The Coco Canary Newsletter
March 2024
Summary:
A Grounding, I Am The Yellow Monster, Seeking 2024 Clients, MNEA Outgoing President Letter, 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. Learn how to go beyond a land acknowledgment by reading this guide by the Native Governance Center, their Case Studies page, and donating to an Honor Tax (Mni Sota Honor Tax, for example).
Art drawn by Molly C. O’Connor
A Grounding
- How Sudan’s civil war has created a massive hunger crisis (March 2024) From PBS News Hour.
- ‘Uncommitted’ movement spreads to Super Tuesday states. (March 2024) From PBS. Me and over 373,000 other people voted uncommitted during the primary elections, as an act of peaceful protest. <3
- What Minnesota’s ‘stunning’ uncommitted turnout in Democratic primary means for the November election (March 2024) From Sahan Journal
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964: 60 years Later. (March 2024) A National Urban League Publication. From stateofblackamerica.org
- Harris marks 59th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ at Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. (March 2024) From PBS
Black Lives Matter. A Non-Exhaustive List. Justice For:
Martin Luther King Jr.
- 6 Speeches and Works That Honor The Full Legacy of MLK
- Image from Anti Racism Daily article linked above
Calls to Action
- Write to Congress: Stop Weapons & War, Invest in Life. The House is expected to vote on Biden’s supplemental funding bill within the next few weeks. This bill would send $95 billion on militarism abroad – including at least $14 billion to fund Israeli weapons.
- Learn more about Cop Cities and where they are being built all across the country
- Write letters to left-leaning voters. Some of you may be like me, nervous about the upcoming election but don’t want to volunteer for certain candidates. If that is the case, then join me in writing letters that encourage Democratic-leaning voters to turn out in the 2024 general election. I’ve been doing this FOR YEARS, and I find it a nice way to be civically engaged, but not promoting specific politicians.
- Unveiling Haiti’s Security Quandary: Perspectives from Grassroots Movements on the Frontlines – VIRTUAL + FREE, Thursday, March 21, 12 pm ET/ 9 am PT
Business Update
1. I Am The Yellow Monster: A Sweet Story From My Colleague & Friend
Months ago, I got the sweetest voice message from my friend and colleague, Alexandrea Kouame (who does amazing work for CCF MN and is a Comms and Fundraising Consultant for Developing Tomorrow. More info below)! She was reading the book Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs And the Implications for Social Activism, and a passage gave her an aha moment, specifically about my evaluation practice. Here is part of the voice message transcription: “The story was about two monsters who were siblings: one green and one yellow.
The Green Monster was obsessed with the form of things, like measuring and documenting everything.
The Yellow Monster was obsessed with the shapeshifting movement of things, with feeling and processing everything deeply.
They had an argument about who they thought knew more and better. So, they decided to make a bet. They would go away for a year, come back with something to show for it and then ask a panel of judges to decide who won the bet.
The Green Monster knew exactly what to do. It would find a spot, fence it, measure and label everything, from the smallest grain of sand to the tallest tree, and document all this in the most accurate book.
The Yellow Monster knew exactly what to do. It would travel as much as possible, experience things as deeply as possible, sit in a quiet place with everything brewing inside, and come back with the most captivating song.
And as I was reading this passage, I was like, oh my god, Molly is the yellow monster! And, the traditional evaluator that I’m familiar with is the Green Monster… and how sad it is that we are so focused on measuring and documenting that we’ve lost touch of that deep sense…
The monster story brought home why it is important to feel deeply and think differently. The presentation that you and Sully did gave concrete examples and really reinforced this for me. If folks can feel deeply about the impact of their work…go beyond charts, graphs and reports…, they can look at their work in a different way and see new solutions.”
Receiving that voice message made my day, and it gave me an opportunity to reflect. My introspection revealed that I definitely lean towards yellow monster vibes (qualitative & arts-based evaluator), yet I started my career as a green monster (quantitative researcher). And now, I am in an ever-changing balance with both—though, I generally bring in a subcontractor when I need more green monster energy…lol!
I hope reading this sweet story made you smile and let you reflect on where you fall on the Green / Yellow Monster spectrum.
More About Developing Tomorrow: A writing and communications consulting firm dedicated to supporting nonprofit and startup businesses. Developing Tomorrow has a full range of expertise and skills in business planning, proposal writing, communications strategies, and fundraising.
2. We Have Client Openings for 2024
Do you need an evaluator for an upcoming or current project? We are available for short-term and long-term contracts. If you have a project or RFP in mind, email me at moconnor@cococanary.com, or click the button below to schedule a time with me to chat further. Also, please feel free to share this email with someone you think would be interested in our services.
Other Business Updates
MNEA Outgoing President Letter – Written by Molly O’Connor
Molly’s term as president of MNEA ended last year, though she is still on the board as outgoing president until the end of 2024. You can read the full letter and MNEA’s 2023 Annual Report here!
New Music From TreeTree & Coco Canary (The Band)
Molly O’Connor and Ilse Griffin (from TreeTree) are working on a new EP. Check out our demos that dropped in February 2024!
Personal Update
A Much-Needed Vacay In Costa Rica
For those following this newsletter for a while, you may remember that my partner, Michael, and I planned to travel to Mexico last year to visit his Uncle. But, this trip was canceled due to Michael being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Well, we promised ourselves that if Michael was cancer-free and we were financially able, we would travel in winter 2024. And we did just that! Above are images of our magical trip, and below are image descriptions from top left to bottom right.
Image 1: Molly posing with a rainbow mural she painted with Michael and one other person at an ecolodge they stayed at
Image 2: Molly and Michael posing at a beautiful viewpoint in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Image 3: A view of a cloud forest refuge that Molly and Michael volunteered at
Image 4: A view of a bay within Manuel Antonio National Park
Image 5: Molly and Michael swimming in a natural pool with a waterfall behind them near San Ramon, Costa Rica
So much love to you all.
In Community,
– Molly
