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The Optimistic Anthropologist Volume 29
An Inescapable Network of Mutuality
APRIL 2020 | VOLUME 29
Dear ,
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about one of Optimistic Anthropology's values - humanity - and its dual meanings of compassion and humankind.
Compassion has been coming up for me in a course I am taking with the
, an organization that aims is to help people see, connect, and collectively inquire about their care (giving and receiving)activities in everyday life. They have developed a reflection tool called a
, which helps individuals make visible care in their own life. The tool mainly focuses on relationships between people, but it also has the capacity to adapt and do more.
My 2nd grader drew her own @atlasofcare CareMap. I was so impressed with the expansiveness of it. This was the first CareMap that I’ve seen where the sun ☀️ and moon 🌙 were added as givers of #care ❤️
— Susan E. Schaffler (@SuSchaffler)
2:48 PM • Apr 24, 2020
. And on my map, I added a different kind of care giving relationship I am currently involved with, the
.
is the part of the city that currently has the highest incidence of COVID-19. It's an economically diverse area so while many neighbors have a lot of resources, many others struggled to make ends meet long before these unprecedented times.
networks have a long history in some areas of DC. And the impact of coronavirus has led to the formation of new ones and rapid expansion of others. As I filled out my Care Map, I realized that my involvement
is a relationship of caregiving AND care-receiving. My small contributions coordinating runners who deliver groceries to our neighbors, and doing some runs myself (thus my mask in this month's photo) are acts of care.
I'm also learning how mutual aid fills needs that our institutions and systems are no longer designed to or are moving too slowly to address. These needs are not new, we have been failing to create equitable health, food access, education, and housing outcomes for people for a long time time in the U.S. Coronavirus has just made these realities more extreme and visible to people who were unaware or able to ignore them before.
And while I am committed to providing and receicing care from my neighbors as we weather this acute crisis, I am als conscious that right now, we need to be preparing to seize the impending moment, and do the arduous work of redesigning our institutions and systems so that they don't produce these types of results in the future. Which brings me back to the other meaning of humanity - humankind and the question that I find myself thinking and talking to people about every day lately:
Be well, do good, and let me know what you think,Alison
P.S. I'm always excited to connect!
and let's talk about the ideas in this month's newsletter or things you're working on to shape a more positive and equitable world!
LATEST
Over the last few months, the lack of
in the U.S. - among and between nations, institutions, and individuals has been on full display with dire consequences in the midst of a global pandemic. At the same time, there have also been tremendous examples of the
we do and should have in one another - particularly on very local levels.
So, we thought it was a good time to re-share this post from the archives that digs into an array of resources to answer the question -
As we shared previously,
is our new headquarters in Washington, DC! Among other things, we envision it as a
, and
for people who are in DC for a week or more of activism, conferences, work, travel, or study. However, with coronavirus, we had to hit pause on our plans.
But through our amazing community, we were introduced to Vimal Kumar who is in DC as a McCain Institute Next Generation Leader. Vimal is the founder of Movement for Scavenger Community (MSC), an organization committed to the eradication of manual scavenging in India and bringing education and awareness to the existing scavenger community. We're excited to have him staying with us and feature him and his work as our first Optimism House Friend (OH Friend)!
Learn more about Vimal's work and personal story on the
and by
The world and economy may be strange right now, but folks we know are still recruiting! So like every month, we're sharing
. It is our monthly round-up of job, consulting, and fully- funded fellowship and accelerator opportunities that people and organizations connected to Optimistic Anthropology are recruiting for.
(our list reaches ~1200 great people!)
OUR GOOD LISTENS FROM APRIL 2020
We love music! We love podcasts! Here's what we have been listening to this past month!
Everything is Alivecontinues to be the most touching, creative, strange, and funny podcast that we listen to on their recent episode Louise & William, Shirt & Pants.
The hosts of our favorite podcast on Southeastern European affairs, Sarajevo Calling, recently did a Balkan Book Bonanza.
Speaking of the Balkans, Damir Imamovic's new album Singer of Tales is a great introduction to Sevdah music and it's just soooooo good!
We know we're not the only one who thinks this, but Fiona Apple's new record Fetch the Bolt Cutters is pretty killer and well worth a listen.
99% Invisible's recent episodes Wipe Out and Unsheltered in Place explore topics relevant to COVID-19 like toilet paper shortages and marketing and trying to stay healthy during a global pandemic when you're homeless.
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