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As you probably know, The Solidarity Room Project is an all-volunteer run organization that fund-raises to provide living costs & helps coordinate other support for individuals and families going through the asylum process in New York City.
Read on for information about what we are doing, where the money we raise is going, how to support our work, and past and future fundraising events you can attend. Skip to the end if you just want to know what our next events are (hint: music, film, comedy, and prizes)!
What We Do
Currently our main project is supporting one family to live in an apartment in a cooperative home in Downtown Brooklyn [yes, you know which one!]. We want to maintain the family’s privacy, but we can share that their legal process is moving along slowly but surely, and they are on track to obtain work papers by mid-summer of this year, which they are greatly looking forward to. As they gain footing in their new city, they’ve also been able to connect with many of the house members, as well as use their increased stability to provide emotional support and friendship to others who they’ve met on their journey. If you know us personally, ask us more about this amazing experience. Solidarity Room Project has now provided free rent, living expenses, friendship, and other support to this family since June of 2019.
In addition to the Solidarity Room set up in downtown Brooklyn, there is an ancillary one set up in Bed-Stuy being used most nights on an as-needed basis. We have also been able to leverage our networks to provide some guidance and introduction to the city for two individuals from Central America that we have not been able to house. If you are interested in creating a Solidarity Room in your home, please get in touch!
Where Donations Go
It has been amazing the outpouring of financial support we’ve received from family, friends, fans, neighbors, coworkers, colleagues, and comrades! Currently, we are averaging spending about $2100/month, 100% going towards living expenses for asylum seekers in NYC such as rent, utilities, food, toiletries, transportation, or other categories. We’ve been able to keep this up due to your generosity- thank you. However, February has been the first month that we did not have the backing to cover all of our expenses by the beginning of the month. We are looking to spread out the crowdfunding to more people in order to keep this project afloat, please share the news about us with others who may be able/interesting in helping keep us sustainable.
Become A Member
Cornell West famously has said, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” When you sign up to automatically give a financial donation each month to The Solidarity Room Project, you act on your belief that everyone deserves safety no matter where they’ve been born, and your care and love for humanity despite national borders. Sharing resources you have access to, no matter how small, with someone who could use a welcome, is a practice of justice some of you have jumped into wholeheartedly. If you want to join The Solidarity Room Project as a monthly member, please do so at the following link: https://withfriends.co/the_solidarity_room_project/join
In addition to knowing you are helping this project continue, you will receive thank you gifts such as free drinks at or discounted tickets for our fund raising events, and transparent trade chocolate from Raaka Chocolate company in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
All members who join by International Refugee Day, June 20th, 2020, are entered in a drawing for two free gift cards for a chocolate-making class at the Raaka factory in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
If membership isn’t for you at this time, you can still make a one-time donation HERE: https://withfriends.co/the_solidarity_room_project/join
Recent Events
It has already been a busy year!
We have had nine events in our film screening and discussion series centered on movies from or about places where many of the people seeking asylum in the US originate from. Our latest screening was an evening of short films about the migration experience of Syrians in their home country, through Greece, and on to Sweden. To get updates about when the next screening is, check out the events section of our website (https://solidarityroomproj.wixsite.com/srp1) or follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Solidarity-Room-Project-939216439761932 ).
Most recently, we threw a great comedy show that got rave reviews, and helped us to raise one third of our monthly costs in one night!
Upcoming Events
We have more events coming up soon that you won’t want to miss…
Sunday, Feb 16th 7pm-late
DJ Night at Santa Salsa 234 Starr St, Brooklyn. 10% of all sales go towards The Solidarity Room Project. If you are going out on a Sunday, this is the place to be! With DJ Date Rata and DJ 7Ply. https://www.facebook.com/events/162938485152316/
Friday, Feb 21st 7pm
Radical Film Night: Shhhh It's a Secret. 136 Lawrence St, buzzer 2A, Brooklyn. Join us for a secret curated screening of a radical film that may or may not even be out yet. Show up and be surprised. 100% of donations go to The Solidarity Room Project
Friday, Feb 28th 7:30pm
Comedy Show: In Bed By 11- back by popular demand! 7:30pm doors, 8pm show. $5-$10, 100% of donations go to The Solidarity Room Project. Featuring stand-up from Carmen Christopher, Fareeha Khan, Devon Walker, Colin Burgess, and Sam Taggart. Hosted by Sara Hennessey and Hallie Haas. https://www.facebook.com/events/218169846017380/
Ongoing
Virtual Raffle II (better prizes! Same great cause!). For those of you who participated in our first virtual raffle, it’s the same set-up: buy online tickets (or use cash at any of our upcoming events), and when we sell at least 200 tickets, we’ll draw winners. The website is donating all the processing fees for the tickets back to The Solidarity Room Project, so don’t worry about that. All tickets are only $2 each online, with special discounts for members (If you join at $15/mo you get 1 ticket per prize at 20% off, $50/mo will give you 50% off of the first 2 tickets for every prize, and $100/month will give you 2 free tickets for each prize- don’t forget to claim yours). There will also be discounts available on raffle tickets in person at our other events.
Buy your tickets now: https://withfriends.co/event/3944957/virtual_raffle_ii
See our bangin’ raffle prize list below:
1. Mountain Rose Herbs $75 gift basket including High Desert Bath Salts Bath Salts, Goddess Dreams Massage Oil, Holy Basil Chai Tea, a Bamboo & Stainless Steel Tea Tumbler, Herbal Lip Balm, and Coconut Zinc Sunstick, SPF 30 (https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/ )
2. 6 month “first nibs” subscription from Raaka Chocolate: 3 select vegan chocolate bars a month mailed to your door! (https://www.raakachocolate.com/pages/first-nibs )
3. Private Herbalist Consultation from 2nd year student at Arbor Vitae School of Traditional Herbalism (https://arborvitaeny.com/ )
4. 1 month of classes and a free uniform from Traditional Okinawan Karate of Brooklyn (located in Bushwick) (http://tokarate.com )
5. Financial consultation from a tax preparer specializing in freelance work and cash income
6. Blue Bottle Coffee Blend Box (3 6oz cans of whole bean coffee: Bella Donovan, Three Africas, and Giant Steps) (https://bluebottlecoffee.com/store/blend-box )
7. Bicycle tuneup from Haven cycles, Brooklyn (http://www.havencyclesnyc.com/ )
8. 25% off coupon for 30 one-layer silkscreened T-shirts or 100 silkscreened custom business cards from mar
9. Two 20-oz bottles of craft Beer from From the Ground Brewery (https://fromthegroundbrewery.com/ )
10. Shout Your Abortion: A beautiful coffee-table book humanizing the experience of abortion with personal essays and full color photographs depicting a range of emotional reactions and circumstances (https://shoutyourabortion.com/book/ )
11. Gift Bag from Babeland- personal “tantric massager,” 7 speed “pleasure bullet,” and other goodies babeland.com
12. 5 bars of handmade vegan soap: Unscented, homemade soap for sensitive skin. This soap is great for infants and anyone who is sensitive to chemicals and scents. The bars come in a variety of fun designs - flowers, swirls, bicycles, suns.
13. 1 session of Thai Yoga / Assisted Stretching w. Holly Heidt (https://www.instagram.com/h.r.heidt/ )
14. Shocks of Love Apothecary Kit https://shocksoflove.com/
15. One hour headshot session at location of your choice (details forthcoming)
16. One hour Reiki session (details forthcoming)
17. 2 pen and ink prints by Hunter
18. Mystery Box: at least $50 worth of secret goodies
Goodbye!
That’s it for now! If you’ve read this far, please sign up for future email updates on what we are doing, calls to action, and fundraising events here: https://lists.riseup.net/www/subscribe/solidarityroomprojectupdates , or simply reply to this email.
Thanks so much, from all of us on the Solidarity Room Project Team <3