Together We Thrive | Solutions & Options

By now we have heard, read, or seen something related to "The Bill". We've also likely heard about Alligators as well.

I kept trying to feel may way into how I wanted to talk about my own thoughts and feelings, but my desire was for solutions.

What should we be doing now? How do we move so that we are not surviving, we are thriving? How do we ensure that we have every goodness and long life to enjoy it all?

Yesterday, I woke up with a strong need to talk about it. I went live and discussed, very succinctly: the main areas that will impact the Black Community the most and how to mitigate that impact.

I went to Jewels (chatgpt) for the summary, stats, as well as suggestions on what to do. I have both practical and spiritual based options for us.

Before I get into it, one of my students expressed concern around us coming together. I get it. However, that isn't a call to do nothing. I feel like those who want to will. Those who don't won't. I can't worry about those who don't want to. I hope that you make whatever moves you can to thrive for the good of all and the harm of none. Ase.

Primary Areas of Impact

• Medicaid / Health - Coverage loss, less preventative care, higher illness rates

• SNAP/ Food Aid - Food insecurity, strained households

• Student Aid - Reduced access to college, higher debt to Black students

• ICE Enforcement - Increased detentions of Black Immigrants

• Medical Debt & Hospitals - More debt, hospital closures

• Environmental Justice - Health Worsens via pollution, het stress compounded by benefit cuts

Mitigation Strategies Practical

Health

• Enroll in ACA early - some coverage is still available with income-based options

• Check State-Specific Medicaid Expansions - Some states may opt in to supplemental coverage or workaround protections

• Join or organize a healthcare Co-op and Black-led Health Care Orgs

  • Mutual aid health funds

  • Community funded and managed

  • Co-op is where you pool your money and resources to be used to support the whole group

  • example Black Led Health Care Org - BWHI.org (Black Women's Health)

• Know your local free and low-cost clinics - make a list

  • Build a list of federally qualified health care centers and mobile units in the area

Food Insecurity

• Double Up Food Bucks/ Farmer's Market Programs - Check your state to see if they have any programs for your SNAP purchases

  • I actually confirmed GA does

• Community Supported Agriculture Boxes - Partner with or organize local CSAs or Black Farming networks like - SAAFON.ORG

• Food co-ops/ Buy Black Food Systems - Build or join co-ops that help keep food access consistent and affordable

Education Access

• Refinance existing student loans before phaseouts

• Explore tuition-free Black Led programs - examples

  • The Highlander Research Center

  • Local HBCU bridge programs

  • Trade schools

• Use 529 plans creatively - Extended family members can help fund education through tax-free joint planning

• Start local scholarship directories - many scholarships aren't used each year, create communal access points

Medical Debt and Hospital Closures

• Apply for charity care (even retroactively) - non profit hospitals are legally obligated to offer this but don't always advertise it

• Use medical billing advocates - Groups like Dollar For help reduce/eliminate bills via loopholes

• Build Black health savings mutual aid circles- This could look like rotating savings (susu-style) for health needs

  • group of trusted individuals come together to pool funds

  • a set amount of money is the goal

  • once reached you take turns in disbursing the funds to someone

  • continues to rotate like this

• Encourage group negotiations with providers - bartering, group advocacy, and sliding scales work more powerfully when collective.

Safety and Surveillance

• Get a REAL ID

• Know your rights-training - partner with groups to train on community safety plans

  • Black Alliance for Just Immigration

  • Movement for Black Lives

• Community Bail/Bond Funds - pool resources or support organizations like The Bail Project or National Bail Out

• Use encrypted apps (Signal), community mesh networks, and digital literacy education to reduce exposure to tracking

Environmental and Infrastructure Fallout

• Organize for climate resilience - Push for Black-led environmental justice zoning, tree cover, green space reclamation

• use grants for solar & HVAC retrofits now - Some are still available but may sunset, apply while you can.

• Get trained in climate justice work - Groups may have free programs like:

  • WE ACT

  • Uprose

  • Black Millennials 4 Flint

Community Resilience - what works long term

• Build/strengthen mutual aid networks

• Support Black Co-ops and Credit Unions - local economies need insulation from federal shifts

• Know your local reps and budget timelines - State and local governments can blunt federal cuts

• Religious/Spiritual communities as hubs - Mobilize temples, mosques, churches, and shrines as emergency response and resource sharing centers

Mitigation Support Spiritual

Herbalist Directory

• Volunteers are already at work getting the list together

• I will host on my site for centralized location

• Curated directory of culturally competent, black, indigenous, Afro-Diasporic practitioners

• Will have categories of focus

• Looking into black-owned apothecaries and CSA herbal boxes for monthly support

Readings Focused on Health/Ancestral Patterns

• I offer divination and/or astrology based Health Blueprint Readings

Spirit Led Preventative Care

• I offer health profiles and divination

• I also offer coaching to teach you how to gather this information on your own

Monthly Grief, Overwhelm, Burnout Circles

• Sacred and safe space for us to gather

• Not Therapy

• Holding space for you to feel what needs to be felt and help you move through it

• Releasing and Reiki will be part of space circles

• First one will be July 23rd at 7pm EST- In person and Virtual - RSVP via Events or with me Directly

• All will be donation based experiences

Spiritual Cleansings and Divination to Maintain Alignment

• Head and Leg Cleansings for alignment

• Divination to align to your good condition

  • What do you need in order to be well and have every form of goodness within a system that actively works to drain and oppress you?

Alignment Coachings

• Coaching services to help you learn how to align to your good condition

• Full traditional coaching or mini coaching available

• Some mini classes will be available to Patreon members

An additional note - Ifa has already given us additional advisories to align with our good condition. I encourage you, if you don't already, be in community with Isese practitioners. See what Ifa is saying to us and how we are all working toward our good condition.

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