Notices by Shar(yna)Tran/Shark(aeopteryx) (sharksonaplane@mastodon.sandwich.net)

My friend Eva is trying to get out from under a mountain of predatory debt accumulated while she was trying to take care of her mother, who has since passed. They work as a caretaker for their autistic sibling and cannot afford to have their wages garnished to clear this.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-eva-in-clearing-predatory-debt
https://ko-fi.com/evonee
https://paypal.me/EvaWoolridge

#BlackMutualAid #IndigenousMutualAid #2SMutualAid #LGBTQIA2SMutualAid

@djsundog The "wanted to be found" part is so important here, and something I think a lot of "FollowFriday"-style initiatives don't always think about, here and elsewhere (there's a reason I have an anti-FF line in my bio).
I also agree with posters talking about the human factor, and this isn't something only instance admins can do. If you invite people to the fedi and they come, engage with their posts so they don't feel alone. Make a list if you need help remembering to check in.

@mekkaokereke Ooof, this hurts too. RIP Tony Todd.

@vantiss There's a part of me that wonders if liberals are going to start masking again now that it will once more be seen as a sign of "resistance," which I would be reluctantly grateful for (even though I would gag if that's the reason), but there's an even more bitter part of me that figures they will just continue to toss us aside.

I remember that white person who tagged every high-following Black person they followed out of nowhere to say "I'm unfollowing you now bc talking about the oppression in the system is scary & makes me uncomfy". It's not just that white people don't know how to be uncomfortable, it's that part of white comfort requires TELLING nonwhite (especially Black) people they caused white discomfort (which in their minds is unacceptable). This type of violence is inherent to the concept of "white comfort."

@thanius That must have been terrifying! I hope your sister and niece will recover fully and smoothly, not just physically but also mentally.

Did Adam Lawton change instances or just leave? (not that I would blame him if he did, but I'll miss him 😭😭😭)

https://wandering.shop/@amaditalks/113224123559160014

Rest in peace, Tinu.

I am not okay about this. She fought so hard. She worked so hard. She deserved so much more than what she was given, by the system and by those who were supposed to help her and failed her instead.

Boost mutual aid. Donate to mutual aid when you safely can. And wear a fucking mask.

Editing to add the donation link to support her family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-tinus-legacy-with-compassionate-support

@Homebrewandhacking @mekkaokereke White women are less likely to push back directly and more likely to block/report these threads, or talk about how "threatened" they feel, or to @ all the Black people they follow announcing that they are "disengaging" from learning about "stressful topics" for "their own mental health", the same way white women offline are more likely to use verbal violence before physical violence. Of course, in both environments, there will always be some doing both.

I'm streaming in about 15 minutes to fundraise for the International Rescue Committee at https://twitch.tv/sharkaeopteryx to benefit people in Gaza, Sudan, DRC, Ethiopia and beyond! Donations up to $100K USD are matched by an IRC sponsor. Type !donate to see how you can help and !incentives to see my donation incentives.

Feeling the urge to be snarky about me raising money for the IRC? Instead of @-ing me, just share or donate to this mutual aid post: https://mastodon.sandwich.net/@Sharksonaplane/113092390023125604

Live again and still fundraising for the IRC! Here's the direct link to donate or share: https://tiltify.com/@sharkaeopteryx/helping-refugees-with-the-irc

Join me on Twitch at https://twitch.tv/sharkaeopteryx

Looking to support mutual aid instead of nonprofit orgs? Donate or share this post as well as the other mutual aid links I've been boosting! https://mastodon.sandwich.net/@Sharksonaplane/113092390023125604

is there ANY way to stop mastodon fucking autorefreshing and pushing my feed all over the place WITHOUT having to use a 3rd party app. I browse on tablet and keep clicking/unclicking shit when I'm just trying to scroll, not to mention the way it fucks with my ability to actually read things.

I don't know how much clearer it could be that US rightwingers' latest anti-immigrant shit is aiming for a repeat of the UK white supremacist riots, but y'all want to meme about it, make your little jokey jokes—sorry, "point out the absurdity"s—and organize "pet marches" in response. A pet march is going to be about as helpful as those pink pussy hats were, do a defense and solidarity march instead.

Remember this mutual aid post? Thank you all again for sharing and donating, it really makes a difference!

https://mastodon.sandwich.net/@Sharksonaplane/112777953663725749

The next deadline S. faces is Aug. 14th, and the amount needed to reach this subgoal is now $115. Now that sounds like a lot, but being able to hit what they have so far ($4385) is huge, and I have faith we can get them past this so they can become independent from their financial abuser. Sharing makes a difference—please do share on different socials too!

uuuuugh, I don't blame them AT ALL for not being here (they get enough hate and brigading where they are) but I really really miss Cora, Aja, and Lakyn's voices here.

#iykyk #SlowFashion

It's not even tapping the sign at this point, we just need to plaster Toni Morrison's "the function of racism is distraction" quote over every inch of fedi. And lest I be misread here…
"The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. … None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing."—Toni Morrison

The thing about (almost always but not exclusively) white fragility is that it's always new to YOU but it's never new to US*. And we know you don't consciously know there's a playbook, but it exists all the same because you always follow it step by unnecessary step.

*us is anybody who's spent more than two seconds actually thinking about, engaging with, and becoming actual friends with people affected by anti-Black racism (as opposed to "PLEASE TEACH ME TO BE CATEGORIZED AS GOOD" hangers-on)

Trying to help raise $105 #MutualAid by end of TODAY so a disabled Black queer person can find safe housing! The GFM goal is $6K to cover less time-sensitive needs like car repairs, but they need to pay $1500 by 07/15 to be free from their lease & current living situation, only SEVEN $15 donations to go!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ss-journey-to-safety-and-stability
Venmo/CashApp: torkz428
Paypal: torkz
For all links, please include note "FOR S."

Re: Last boost about Sierra Leone outlawing child marriage (good): If you're inclined to be weird and racist and xenophobic about that, please consider that the US does not have federal legislation prohibiting child marriage, and 39 states don't have laws against it either. In many of those states, married minors cannot initiate a divorce. The U.S. has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which sets a minimum age of 18 for marriage.

If people here really hate the very idea of reply-gating, maybe work on cultivating a reply culture that isn't fucking rancid.