if you only take what you need, there will always be enough for everyone
Sophia Kianni! Patricia Velázquez! Allison Russell! Barack Obama!
Hello friends and damn-givers!
How are you? I’m doing great…now. A couple of weeks ago, I got Covid for the third time. Goddamnit. It was very mild and I felt fine the entire time but I spent 8 days in quarantine while this wretched virus did what wretched viruses do. I'm 100% back and I feel great. How are you? I know Covid has been hitting lots of people I know. I hope you and yours are healthy and safe and Covid-free.
OK, let’s dive right in. Here are a few things I think you should read, watch, listen to, and consider:
🎧 PODCAST TO LISTEN TO
The latest Let’s Give A Damn podcast conversation with Sophia Kianni and Patricia Velázquez is absolutely incredible!
Sophia is a social entrepreneur, activist, and speaker. She is the founder of Climate Cardinals and is the youngest United Nations Advisor in US history.
Patricia is an award-winning actress, a supermodel, a philanthropist, and an activist. You may have seen her in The Mummy, The L Word, or Arrested Development? Or maybe on the cover of Vogue or Bazaar? Hopefully you know you about her incredible work through her Wayuu Taya Foundation.
Listen to our conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
🎶 SONG TO LISTEN TO
Eve Was Black from fellow damn-giver Allison Russell is one of my favorite songs right now. In fact, her entire The Returner album is fantastic.
Here are my favorite lyrics from this song:
Eve was Black haven’t you heard?
The Mother of All was Dark and Good
Eve was Black didn’t you know?
Is that why you hate my Black Skin so?
Is that why you hate my Black Skin so?
Do I remind you of what you lost?
Do you Hate or do you Lust ?
Do you Despise or do you Yearn?
To Return, To Return, To Return
Back to the Motherland
Back to the Garden
Back to your Black Skin
Back to the Innocence
Back to the shine you lost
When you enslaved your Kin?
Are you kidding me right now? So damn good.
🗞️ ARTICLE TO READ
”Recent University of Pennsylvania graduates Alex Imbot, 25, and Eli Moraru, 23, will be (legally) skirting federal rules that guide food stamps (now called SNAP, for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to present healthy, hot food in a nonprofit corner store.”
Read the rest of the article to find out how these damn good humans are helping under-resourced folks in Philadelphia. I hope this trend catches on!
📺 VIDEO TO WATCH
I go back often to this TED talk Ethan Hawke gave during the pandemic. In this talk, “Ethan examines how courageous expression promotes healing and connection with one another and invites you to discover your own unabashed creativity.”
“There is no path till you walk it…”
🧠 QUOTE TO PONDER
“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” — Barack Obama
👋🏽 GOODBYE!
That’s it for this week! Thank you for reading. I'm truly grateful. Consider forward this email to a friend? Or send them this link so they can sign up. And you can always email me about anything. I’ll be back next week with good news and steps we can take together to make our world a much better place. We have a lot of work to do. Love y'all.
Peace and love,
Nick Laparra