It's 2025.
Abeja Rise | Substack No.9
Hey friend.
Here we are, another crisis in LA County, with the continued genocide in Palestine, and that’s not even mentioning our Palestinian community in LA. There are all sorts of “wonderful if they were sci-fi” conspiracy theories about drones in other states, the laughable perp walk and court case for Luigi Mangione, and that’s just the “big” stuff. What a shitshow. Happy 2025 y’all!
So if you wanna do something to help relief efforts in LA, especially if you’re in LA County, have people in LA County or just care about LA County, here’s some donation links. Even if you pick even one link and send $5, that makes a difference.
https://antirecidivism.org/donate/ - write fire fund on your donation and 100% goes to incarcerated folks fighting the LA County fires
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pK5omSsD4KGhjEHCVgcVw-rd4FZP9haoijEx1mSAm5c/htmlview - a living document of GoFundMe links for displaced Black Families in the LA County fires
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZFiSn0MWJY3DltwK4VPD-rdyLkCF4ien5GNSQtl7oOA/htmlview#gid=0 - another living document of GoFundMe links for Latine folks impacted by the LA County fires
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/lafires2025 - support day laborers impacted by the LA County fires. Funds here to go to the Pasadena Community Job Center. Read more at the link.
https://tinyurl.com/m6kzkec2 - a living document for displaced disabled folks
Do your research for where you send funds. Money has the quickest and deepest impact when you send directly to a person in need. If you do want to donate to an organization doing relief work, please verify it first to make sure funds (and how much of your donation) gets to the people that need it.
If you’re in LA County, there is a lot of urgency going on. I’ve seen a lot of frazzled people trying to donate stuff, being sent to another place, only to be sent to another place and so-on. Many donation and evacuation centers are at capacity, which is a blessed thing to say. If you can, call them first and check their social media accounts to find out what they need before you drive out. It’s still not a perfect system. We are all doing our best.
If you want to volunteer, again, call and check social media accounts. Find out what the needs are, see how you can help meet those needs. There are a lot of opportunities. Some of the needs at different places I’ve seen lately are receiving donations, sorting donations, distributing donations (including doing drop-off deliveries), picking up donations for others, feeding people (including volunteers and care-workers), contacting businesses for resources (supplies, gift cards, food), collecting information (like Malan’s beautiful Mutual Aid LA list), and more.
I know I’ve shared this before, but it is the Social Change Ecosystem Map by Deepa Iyer in action. It’s beautiful and messy but we’re doing it.
Here’s the thing though - the first few weeks of a crisis are the easiest - so many people show up to help. It’s the next few months and on that are the hardest. People experience burn-out because crisis relief is not sustainable. And there are always people in crisis that we fail every day.
This is about sustained support, sustained care. That means find the every day needs and figure out how you can support in meeting those needs. That means taking care of your needs and being supported in your needs so that you can take care of others’ needs and be supported in taking care of others’ needs.
A dear friend and I often remind one another in moments of personal or collective crisis, that we cannot do it all. We are not superhuman and that’s ok. We do what we can. This is a prayer to my activists and healers and frontline workers. This is a prayer to people that do the most and/or are struggling to just get basic needs met.
Find your stretch zone - whether it’s on the ground work, whether it’s educating folks, offering care to folks, or giving money to folks. Find it and do it. Start small and build over time. I cannot stress that part enough. Start small so that you start. But also expand it over time. It’s both/and. We can do hard things.
Here is something that might make you laugh? I am a long-time member of Manifest House, a virtual well-being space, and we are doing a Clear Vessel Reset this month. The Reset is a guided 30-day no-alcohol experience for January. I RARELY, if ever, drink so I chose to focus on caffeine. I love coffee like I love myself. I don’t drink it that much, but I do have a cup 1-2x daily. I started on January 1st. Fourteen days in and this is the first day I feel like I’m not going to collapse from fatigue and headaches. All while I’m in LA County. My friend keeps reminding me that LA County is a shitshow and the no-caffeine challenge is self-imposed but I am a Leo that loves challenges and this IS a challenge. 🤣
Moringa tea has been saving me though. Anyway, this is all probably only funny if you know me or you are me. Or you know a Leo.
Restructuring the Abeja Rise Substack
I mentioned in the chat recently that I am restructuring. Here is what this Substack will look like now:
Full newsletters quarterly, so January, April, July, and October for all subscribers but with paywalled content for my paid and founding subscribers.
Shorter newsletters on the off-months for paid and founding subscribers only. These will include a tarot reading and any discounts or early-access for my services. These will be sent during February, March, May, June, August, September, November and December.
The chat is still only for paid and founding subscribers. I post announcements, discounts and early access to events & services there.
If you want access to the off-months content and want to support my work, consider a paid subscription. Get a 90-day free trial (so an entire quarter) when you subscribe with a paid subscription.
Why the restructure?
Well, if you’ve been subscribed for a minute, you’ll know that I have posted sporadically, even though I had a goal of monthly. Because I value my commitments, capacity, time, energy and equally, your support, I have to admit that sending out full monthly newsletters is not sustainable for me.
I know you might be thinking, “why not just do shorter newsletters?,” and totally. But I’m a writer so I don’t even really know what that means.
I am also disabled with severe carpal tunnel and fibromyalgia. And likely undiagnosed ADHD. If you know anything about any of those, it might help explain why consistency is a struggle for me.
On top of that, A LOT of my community care work happens offline. With three monthly grief circles, my board member commitments at Underdog Bookstore, and trying to survive on a low-fixed income, much of my time and capacity is spent on my local community and meeting OUR needs. Thank you for understanding.
Again, if you wanna support my online and offline work, a paid or founding subscription is one way to do it.
Here are some cool things.
Crows can remember faces - written by Sunanda Creagh for The Conversation.
Free disability justice resources offered by Deanna Parvin Yadollahi
Resources for the road ahead by Kelly Hayes on Organizing My Thoughts
Questions to strengthen your relationship with mami - by Maria Jose Gonzalez for WeAllGrow
Black beauty beyond desirability - written by Nia Shumake for Elle
Plants are vocal when they are hurt - by Becky Ferreira for Vice
Disabled people are not your inspiration - written by Lily Calder (requires a free Medium account)
Climate activist, Edgar McGregor, saving lives in Altadena - by Phil Hopkins in Local News Pasadena
Thank you for reading. I love you. Let’s take care of each other.
💗 Jen Venegas
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