Grangers are talking about…

SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice), Bay Area chapter

The recent murders in Atlanta and attacks in Oakland and San Francisco have brought to national attention to what, unfortunately, is not news to many: bigotry, misogyny, and racialized violence in our country is thriving and Asian and Pacific Islander Americans are frequently the targets of hate crimes and acts of terror. White supremacy lies at the heart of these attacks; the Atlanta attack painfully highlights the intertwining of racism, misogyny, and racist fetishization directed towards those perceived to be sex workers.

As a group organizing white people against white supremacy, we particularly decry any attempt to downplay or distract from the racial animus of the Atlanta murders. Justifying heinous acts of violence by highlighting the mental health issues of the murderer is a luxury afforded almost exclusively to white murderers and further perpetuates a culture that consistently fails to hold the perpetrators of systemic violence accountable. We will not allow these claims or any victim-shaming to distract us from the larger issue of white supremacist violence that is alive and well in our country right now.

We will continue to take action to address the growth of white nationalism and terror. We wish to extend a message of support and solidarity to all in our communities who are of Asian & Pacific Islander descent: We see you, we value you, and we stand with you.

Allies, please find some resources and actions you can take below:

1. You can support the families of the victims of violence in Georgia here.
2. Consider donating to the AAPI Community Fund.
3. Learn more about actions you can take to Stop AAPI Hate.
4. Attend a free, 1-hour, online Bystander Intervention to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment workshop presented by Hollaback! and Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ).
5. Read and/or have your organization sign on to this statement from Red Canary Song, a grassroots collective of Asian and migrant sex workers, calling for protection and rights for Asian massage workers and not an increase in policing in Asian communities. You can also support this visionary organizing here.
6. Educate yourself and share timely articles here and here about the intersection of racism and misogyny in the Atlanta shootings and white supremacist efforts to divide Black and Asian American communities and how they have worked to find common ground.

Join us again for our local project to redistribute homegrown produce and eliminate food waste!

 

• Trade surplus items from your garden for something you don’t have.
• Share produce you have gleaned (with permission) from a neighbor’s yard.
• Share or trade seeds and plant starts.

Bounty for the County is our new goal this year:

We encourage all to grow at least an extra row to donate to our community members in need of healthy produce. At the end of the exchange period, all leftover produce will be donated to a food recovery partner.

Where: The Sebastopol Grange 6000 Sebastopol Rd/Hwy 12
When: 5:00 – 5:45 pm on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, May 11 – Oct 26
May 11 & 25, June 8 & 22, July 13 & 27, Aug 10 & 24, Sept 14 & 28, Oct 12 & 26
Contact: Dena at dena@rahus.org or 707-484-5703

The exchange is a great place to build community, share garden stories, recipes, food recovery information and tips on local plant adaptations!

Grangers and friends gave generously at the Grange Hall on Saturday, Dec. 6! Grange Secretary Carol Henderson delivered 20 boxes and bags stuffed with groceries along with a check for $75. Pictured are Mary Helen Franze, Carol Henderson, and Dot Janson.

“Thank you to everyone who supported the Sebastopol Grange Drive-Thru Food Drive this past Monday. Your help and generosity helped to make it a huge success!
958 items were donated at a value of $3,278.25 plus $235 in cash for a total donation of $3,513.25.
A HUGE thank you to all who volunteered, donated and helped to spread the word about the event. And a very special thanks to our gracious hosts and volunteers at Sebastopol Grange who made this event possible. (Thank you Hrieth for organizing!) These donations will go a long way in helping us feed our neighbors living with serious illness.”

Petaluma’s Biotic Brands navigates COVID-19 challenges while giving back to Sonoma County

Granger Victoria Johnston’s family is finding ways to give back through their company Biotic Brands, which makes healthy Kvass beverages. For every Biotic bottle bought locally at Oliver’s Market or Community Market, the company will donate another one to Redwood Empire Food Bank, where demand for the nonprofit’s sustenance has grown almost 200% during the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic. Read the article in the Press Democrat Dec. 11.

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Sakiko Pizzorno earns her Black Belt in Judo

After 4 years of hard work, Sebastopol Grange member Sakiko Pizzorno recently received her Black Belt in Judo.

At 16, she is one of the youngest judokas (one who studies Judo) in her dojo to have received her Black Belt. Only half of this year’s judokas who tested for their Black Belt passed the scrutiny of the 15 judge panel.

Congratulations Sakiko!

Grangers and friends collected lot of food at the Grange Hall on Saturday, Dec. 6! Grange Secretary Carol Henderson delivered 20 boxes and bags stuffed with groceries along with a check for $75. Pictured are Mary Helen Franze, Carol Henderson, and Dot Janson.

The next Food Drive at the Grange will be on on Thursday, Jan. 14th from 10am-4pm.

Sebastopol Grange President Laura Shafer talked about the Grange on the anniversary of the organization’s founding in 1867 on KOWS community radio on December 4th. She was interviewed by Arnold Levine on his show, Tommy’s Holiday Camp. You can listen to the show online.

Using mostly native California plants from local nurseries and the beekeepers gardens, the Really Good Bees Inspirational Garden was planted behind the Grange Hall in October. Read the story about how this collaborative project came together while our hall has been closed due to the pandemic.

 

What:  Join us again for our local project to redistribute homegrown produce and eliminate food waste.  It is an opportunity to trade surplus items from your garden for something you don’t have.  You may also bring produce that you have gleaned (with permission of course) from a neighbor’s yard.  Plant starts are welcome for sharing and trading.  At the end of the exchange period, all left over produce will be donated to a food recovery partner.

Update: This year, we’ll be wearing face masks and keeping at least a 6-foot distance between each of us. Please put on clean gloves or sanitize your hands prior to unloading your starts/produce and when you are packed up to leave the exchange. Please follow the directions of the exchange host when putting out your starts/produce and when looking for items you would like to take.
We encourage gardeners to plant extra so that we are able to donate produce throughout the season to our local food pantries and community members who are in need of healthy food.

Where:  The Sebastopol Grange  6000 Sebastopol Rd/Hwy 12

When:  5:00 – 5:45 pm on the 2^nd and 4th Tuesdays – May 26 through October 27.

Dates:  May 26, June 9, June 23, July 14, July 28, Aug 11, Aug 25, Sept 8, Sept 22, Oct 13, Oct 27

Contact:  Dena at dena@rahus.org or 707-484-5703

Non-Gardener Participants:  Let’s talk- maybe volunteering your time, not your produce is what works for you.

The Sebastopol Grange had one of its most well attended Song Circles on January 31st, with nearly 90 people in attendance, from children to elders. Our songleaders were cousins Aaron Johnson and Porsha Beed who make up a team of change makers called Holistic Resistance, a group who has dedicated their lives to dismantling racism through reaching for each other and building relationships via song circles, programs and workshops. These good folks are all heart and soul and many people left that evening saying it was one of the best singing experiences they’ve ever had. We will definitely be having them back again!