JoanMar's quilt, showing the backing fabric -- it will be shipped tomorrow!
Welcome to a special party on a familiar porch! Everyone is invited and potluck virtual treats most welcome (especially calorie and guilt free chocolate). We are gathered to honor Denise Oliver Velez, for all she does to promote understanding on matters of race. From the first quilt diary for her:
Dee Oliver-Velez...activist, educator, defender of the marginalized and oppressed, woman of great intellect, heart, grace, and beauty. She has walked her talk her whole life. And now, her voice is more important than ever for we are living in interesting times (to put it mildly). If ever our country is to heal its awful, soul-sickening problems with race, voices like Dee's are critical. Indispensable.
She works so hard. If you've ever visited her wonderful front page Sunday diaries or the porch of Black Kos, you know the effort that has gone into the thoughtful, well-researched, elegantly written pieces that Dee posts regularly. She not only writes them, she remains in the comment threads with warm welcome and helpful, considerate replies to any questions. She is there for any and all of us, always.
I don't have to tell you that America's ugly racist undercurrent has been very active and very much in the news. It is a deadly serious situation, with violence against black people in churches, in public and private places, and in jails -- and all too often perpetrated by the very ones who are sworn to protect all the people, the police. As is so often the case when needed change is coming, rhetoric gets really heated. Dee is in the front lines getting the brunt of that heat, all while educating people and advocating for what is right and just. She deserves a medal.
Not having any medals on hand, we are going to give her something even better -- a quilt, full of words of love and admiration from her friends here on Daily Kos. It was her birthday recently and this effort is a present from all of us, something that will be a keepsake to let her know, each and every day, just how beloved and valued she is. Well, maybe such a quilt is a sort of medal, after all!
More below the orange squiggle...
JoanMar's quilt, basted for quilting
This is going to be a star quilt, requiring precisely 200 short messages to form the star. We will make it in the colors of the ocean, a force of nature that has deep association for Dee. The background will be a Caribbean blue, like Common Sense Mainer's quilt (which I have finished quilting -- I am stitching the binding and have only to do the embellishment with beads).
Common Sense Mainer's quilt, basted for quilting
These are the messages we have received so far...check here if you don't remember whether you have given a message for Dee yet.
1. Ojibwa
2. raina
3. Diana in NoVa
4. cfk in the Thumb of Michigan
5. BFSkinner and the Overlords.
6. mm76
7. Bubbanomics
8. Angela Marx
9. maggiejean
10. Otteray Scribe
11. Martini
12. Ord avg guy
13. Sephius1
14. anotherdemocrat
15. Chun Yang
16. GenXangster
17. Politik
18. mimi
19. kishik
20. Dawn Gulick
21. Greenbird
22. DrWhk
23. Square Knot
24. aitchdee.
25. Ekaterin
26. Chitown Kev
27. Auntie Anne
28. Howabout
29. Moody Loner
30. Satya1
31. Fiona West
32. mixedbag
33. JoanMar
34. Readerwriter
35. Onislandtime
36. TBM
37. It’s the Supreme Court Stupid
38. Rubyr
39. wasatch
40. loggersbrat
41. ramara
42. smoothnmellow
43. Pam from Calif
44. bigjacbigjacbigjac
45. Etherealfire
46. Ignatio Magaloni
47. rb137
48. RunawayRose
49. bfitzinAR
50. Louisprandtl
51. Shanikka Renee
52. howabout
53. OceanDiver
54. BeadLady
55. Bill in Portland Maine and Common Sense Mainer
56. Portlaw
57. besame
58. Carolanne
59. Fiona West
60. joanbrooker
61. side pocket
62. PDNC
63. mixedbag
64. 2thanks
65. TomP
66. kjoftherock
67. jwinIL14
68. One Pissed Off Liberal
69. ceebee7
70. Chacounne
71. Lorikeet
72. Joshua Bloxom
73. joedemocrat
74. Onomastic
75. greenbird
76. Oye Sancho
77. JaxDem
78. allergywoman
79. Observerinvancouver
80. earicicle
81. high uintas
82. ShoshannaD
83. kj in missouri
84. renzo capetti
85. Timaeus
86. Tara the Antisocial Social Worker
87. simple
88. NedSparks
89. gizmo59
90. raptavio
91. navajo
92. Yasuragi
93. Wildthumb
94. Dr. Fergie Reid, Sr.
95. Kit RMP
CSM's quilt in the hoop for quilting -- there is not much room in the diamond patches of a star quilt so please keep your messages short!
It takes time and material to make one of these quilts -- and it is a living for me and my sister. If, in addition to leaving a message, you would like to contribute toward the cost of making Dee's quilt here is a PayPal link -- or message me for an address should you prefer a check. $20/message is suggested -- but don't shy away from leaving a message if you can't afford that. Many people give more to cover for those who can't give money, only loving words -- and this is a crowdfunded thing that always works out. Trust in that!
crystal eyes' quilt -- this will also be mailed tomorrow
See also these three posts about the community quilt project:
KosAbility: A Virtual Quilt for Sara and Ann, from Community Quilt recipients
We Have Something to Say to YOU, Sara R and winglion!
Community Quilt FlashMob Brightens up NN13
Community Quilt Testimonial Videos
remembrance
ramara
paradise50
shanikka
cskendrick
peregrine kate
crystal eyes' quilt, showing the backing
One other update on the community quilts -- my sister is building the blocks for the Mother Emanuel star quilt. When they are done, I will write in the messages we have -- some will span more than one block. When I have an exact count of the blocks we need to fill with messages, I will post another diary for that quilt.
back of CSM's quilt before the paper was removed -- yup, the star quilt blocks are built on paper
PAYPAL LINK FOR DENISE OLIVER-VELEZ' QUILT - THANK YOU!
Boots says, "Thank you for supporting community quilts! You said there would be noms?"