The Coco Canary Monthly Newsletter
May & June 2022
Summary:
A Social Justice Grounding, Coco Canary The Band’s Upcoming Album, New Services, 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.
Art drawn by Molly C. O’Connor
A Grounding: George Floyd 2-year Angel-Aniversary, Mass Shootings (Buffalo & Uvalde), Roe v Wade, & Calls to Action
Hi all. So much has happened in May and June. Joyful, such as Juneteeth celebrations and Solstice vibes. Painful, such as the deaths, anniversaries, and continued violence from the white, patriarchal, heteronormative system. Below is a summary of articles and my thoughts
- Unchecked racist rhetoric leads to heinous violence (MSR – May 16th, 2022). 10 people were murdered by a racist man in Buffalo, New York. Their names are: Celestine Chaney, 65; Roberta Drury, 32; Andre Mackneil, 53; Katherine Massey, 72; Margus Morrison, 52; Heyward Patterson, 67; Aaron Salter, 55; Geraldine Talley, 62; Ruth Whitfield, 86, and Pearl Young, 77. RIP. <3
“We find that perceived victimhood, authoritarianism, populism, and white identity are the most powerful predictors of support for violence, though military service, conspiratorial thinking, anxiety, and feelings of powerlessness are also related. These patterns suggest that subjective feelings about being unjustly victimized—irrespective of the truth of the matter—and the psychological baggage that accompanies such feelings lie at the heart of support for violence.”
Armaly, M., & Enders, A. (2022). Who Supports Political Violence? Perspectives on Politics, 1-18. doi:10.1017/S1537592722001086
- Two years after Floyd’s murder: local voices call for more than ‘dribs and drabs’ (MSR – May 23rd, 2022). Community came together for music, reflection, and connection on George Floyd’s “Angelversary” (May 25th) at George Floyd Square. This article has “reflections from several local activists, community leaders, politicians, and others on what’s changed in the fight against systemic racism.”
- Mass shootings leave behind collective despair, anguish, and trauma at many societal levels (MSR – May 26th, 2022). An article about the mass killing of children, teachers, and a grandmother in Uvalde, TX.
- Black Lives Matter. Justice for George Floyd—One of the cops who assisted in the murder (holding down Mr. Floyd’s legs) pleads guilty. Justice For Patrick Lyoya—the cop that murdered him was charged with second-degree murder. And Justice for Jalen Randle.
- Roe vs. Wade is overturned. This is so wrong. Period.
Native-Led Movement Calls to Action
- Flood the Courts – Drop Charges for Shanai Matteson. July 14th – 15th, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm, both days at the Aitkin County Courthouse and Jail. Support and Rally! There will be food, drumming, and community.
- Also, if you haven’t already, sign the “Drop the Charges” Petition sent directly to the Walz-Flanagan MN administration.
- Water is Life Festival – Sept 4th in Duluth, MN. All proceeds go to Honor the Earth to assist them in fighting the current and future challenges to Indigenous lands, communities, and climate justice right here at home in Minnesota and around the globe.
Logo designed by Mel Tillery
Business Updates
Coco Canary THE BAND Is Raising Funds to Finish Their Upcoming Album: Tell My Mother I’m Coming Home. An Album For and By Trauma Survivors.
Hey all! Did you know that Molly O’Connor (i.e., me!) is in a band? Did you also know that Molly named her business after the band Coco Canary? Yes, it is true. My friend and bandmate, Matthew Gogola (also known as Matthew Hope), and I are the heart and soul of Coco Canary, a Twin Cities indie singer/songwriter band. And this band came BEFORE Coco Canary Consulting. 😀
About The Band:
Molly O’Connor is the vocalist and songwriter for Coco Canary. Matthew Gogola is the guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for Coco Canary. When he isn’t focusing on Coco Canary, he is playing music for elders at assisted living across the Twin Cities, mentoring for the Recovery Community, or enjoying a good cup of coffee. He recorded an album back in 2007 called Black Tea Nights. Check it out!
About The Album:
We have been dreaming, writing, and practicing for this album since 2018 (check out some early Coco Canary recordings here ). In early 2022, we received a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board to record an album about, for, and by people healing from trauma. Matt and I have had our fair share of trauma, and this album auditorily portrays the different elements of our healing journeys. We used the grant money to buy equipment and pay musicians. All we need now is to schedule studio time to record the vocals and an audio engineer to put it all together. This is where you come in because we started a GoFundMe!
Why We Need To Fundraise $7,500
Paying for seven days of studio time and a sound engineer to put it all together should cost us just over $7000. And GoFundMe takes a portion, which is why we aim for $7,500. Simple as that!
Why This Is Important To Us:
This album is the culmination of years of lived experiences, writing, and practicing. We hope this album can be healing for people who have experienced trauma, as well as help people better understand mental health conditions stemming from trauma, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Also, Matt and I are so ready for it to be out in the universe for people to listen to and connect with.
See more info at our GoFundMe Page! Also, check out our Youtube Channel and first promo video.
Other Business Updates
Developing evaluations that center racial equity – A Panel with Naaima Khan, Donte Curtis, Molly O’Connor, and Becky Schueller
On July 14th from 12 pm – 1:15 pm, there will be a panel discussion about how to evaluate with equity at its center. I’m one of the panelists. RSVP here! It is hosted by TechSoup.
Giving Project 2022 – Headwaters Foundation for Justice Volunteers raised 510K Dollars for Systems Change Work!!!
As a 2021 Giving Project alum, it gives me such joy to know that a new group of local community members came together in 2022 to raise 236K and then have it leveraged to a total of 510K! It’s incredible that half a million dollars are going to local MN organizations working to change systems and heal communities.
Image from Headwaters Foundation for Justice’s 6/28/2022 Linkedin Post
Graphic Cartooning – A Type of Creative Reporting Used By Coco Canary
I’m currently on a project, lead by Donte Curtis, where I am helping evaluate a 3-year equity training program (10 trainings in total). We finished the first of 10 creative reports, where we shared team learnings and findings via graphic cartooning. Graphic Cartooning is a method where you take field notes of the facilitation (such as quotes) and use cartoons to represent the data visually. I’ll share more in a future post!
Personal Update
A Visual Representation of May & June 2022 – A Photo Collage
Photo descriptions go from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.
Photo 1: A photo of my partner’s Mom, Mem, with a box full of farmer’s market flowers. I love going to the farmer’s market during the warmer months!
Photo 2: A photo of my Uncle David with a giant Rhubarb leaf. He passed away this month. <3
Photo 3: A photo of me with my late uncle’s cat, Lucky. We fostered him for a short time, and now he lives with my partner’s parents. This is a photo of me visiting him at their house.
Photo 4: A photo of Mike, my partner, rehabbing an old picnic table. It took several weeks, but now we have a beautiful picnic table that doesn’t give us splinters anymore!
Photo 5: A photo of freshly foraged morel mushrooms and oyster mushrooms after a foraging adventure.
Photo 6: A photo of my mom looking for agates at the shores of Gitchi-Gami (Lake Superior). We were in Duluth for a White Privilege conference and decided to find a nice spot to relax and look for agates just north of Duluth.
Photo 7: A group shot of the Inspire to Change team outside their office in Minneapolis, MN. I work part-time for them, and we spent the week of June 20th relationship-building and visioning for the company. It was a good time!
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
Justice for Jalen Randle. Justice for George Floyd—One of the cops who assisted in the murder (holding down Mr. Floyd’s legs) pleads guilty. Justice For Patrick Loyola—the cop that murdered him is charged with second-degree murder.
