatment information service/referral.
The Trevor Project provides 24/7 crisis support services to LGBTQ+ people
National Institue of Mental Health outlines additional mental health services
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers 24/7 confidential support for people
More resources can be found here provided by the Mental Health FIRST AID.
Segment written by Fabiana.
Over-the-counter birth control pills: Opill recently launched the first FDA-approved over-the-counter birth control pill. Yes, it is effective and safe. It will retail for $19.99 for a month’s supply and $49.99 for three month’s supply. Check it out at opill.com!
Mask Blocs are anti-eugenics organizations that use a disability lens to provide masks, resource sharing, and COVID information. Look for a mask bloc in your area.
Resources of the Month
Scholarships
ALIENTO scholarship list for undocumented/DACA students (*most are based in Arizona)
The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MADELF) Scholarship list
The Daisy DACA Foundation Dreamer’s Scholarship due August 15, 2024
Job/Professional Development Opportunities
Summer Fellowship with Annie’s List Training & Engagement Fund
Full time, $20/hr, Remote or Hybrid (Austin, TX)
Communications Manager at Jane’s Due Process due May 1, 2024 (*As with most applications, be sure to apply sooner than later)
Starting annual salary of $70,000 – $79,000 before taxes, Manager or Senior Manager role depending on experience of selected applicant. Salary commensurate with role and experience.
The position is fully remote, but candidates must reside somewhere in Texas
*Please note, these are only a few opportunities out of many that might be out there. Keep looking and keep applying, you got this!
Know Your Rights: Protesters ❗️
“No matter your status, you have a constitutionally-protected right to free speech and lawful assembly”: 10 Things to Know For Noncitizen Protestors (Immigrant Legal Resource Center Instagram Explainer)
National Immigration Law Center Article on Immigrant Protest Rights
See you next month!
Thank you for subscribing and reading our newsletter! If you have any suggestions or comments, or are in need of any assistance, feel free to leave a comment below or contact us. P.S. - If you made it this far, keep an eye out for a very special announcement on May 06, 2024 on our socials. ✨
In Community,
ABRIR Coalition
Compiled and Edited by Andrea, Arely, Fabiana, and Rashel. Agave Fund Raffle Graphics made by Yadira.
Bio taken from her website: marlenevegastudio.com
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