Quick Treats to Reduce Tedious Nonsense
A pick-me-up for kyriarchy-smashing parents & childhood educators
May 2025 Quick Treats
Instead of demanding action, these treats are for you, with no expectations, no obligations, and no guilt if you’re not up for it right now.
Good News
Cool Things That Exist Now
Oh Hey, We Found The Helpers
A Goofy Thing Just For You To Enjoy
Helpful Stuff To Keep In Your Pocket For Later
1. Good News In Resistance Last Month
Here’s a little sprinkle of hope showing that your hard work is paying off:
Colorado House passes ‘Freedom To Read Act’ & North Dakota Governor Vetoes Bill Restricting Library Books via Leftist Library Project
Why the Trump Administration Can’t Stop States From Fighting Climate Change via Good Good Good
Endangered sea turtle populations show signs of recovery on over half the planet via Good Good Good
New Mexico made childcare free and lifted 120,000 families out of poverty via Good Good Good
19 States sue to keep DEI programs in schools via Politico
Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, was released from immigrant detention via NPR
Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk released from ICE and safely back in Boston via CBS news
KEEP MAKING A STINK!
Your calls, your protests, your human chains, your support of free press, your community care, and your mutual aid work are all making a difference.
2. Cool Things That Exist
“Corporations earn profits off of your everyday purchases. And some of those profits are then donated to politicians and causes you might not agree with.”
Goods Unite Us tells you which elections your favorite brands have contributed to, and whether they support republican or democratic candidates.
We don’t always have a choice where we get our stuff. But boycotting or spending outside your means aren’t your only options.
You gotta get the kid fed and clothed and be in 100 places at once. Buying local or switching brands isn’t always accessible. And let’s be honest - even if a company supports progressive agenda, it can still treat it’s workers like crap.
But as a consumer, you can still influence companies by writing letters, spreading the word, limiting luxuries, and otherwise pressuring the companies you support to fund progressive candidates (or GTFO of our elections entirely.)
As for those opportunities when you do have wiggle room in your purchasing choices, compare your options to make an informed decision about where your dollars go.
I direct a large chunk of my net income from Raising Luminaries into progressive organizations and campaigns. I’m not on Goods United, but if you’d like to see where I direct these funds, check out my financial transparency page.
3. Oh Hey, We Found The Helpers…
“Many disabled people in the U.S. can’t make phone calls because of disability. Our Congress members unfairly prioritize phone calls over emails or letters—but all of us deserve to be heard.”
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) has created a proxy caller system (fancy title for - ‘helpers who make calls on your behalf’) for people who can’t call political reps due to a disability.
If you have disabilities that prevent you from using a phone, this program might be helpful. Or if you’re an enabled person who has a few minutes and are looking for ways to help, this is one option.
Many of us have extroverted boomer parents & chatty gen X siblings who enjoy making phone calls. Tell them about this opportunity!
Even though ASAN’s program is limited to “issues and positions designated in ASAN’s regular action alerts” - you could coordinate an even simpler setup with friends or a local community group about the issues you care deeply about.
4. A Goofy Thing Just For You To Enjoy
[Video description: View looking up through multi-level winding staircase as a cute white cat with black spots descends. Every few steps, the cat pokes their little head out through the rails of the stairs to look down at their person. It’s set to cute music and the title ‘Risotto coming home,’ which is adorable. But as one commenter points out, this could be equally hilarious and also terrifying if set to scary music as Risotto comes for all of us.]
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
5. Helpful Stuff For When You Need It: Jury Duty Edition!
I’ve got jury duty coming up in July. I’m not allowed to tell fellow jurors about jury nullification when I show up. But I can tell you and share this toolkit on jury nullification by Beyond Criminal Courts, which I am pretty sure I read about in the
newsletter last year.“Jury nullification is a concrete, practical way that jurors can assert their values and stop people from going to jail or prison, and it is one approach that we can use, alongside many others, to disrupt the carceral state.”
Learn how to get on a jury, what questions you’re allowed to ask, and how to stymie a rigged court system that criminalizes poverty and oppression without landing yourself in jail in Voting “Not Guilty”: A Toolkit on Jury Nullification.
Coming up next
I’ll be back next time to help you answer your kids’ questions about what’s going on in Palestine, covering history, concerns, and action steps from our Palestinian and Israeli friends and allies fighting for peace and a permanent ceasefire.
with you,
Ashia
PS: If you’re getting pulled in too many directions and need help fighting for justice without spreading yourself so thin you snap, join our next Summer Luminator Collective, starting July 7th, 2025. Space is limited and enrollment starts soon, so join the free waitlist to hold your spot