First things first: wear a mask. Now that germ-blocking face masks are part of most people’s daily wardrobe (Bill Nye the Science Guy breaks it down quite nicely), you might as well stock up on those that benefit others while being conscientious to the world around you.
Noise for Now and Seeding Sovereignty have teamed up to launch a new mask campaign that directly benefits both American Indigenous communities and reproductive rights organizations who have been deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the purchase of each mask, a mask will be donated to the Indigenous Impact Community Care Initiative for distribution to the pueblos and reservations most impacted by the pandemic. There will also be cash donations made to Seeding Sovereignty’s mutual aid work and to abortion funds serving Indigenous and undocumented people (Indigenous Women Rising and Mariposa Fund).
Helping get the word out is a collection of artists supporting the cause, with Fiona Apple, TV on the Radio, Cat Power, Kim Gordon, Mark Ruffalo, and Lucy Dacus among them. “The number of reasons to support Indigenous efforts is the same as the number of souls who inhabit the world,” Fiona Apple said in a press statement. “White gluttony tried to kill off the very people who understood the language of the land. We chose to be owners instead of guardians, and we became a cancer. If we want to survive, we must support Indigenous efforts.”
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“Seeding Sovereignty has been actively planting seeds with NOISE FOR NOW and several of the musicians in our community to acknowledge and liberate Indigenous lands,” added Janet MacGillivray and Eryn Wise, Co-Directors of the Indigenous Impact Community Care Initiative. “Through our work with these relatives, we are not only taking the first step towards land acknowledgment and reclamation, we’re also providing ongoing mutual aid to Native communities impacted by COVID-19. It’s so important for people to know whose territory they’re on and what community/land base they’re representing and committed to. In wearing our masks, our friends are saying, ‘I’m doing this for not only myself but the Indigenous communities that deserve to live, too.’”
Check out the full collection of masks, bandanas and t-shirts to support the cause right here.
