The Coco Canary Monthly Newsletter
August 2022
Summary:
A Grounding, 2022 Annual Narrative, New Case Studies Section, Open to New Contracts Starting July 2023, and More.
Welcome to Coco Canary!
Hello from Molly C. 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
News, Learnings, and Opportunities for Growth:
- Calling White People In To Strengthen and Grow Our Movements: A Conversation with Adrienne Maree Brown. Check out the recording of an excellent conversation organized by SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice).
- Love to the families and community who lost four loved ones in New Mexico. New Mexico’s Muslims were relieved when a murder suspect was arrested.
Black Lives Matter. Justice For:
- Breonna Taylor: Federal charges in Breonna Taylor’s case are a step in the right direction.
“The U.S. Justice Department filed civil rights charges on August 4, accusing Louisville police of violating Breonna Taylor’s rights in the raid that led to her death in 2020. Those charges may signal a positive step toward equal justice for Black women in this country.”
Native-Led Movement Calls to Action
- Tell your Representative: Stop Manchin’s Dirty Deal. E-sign this petition or call or write a handwritten letter (instructions here)
- (IRL in Washington D.C) Sept 8th: Rally to Stop MVP and Manchin’s Dirty Deal. RSVP here
- Watch and learn from indigenous leaders and allied relatives about the Stop Line 5 movement.
- Listen to Native One Voice and financially support UnderCurrents Radio!
- While listening to this station, they discussed progress and future plans for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force. They can assess progress thanks to the 2020 report shared with the Minnesota Legislature. You can download the report here.
Business Updates
1. The Coco Canary Website Has a Refresh! Check out Coco Canary’s New Tagline, Case Studies Section, and Website Banner
Did you notice the new tagline in the email banner? If not, take a look below!
Yep, short and sweet. Because in the end, that’s what I want to do as a business: help organizations and individuals evaluate more creatively.
A new Case Studies section also highlights three past and present creative evaluation projects. You can check it out at cococanary.com. Lastly, I have a living document outlining past and present projects, which you can view here.
As you can see, behind the scenes, Coco Canary has spent the last year busy doing business development. This most recent push is thanks to the help of Stephanie Evergreen’s program, Boost & Bloom, and my cohort peers. To learn more about Stephanie’s work, check out Evergreen Empire.
2. The Coco Canary Annual Narrative: 2021 – 2022
The 2nd Annual Coco Canary Narrative is live! This document outlines business highlights (as seen below), annual revenue, distribution of donations, volunteering pursuits, and more. Check it out here and let me know what you think!
Other Business Updates
Hockey Is For Everybody! By Anthony Walsh
Y’all! My childhood friend’s little brother wrote a book, which is sooooo good! It’s about his time playing hockey and how it was sometimes hard to be the only Black player on the ice. Strive Publishing wrote, “Author, Anthony Walsh, wrote ‘Hockey is for Everybody’ to be a resource and an easy ice-breaker into a tough and often emotional conversation that every parent should have with their child about race.” Buy it here!
Flava (“Flay-va”) Café is Officially Open!
Congratulation to Shaunie Grigsby for their Grand Opening for Flava Coffee & Café! I attended the event, and the speeches were amazing, especially those from her Auntie Georgia. I’m so excited to watch Flava Café grow.
If you live in the Twin Cities, check them out! They are on the corner of Dale and University in St. Paul (623 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55104). Open Mon – Fri (7 AM to 2:30 PM) and Sat (8 AM to 3 PM).
Looking for a Partner in a Creative Evaluation?
We’re full of creative evaluation projects for the rest of 2022 and early 2023. If you’re interested in learning more about how using arts-based methods and approaches can shake up & improve your evaluation work, contact me at moconnor@cococanary.com, or sign up for a discovery call via Calendly.
The Anniversary of the Pueblo Revolt
“… 342 years ago, pueblo communities said ‘enough’. They stood together in opposition to colonialism and fought for independence with the intention of preserving a culture-bound in community, family, and traditions. The Pueblo Revolt illustrates the power we hold as Indigenous Peoples and the strength we possess when standing united in defense of our sacred lifeways.”
Personal Update
A Visual Representation of August 2022 – A Photo Collage
Photo descriptions go from the top left corner to the bottom right corner.
Photo 1: At the Minnesota State Fair with my family in town!
Photo 2: Playing music at my friend Nina’s event, West Side Soul. A public event based in West Saint Paul where people jam!
Photo 3: A selfie of me, my sister Meghan, and my twin sister, Colleen.
Photo 4: I spent five days in the Boundary Waters (the stolen lands of the Anishinaabe people) with friends. Here is the image of us prepping our boats for our backcountry backpacking adventure.
Photo 5: A selfie of me and my twin sister, Colleen, on a rooftop in downtown Minneapolis. My cousin lives in a highrise condo, and he took us to the roof during a cousin get-together!
Photo 6: A photo of me and my bandmate, Matt, at a Fleet Foxes concert at Surly Music Field in Minneapolis.
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
