It's Been a Year.
*(See: It’s Been a Year by Ashley Cooke)*
A Formal Introduction
Actually, it has been 1 year, 4 months, and 21 days (or 509 days total) since I wrote, “My Last Plea as a Black Vermonter” begging all of you (Vermonters, legislators, civil servants, and European descendants in general) to consider Black Vermonters in all aspects of our shared social and economic realms. In that year(ish) I spent the majority of my time in Minneapolis fueling Black-owned nonprofits through grant writing and stretching my wings amongst my community in ways I did not imagine were possible.
Over that year I also received thousands of responses to the first Black Paper. Scattered across Facebook, Twitter (yes...Twitter), Instagram, rebuttal articles, and via email: there was a plethora of commentary to choose from. I read every bit and I want to take the time to highlight the overwhelming amount of support that I received and the desire to support Vermont’s Black community. There was an oasis of love from Vermonters across all walks of life who came to me asking, “What’s next? How do we move forward?”. At the time, I was not in the right mental state to lead anyone (even myself). Moreover, I had (have) work to do in Minneapolis. Even while back and forth between here and there, Black Vermonters never left my mind.
Specifically, the feedback from my own community was the most impactful. Of course they shared praise, but I cannot pretend like they were pleased with the fact that I trauma dumped all of this information and fled. Their feedback stuck with me for a long time and still resonates with me heavily. I always have and always will feel a responsibility to navigate bureaucracy in a way that yields systemic change for my community. Again, the same questions echoed in my mind...“What’s next? How do we move forward?” I still had no plans to return to Vermont full-time, but I was determined to make change where I could. I never have and never will abandon my responsibility to forge a path to ideal equity for my community.
Thus, I sought and was graciously awarded an art apprenticeship from Vermont Folklife to help bolster Black art, inclusion, and representation in rural Vermont. While learning acrylic painting techniques from a renowned local artist, I created Drip Gallery. As you may know, "Drip" is a colloquial term within the Black community. This is where the concept for Drip Gallery came about. The goal is to provide a backdrop for Black Vermonters to photograph their joy and simultaneously offer representations of our culture that resonate with Black Vermonters in rural spaces. These backdrops will live in rural public spaces (such as libraries and health clinics), moving to new cities twice a year or acting as a permanent fixture (if allowed). I can provide more information on that separately, but the first two public spaces that have agreed to showcase my work are libraries in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties.
Throughout this year my partner has been battling health issues and there is no place I would rather be than with him through it all. This means my timeline has shifted slightly and I am in Vermont full-time for at least the next 2.5 years. Despite the timeline change, both pieces will be finished and hopefully on display in early spring 2025. The goal is not to showcase my own work (because if I’m being honest, the number one realization I had during my apprenticeship is that I am a writer, not a painter). Instead, the goal is for my work to act as a placeholder while I curate other local Black artists who have been unable to find free and readily available art space for their projects. Simultaneously, this project will create inclusion for my community members in rural spaces and educational opportunities for the community at large.
More on this later, I promise. For now, I’m shifting gears to talk about what’s next. Before I do, I would be remiss if I did not provide a genuine heartfelt thank you to the following organizations who have quietly and without recognition supported my art education, studio space, and dream for Drip Gallery (even in times where I was overwhelmed by the world and could not showcase my full self). They are:
Generator Makerspace - Burlington, VT
Radiate Art Space - Richmond, VT
*I'm choosing not to name both libraries who have offered to show my work until the pieces are on display because I fear they will get premature pushback. Nonetheless, please accept my thank you if you are reading this letter.
Why I am Contacting You & What’s Next
I’m glad you asked. Outside of Drip Gallery, I will be physically present in Vermont’s State House beginning in January 2025 to act as the only hyperlocal, full-time, pro-bono advocate for Black equity. I am also seeking to bridge the gap between marginalized people and our legislative process. I will do this by:
- Decoding/explaining bills that are relevant to Black residents, marginalized community members, and people of color in five bullet points and five languages each Tuesday through Friday during the legislative session.
- Bill tracking for bills that are relevant to the communities mentioned above.
- Occasional relevant graphics for proposed policies that are difficult to understand.
- In-person testimony on relevant bills. ***This will only be necessary if I am incapable of finding Black, POC, or other marginalized individuals who can provide a constituent’s perspective within my community.***
- Recommendations for how members of the community can voice their opinion/testify without being physically present in the State House (for all ages). I hope the end goal of this work will also be a partnership with the Secretary of State's Office to make a direct connection with more people of color and marginalized residents in that realm of bureaucracy and democracy.
I am not accepting any paid clients this year (like a traditional lobbyist would) because I owe my own reparations for the work I did the last time I was in the State House. Additionally, I need to navigate this session with no holds barred. I could not do that if I had to showcase dictated decorum. This, I know from experience.
Moreover and perhaps most importantly, I need to showcase what this work should look like for Departments of the State and other organizations who consistently try to meet marginalized people where they are, but somehow always miss the mark. Thus, resulting in a seemingly endless continuation as America’s (third) whitest state and all of the consequences that come with that very stark reality -
As usual, I am getting longwinded, so I promise to write a more detailed piece about the full plan. I suppose I will take the time to mention that the long-term plan is to also provide ASL interpretations of The Weekly Rundown at no cost on Youtube. Additionally, I will eventually have the money to hire translators and multi-lingual proofreaders who will assist with translations (for now, ChatGPT will have to do that work). These are a few of the many ways we can work harder to include marginalized people and people of color (especially Black people) in Vermont’s democratic process. This concept - and this concept alone - is how we begin to dismantle the systemic barriers that are silently holding two centuries worth of oppression in place.
In summation, I'm actually not here to ask you for anything. Instead, I am here with an annual reminder that the work is not done. Quite frankly, the work will not be complete within any of our lifetimes - especially when we consider the fact that bigots raise bigots. However, if you are reading this and thinking to yourself, “That’s exactly the work that I would like to/am currently doing.” then please don’t hesitate to reach out. I welcome anyone aligned with this mission onboard. Alternatively, if you find this message made you red-faced, consider yourself “on notice”, if you will.
Quoting one of my favorite songs,
“Before we raise a glass up to the next one
Looking back it's damn sure been the best one
So cheers to 365 of record lows and record highs
Loving and losing, fun and confusing, praying and shifting gears
For the minute you got, it's probably a lot, more than you wanna hear
If you're hanging around, I can tell you about it, but it might take another beer
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