The Coco Canary Monthly Newsletter
March 2023
Summary:
A Grounding, Creative Evaluation in Seattle, Minnesota Evaluation Association Conference, and a personal update!
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. Learn how to go beyond a land acknowledgment by reading this guide by the Native Governance Center or my personal LandBack story.
Art drawn by Molly C. O’Connor
A Grounding
News, Learnings, Opportunities for Growth, and Calls to Action:
- Check out the CROSS CULTURAL SOLIDARITY History; in the Service of Solidarity website, “a one-stop site for people to plug into the wide universe of racial justice history.”
Black Lives Matter. Justice For:
Deshaun Hill
Fohrenkam sentenced to 38 years in killing of Deshaun Hill
Cropped image of a photo that was taken by Shari L. Gross (from MPR article linked above)
Stephon Clark
Donate to IAmSAC Foundation: a non-profit in honor of Stephon Clark that’s focused on serving families that have been impacted by life’s adversities…
Cropped image of a photo taken by Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio. Found in this Politico article
Other BLM News
- St. Paul joins a national movement to explore reparations for America’s original sin.
- Remembering the Montford Point Marines. An interesting article about history I didn’t know about and has a Call to Action within. <3
- Exposing Minnesota-style bigotry inspires movement for change
- Watch A Racial Border: Jim Crow of the North Stories! “It uncovers the dark history of systemic racism in MN, but also lifts up Black resistance and resilience in the past and the present-day changemakers bringing it to light and looking to right historical housing injustices”
Native-Led Movement News and Calls to Action
- The Mille Lacs Band [of Ojibwe] Recent Legal Victory: “In an attempt to put an end to what they believed was unlawful interference with their Tribal policing authority, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe filed a lawsuit in 2017 against Mille Lacs County and associated officials. On January 10, 2023, Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson issued a ruling on the lawsuit in favor of the Mille Lacs Band. The long-awaited decision is a victory for the Mille Lacs Band and Tribal sovereignty more broadly.” – From a Native Governance Center Email sent Feb 28th, 2023.
- “Listen to The Red Nation podcast to learn how this historically Indigenous neighborhood in Minneapolis is fighting to build an urban farm and STOP the building of a toxic truck yard.”
- Read We are on Wahpekute Land – An Interview With Kameron Runnels, Vice Chairman of the Santee Sioux Nation, Part 2. Led and made public by The Improve Group
- There are still so many ways to support Stop Line 3. Join this newsletter for information on when and where to help water protectors!
An image of Sully facilitating a conversation with participants at an in-person community convening in Seattle, WA.
Business Updates
A Creative Evaluation Project Highlight: Public Health of Seattle & King County Equitable Contracting
In my last newsletter, I shared I was going to Seattle, Washington, for a Creative Evaluation and Community Engagement project for Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC). I’m working with the amazing Sully Moreno from Culture Shift Consulting. This project aims to evaluate and improve how PHSKC contracts with community-based organizations, specifically with BIPOC-owned orgs, and how to build more equitable practices within its contracting/procurement process. Here’s a brief update on how the trip went and how the project is going.
Our in-person community convening went very well! The band, Ñuundeya de Oaxaca, played music before and after the event. We built in time for mingling and eating delicious food too. We hired four artists to be a part of the creative evaluation process, and three were able to make it that day. They are tasked to create art based on the community feedback, to be then presented at a later event. We wanted to prioritize community voice, so we had community members share their contracting experiences with PHSKC via storytelling, which grounded our facilitated conversation. And then we used arts-based methods to have community members write a collective story of what equitable contracting could look like. I love in-person events, so being in community with amazing community leaders felt so good. Thank you to our in-person co-facilitator, Ashley D. Mocorro Powell, and PHSKC staff volunteers (Saba Al Harazi, Ekkarath “Ekk” Sisavatdy, Halima Lozano, Dan Brandes, and Tausili “Sili” Kalepo).
The virtual community conveying went equally well (except for the inevitable Zoom tech hiccups). We followed the same format and had a great co-facilitator team (Aletheia Whittman and Aisha Abedi) and notetakers (Ashley Mocorro-Powell, Saba, Halima, and Ekk). And all the artists were able to join in too!
We had a virtual PHSKC staff convening after the community events to play back initial findings and then facilitate the same discussion, but with questions that helped dive into how we can implement the actions that emerged from the feedback we received.
Now, Sully and I are drafting a report for PHSKC staff, which we hope to have reviewed and okayed by our community advisory group AND to be made public for review to the community after the project concludes (May 31, 2023). The artists are working on their artwork to be performed or displayed during our final two community convenings and discussions scheduled for early May 2023.
Also, for those who are curious, we have been paying stipends to community members who have been a part of the planning process ($360/planning meeting), as well as for the facilitated discussions ($150/event). And these community members will also be paid at the final convenings ($150/event). They have been paid with cash, check, and/or gift card.
An image of Sully and I posing after our in-person facilitation was over
Other Business Updates
Save the Date for the Evaluation (Un)Filtered Conference! Hosted by the Minnesota Evaluation Association (MNEA).
It is official, MNEA is hosting an evaluation (un)conference! It will only be one day and is scheduled for Tuesday, September 26. Opportunities to present will be announced soon! We’re also discussing the feasibility of having a hybrid option too. More to come.
Consider joining MNEA as a member to participate in all the cool events happening in person and virtually!
Coco Canary — Tell My Mother That I’m Coming Home: Keep Eyes and Ears Out For Our Album Release!
The upcoming Coco Canary album, Tell My Mother That I’m Coming Home, will be released soon. Due to audio engineering tech issues, we had to delay the release until further notice. We are hoping we’ll have the final audio files by end of April!
Personal Update
Mike’s Prostate Cancer Surgery Recovery, Seattle Adventures, & Making Maple Syrup!
Hey all. <3
For those who joined my newsletter recently, it may benefit you to read my last personal update before going forward. Here is a further update for those who read the previous two newsletters!
- Mike’s Prostate Cancer Surgery & Recovery: In early February, Michael, my partner, successfully underwent prostatectomy surgery, and fortunately, the tumor and cancer tissue was removed with “negative margins.” Though his scars have healed, we still have a long road to recovery. And he isn’t entirely in the clear regarding cancer coming back. We’ll be keeping an eye on it for the next 5 – 10 years. Check out our CaringBridge site if you want to keep updated about his recovery journey.
- Seattle Adventures: Though I was in Seattle for work, I also got to fit in some fun! I spent a lot of quality time with Sully and her husband playing board games, eating delicious dim sum & vegan ice cream, and even fitting in a hike! I also had brunch with my aunt Kris and cousin Kay.
- Making Maple Syrup: It has become a tradition to travel to Clam Falls, WI, with my partner and household to help make maple syrup with fellow intentional community, Omega House. We stay in a rustic homestead, carry buckets of sap to a central outdoor boiler, and make sure the fire/embers don’t go out overnight (for the outdoor boiler and the fire stove heating the homestead!). Drinking maple sap coffee and looking at the clear night sky were highlights.
Sending so much love.
– Molly
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 it with others)! And, of course, if you know of anyone who may benefit from our Creative Evaluation 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
