The Coco Canary Monthly Newsletter
February 2022
Summary:
Justice for Amir, Jahmari, & Deshaun, Business Updates, A Woodland Steward Survey, and More
Welcome to Coco Canary!
Hello from Molly O’Connor, the principal and founder of Coco Canary Consulting, LLC, a creative evaluation firm.
We are based in St. Paul, MN, and acknowledge that we are on the stolen lands of the Dakota People (specifically the Wahpekute Band of Dakota, who are among the Oceti Sakowin (“Seven Council Fires”). These people were the first stewards of the lands we occupy, and they are still here. We honor their connection to this land and their ongoing resilience in the face of violent colonialism.
A Grounding: Justice for Amir Locke, Jahmari Rice, and Deshaun Hill Jr.—Sending Love to Ukraine too
So much loss and grief related to gun violence and police brutality have happened this month in the Twin Cities.
Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black young adult, was murdered by police during a no-knock warrant. Amir was an aspiring musician and entrepreneur taken too soon by racist cops. (Article 1, Article 2). The image in this section was taken by Molly at the Justice For Amir Locke Rally & March.
Jahmari Rice, a 15-year-old straight-A student, was murdered by other teenagers for no reason at all. He was known for his big smile, athleticism, and helping heart (Article 1, Article 2).
Deshaun Hill Jr., a 15-year-old honor-roll student and talented athlete was murdered by a white, racist 29-year-old man. (Article)
My heart goes out to their families, friends, and community. It is a dark time right now in the Twin Cities.
“The truth is– They were all young, gifted, and Black! And now they are no more!”
The Northside Achievement Zone, February 2022 Blog Post
My heart also goes out to my friends and colleagues from or who have ties to Ukraine. What is happening in Ukraine is present-day colonization fueled by greed, ego, and lack of humanity.
Calls to action for indigenous solidarity:
- Sign Honor The Earth’s Petition! Demand an EIS for the Proposed Huber Mill
- Send the Army Corp of Engineers a comment about your thoughts on Enbridge’s Line 5 Proposal. (pssssst: Say you disagree!!)
- If you can, donate financially to the Gidimt’en Land Defenders. You can even get an art poster if you like when you donate.
In love and solidarity,
<3 Molly
Business Updates
A Services & Pricing Sheet, Boost & Bloom Cohort, and New Projects on the Horizon
After a quiet winter of reflection, business development, and waiting for an IRB approval, it looks like things are finally getting busier around here. Here’s what’s going on:
1. Coco Canary Services & Prices Sheet
Since my business realignment and rebranding, I’ve been asked by a few folks for an updated services and prices sheet. Well, it is finally live! You can view it here. 🙂
2. Boost & Bloom: A Business Development Cohort for Evaluators
I decided to take Stephanie Evergreen’s Boost & Bloom business development cohort; woohoo! Here’s me posing with Stephanie and Birch.
She calls it a “course for legacy-building entrepreneurs. For the hopeful & hungry who hate the hustle. Where we turn daydreams into dollars.” What I am most excited about with this cohort is that: (1) it’s predominantly evaluators—almost 20 amazing evaluator people—and (2) I am looking forward to deeply reflecting more about how to run my business and where I want it to go. Last fall, I took Inspire to Change’s Creative Evaluation & Engagement Cohort, which helped me SO MUCH in finding out more about who I am as an individual and what kind of work I want to do. I’m ready now to find out where I want to go as Coco Canary.
3. New Projects on the Horizon!
There are a couple of projects brewing and starting with Inspire to Change, Equivolve Consulting, Catch Your Dream Consulting, and more. All of which use arts-based methods and developmental approaches; yay!
2. Woodland Steward Project Summary & Survey: Still Looking For Folks!
For those new to my newsletter, I am collaborating with the University of Minnesota Extension and Forest Service on a project about the motivations and barriers to prospective woodland stewardship—see more info about the project in the summary section below.
An Update: Next month, you’ll see ads for this project in The Circle and Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder! As well as a shoutout from Headwaters Foundation for Justice on their social media. Also, I’ll begin interviews next month, which is very exciting! Our deadline for this project is June 2022, so I’ll be keeping myself busy for the next few months.
Summary: History tells us that barriers exist to stewarding woodlands, especially for individuals who have been historically excluded due to gender, class, race, ethnicity, immigration status, ability, etc. We want to speak to people who are interested in stewarding a woodland. Preferably people who have been historically excluded. If you are based in Minnesota and have ever been interested in stewarding a woodland (or are curious what that is!), fill out this survey. Also, please share with folks you think would be interested. Thank you!
Other Business Updates
What is Retroactive Allyship Theater?
Read Vu Le’s (“Voo Lay”) blog post, “What is Retroactive Allyship Theater, and are you guilty of it?” I have DEFINITELY been a retroactive ally. It is something I am working on and mindful of in my work. Specifically not being scared to speak to power and oppression when it happens. Conflict is hard for me, but harms to my BIPOC friends and colleagues outways my right to comfort.
Finding Freedom: White Women Taking on Their Own White Supremacy
I recently finished the Finding Freedom workshop (5 classes over five weeks) and can’t say enough how much I enjoyed it. I loved learning about white women who showed up in solidarity over the last 100 years (Anne Braden; woo!). I also learned how white women have been instrumental in irreparable harm to BIPOC communities (Ex. Carolyn Bryant and Emmett Till). In the end, I found out how I fit into this history, how I can heal, and how I want to show up in solidarity. They have more workshops coming up this spring and summer. I highly recommend checking them out!
A Very Good Article to Read By Susan Raffo
If you are interested in learning more about how philanthropy can show up better for social and racial justice, check out this article. Here’s a quote that stood out to me:
“…we have shifted from funding 30 individual grant partners and are now instead making 10 large, multi-year grants to grassroots alliances and movement-accountable public foundations, trusting them to redistribute those funds to BIPOC-led grassroots organizations according to their own priorities and visions. …recognizing that front-line leaders who are immersed in the day-to-day realities of organizing in marginalized communities are in the best position to strategically deploy resources to advance change.”
Personal Update
A Visual Representation of February 2022 – A Photo Collage
Happy Black History Month, everyone! I hope you’ve had the opportunity to learn something new about Black history and Black futures; I sure did! I’ve been keeping busy this last month. A dear friend’s mother passed away, which led my partner and me to Indiana for a funeral. Another dear friend just moved out to D.C., which resulted in many nights of eating food together, playing board games, going for hikes, and helping her move boxes! See below for descriptions of the photos above.
Photo 1: Matt, my bandmate, and I are at it again! We’re recording our album, which is set to be done by this summer. We got a grant to finish the album, and we will have three outdoor concerts throughout the summer and fall!
Photo 2: My brother and I went to the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory. The plant conservatory is one of the best places to go during the winter. At least in my opinion.
Photo 3: Mike and I with our friends in Indiana. We attended Granny’s funeral, and we took a moment to pose for a photo.
Photo 4: An ice cave found on the lakeshore of Wisconsin (we were on Red Cliff Nation’s land, an Anishinaabe tribe). Winter is one of the special times where you can walk on the shore to see caves you never get to see unless in a kayak or canoe in summer.
Photo 5: The selfie—masterfully taken by my friend Nina—we took to commemorate Allison’s goodbye hike. We will miss you, Allison!! <3
Let’s Stay Connected!
To keep up to date with my business news, connect or follow me on Linkedin. Don’t forget to follow our newsletter (and share with others), as well! And, of course, if you know of anyone who may benefit from our services, send them our way. Referrals are what make the world go round.
In solidarity,
Molly O’Connor (she/her/hers)
Founder, Principal Consultant, and Creative Evaluator
direct: (612) 868-0364
email: moconnor@cococanary.com
website: cococanary.com
Black Lives Matter
Justice for Trayvon Martin (he would have been 27 this month). Justice for Daunte Wright (the police officer who murdered him only got two years: from the article “…mother of Daunte’s son, Chyna Whitaker. ‘Two years is probably, you know, you might as well just let her walk free.'” Justice for Ahmaud Arbery (his murderers were found guilty of hate crimes)
