Donate to Standing Rock at our register

Donate to Standing Rock at our register through Monday, December 19. Mariposa will be matching donations up to a total of $1,000.

Who are we donating to?

We will be sending donations to Sacred Stone Camp.

On April 1st, 2016, tribal citizens of the Standing Rock Lakota Nation and ally Lakota, Nakota, & Dakota citizens, under the group name “Chante tin’sa kinanzi Po” founded a Spirit Camp along the proposed route of the bakken oil pipeline, Dakota Access.

This Spirit Camp is called Iŋyaŋ Wakháŋagapi Othí, translated as Sacred Rock, the original name of the Cannon Ball, ND area (Cannon Ball is located in Sioux County, North Dakota and on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation). The Spirit Camp is dedicated to stopping and raising awareness around the Dakota Access pipeline, including the dangers associated with pipeline spills and the necessity to protect the water resources of the Missouri river.

What will the donations be used for?

While the donations are to be used by Sacred Stone as they see fit, there is an extended supply list, including legal fees and holistic medicinal items, that your donations could be used for.

Why are we donating?

The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is proposed to transport as much as 570,000 barrels of crude oil per day from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota crossing the Missouri River twice, through Standing Rock reserve lands and sacred sites, on to South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois.

The pipeline route threatens sites of historical and cultural significance to many Northern Plains tribes, including the Lakota, Dakota, Mandan, Arikara and Cheyenne, and has violated a series of Federal Regulations sought to protect the environment and Native American tribes.

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“The place where pipeline will cross on the Cannonball is the place where the Mandan [Native American tribe] came into the world after the great flood, it is also a place where the Mandan had their Okipa, or Sundance. Later, this is where Wisespirit and Tatanka Ohitika held sundances. There are numerous old Mandan, Cheyenne, and Arikara villages located in this area and burial sites. This is also where the sacred medicine rock [is located], which tells the future.”

— LaDonna Bravebull Allard (Lakota, Dakota)

“The dangers imposed by the greed of big oil on the people who live along the Missouri river is astounding. When this proposed pipeline breaks, as the vast majority of pipelines do, over half of the drinking water in South Dakota will be affected. How can rubber-stamping this project be good for the people, agriculture, and livestock? It must be stopped. The people of the four bands of Cheyenne River stand with our sister nation in this fight as we are calling on all the Oceti Sakowin or Seven Council Fires to do so with our allies, both native and non native in opposing this pipeline.”

— Joye Braun (Cheyenne River)

#NoDAPL Tweets

Additional Sources

Progress timeline

Sacred Stone donation resources

Federal Violations

Literature

News Roundup: November 4, 2016

'Peoplehood' parade in West Philly pits community power against oppression

Spiral Q's annual march for social justice through community activism wound through the streets of West Philadelphia on Saturday led by the group's signature giant puppets.

Board member Katrina Clark kicked off the 17th annual Peoplehood parade with a call to solidarity. Read more.

The long process of opening a grocery cooperative in Kensington is (probably) ending soon

It pays to befriend your local politician.

Kensington Community Food Co-op (KCFC) knows. Last week, the 780-member, community-owned grocery store announced its receipt of a $350,000 grant from the City of Philadelphia — effectively cutting its funding gap in half and bumping up its estimated open date — thanks to help from Councilman Mark Squilla and the Department of Commerce.

“It’s definitely a big deal,” said Peter Frank, VP of KCFC and executive director of Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance. Read more.

Can Philly afford to maintain its huge, aging mural collection?

For 30 years, Frank Washington, the late Germantown native and Harlem Globetrotter, had watched over the intersection of Wayne and Chelten avenues. People had grown attached.

But the wall bearing his portrait recently required extensive repairs, and the likeness was no more. Read more. 

You pay what you can at the new EAT Cafe in West Philadelphia

Many Philadelphians cannot afford a quality meal.

West Philadelphia's EAT Cafe, premiering Oct. 26 in a rowhouse at 3820 Lancaster Ave., is designed to address that issue. Four evenings a week, EAT will offer tasty, nutritious dinners. When the check comes, patrons may pay whatever they wish. Read more.

West Philly Gucci House Narrowly Avoids Demolition

In the early summer of 2011, someone noticed that the residents of a building on North 50th Street in the Mill Creek section of West Philadelphia had decorated their house with an excellent paint job — the trademark green-and-red stripe of Gucci, with a slightly altered version of the interlocking “G” pattern found on Gucci products. Photos of the house floated around the Internet. Read more. 

News Roundup: October 21, 2016

Pa.’s first step toward nixing life without parole could be taken this week

Here’s the difference between capital punishment and life without parole in Pennsylvania: The first has taken three lives in its 40-year history. The second kills an average of 28 people on an annual basis.

Which one is the death penalty, again? Read more. 

Spruce Hill Halloween Tot Parade Returns October 31st

The Annual Little Tot Halloween Parade and Party will return to Osage Avenue on Monday, October 31st. This yearly tradition, a joint effort between the Spruce Hill Community Association and the neighbors on the 4200 block of Osage Avenue, brings together hundreds of children, 6 and under, with their adult parent or guardian for an afternoon of trick-or-treating along a short parade route. Read more.

Cyclist videos roadside arrest, refuses to hand over cellphone to Philly police officer

Jean-Jacques Gabriel was biking home Tuesday night when a pair of strangers stopped by Philadelphia police called out, urging him to record the scene on his cellphone.

Two white, plainclothed officers had stopped two black men, whose hands were on the back of their heads, along Kingsessing Avenue, between 48th and 49th streets, in West Philadelphia, Gabriel said. It was sometime after 11 p.m. Read more. 

News Roundup: October 7, 2016

Activists protest gay club following owner's racist remarks

The removal of Black Lives Matter protesters from a popular gar bar was the latest episode in a fast moving series of events in Philadelphia’s renowned Gayborhood.

On Thursday, the release of a video of Darryl DePiano, ICandy’s owner, repeatedly calling Black customers “niggers” drew the ire of the Black and Brown Workers Collective (BBWC). Protestors launched a protest inside the store, after video of owner's disparaging remarks about Blacks was disclosed. Read more. 

These data visuals show how Big Tobacco is impacting low-income communities

Back in January of 1990, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company was gearing up to test its flashy new brand of cigarettes in Philadelphia. Dubbed Uptown, the cigarettes would be marketed toward Black consumers — including young Black high schoolers.

The market test came to a halt when a coalition of organizations including the city’s Health Department and the Black clergy rallied around a resistance effort. It seemed like a big win at the time. Read more.

New community group offers help in processing traumatic current events

A new community discussion group hosted by Council for Relationships (CFR) held its first session on September 17 at its University City location at 4025 Chestnut Street. The public forum, titled “Reflections,” was created to provide a safe and supportive environment for those who have been emotionally impacted by troubling current events. Events may include local or global tragedies, mass killings, global warming, civil rights and other issues. This is an opportunity to share your feelings, listen to one another, and connect with others. Read more.

News roundup: September 16, 2016

How to attract media attention to your solo social good venture

Think you need a small miracle to get some press coverage on your social good venture? Think again.

For solopreneurs, getting press might be #167 on our to-do lists, but we know it’s good for business. No matter how many Twitter followers you may have, a solid news story by a creditable outlet can get you in front of thousands of people, including decision makers and influencers. Read more.

SEPTA battles Philadelphia before Supreme Court in jurisdiction war over LGBT protections (again)

On Tuesday the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the second time in a case over a now-deceased person’s complaints about a since-abandoned SEPTA policy.

SEPTA originally filed suit in 2009, making a responsive strike in what would become a war of litigative attrition between the transit agency and Philadelphia’s Commission on Human Relations. Read more.

Fall Guide: Kensington Gardens

Philly cer­tainly didn’t lack for beer gar­dens this sum­mer. But you know what many city neigh­bor­hoods really need? Gro­cery stores.

Yes, in a city where you can turn down prac­tic­ally any corner and find a place to get hammered, it’s of­ten al­most im­possible to find fresh pro­duce and oth­er whole­some food without a long trip on a SEPTA bus or a costly ride from Uber. Read more.

News Roundup: September 9, 2016

Ice Cave brings its cool desserts to Baltimore Ave.

People of West Philadelphia, you no longer have to travel to Chinatown for Taiwanese shaved ice treats. Ice Cave has opened at 4507 Baltimore Ave next to Atiya Ola’s and The Nesting House. Read more.

Before you crowdfund your craft brewery startup, consider this model instead

Here’s an admission that’s going to offend some of you: financial crowd-sourcing campaigns for business ventures – a la Kickstarter and Crowdbrewed– piss me off. Sure, I support your ambition to open a craft brewery (provided you’re going to make quality beer). But since when is it my responsibility to fund it? I’d like to buy an Audi A5 convertible but you don’t see me groveling, do you? 

Hope abounds as Philly schools begin new year out of crisis mode

At Paul Robeson High School in West Philadelphia, the first day of school didn’t come with talk of budgets or contracts or politics.

It did come with hugs, free donuts, and a house DJ. As students streamed through the entrance at 42nd and Ludlow Streets and into the thumping auditorium, Principal Richard Gordon IV greeted each like an old friend. Read more.

What we're really saying when we talk about social change

If it feels like social fabric of the United States is being pried apart thread by thread by a volatile political and racial climate teetering on the edge of disaster, that’s because it is.

The national conversation on race has rippled through mainstream culture in recent months, touching every public-facing industry from Hollywood to professional sports and beyond. Mantras like “social change” and “social justice” are permanent fixtures on the minds, lips and social media feeds of socially-concerned Americans. Read more.

News roundup: August 26, 2016

The city needs YOU to join the Millennial Advisory Committee

Millennials are as mission-minded as they are hard to reach. But in a city that’s experienced more growth in its millennial population in the past 10 years than any other, it’s essential that their opinions are considered.

The Office of Public Engagement is tapping into that thought bank with its Millennial Advisory Committee (MAC), an in-development cohort of Philadelphia residents ages 23 to 34 who will advise policymakers on issues important to them and their peers. Read more.

“We need to stop the demolition derby”: Residents hear from preservation experts on how to save buildings

A panel of city preservation experts offered a standing-room-only crowd some strategies last night on helping to preserve historic neighborhood buildings as waves of development continue to roll across the city. Several groups have been fighting to save historically important buildings from demolition proposed by developers looking to build housing for the young professionals and students who are largely responsible for the recent upswing in the city’s population. Read more.

How the Free Library’s social justice librarians are supporting #BlackLivesMatter

Want to support the #BlackLivesMatter movement and don’t exactly know how? The Free Library‘s got your back.

Following the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile earlier this month, FLP curator Chris Brown said librarians began wondering what they could do to show support for the Black community. Read more.

Listen to Esteban Kelly talk solidarity on the “Team Human” podcast

Playing for Team Human is Esteban Kelly. Kelly is an exemplary leader in the movement for promoting solidarity and workplace democracy. While working with the Mariposa Food Co-op, Kelly founded the Food Justice and Anti Racism working group. He was also appointed by the Mayor of Philadelphia to the Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council. Currently, Esteban Kelly serves as Co-Executive director of the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives as well as a director of AORTA, the Anti- Oppression Resource and Training Alliance. Kelly is also a co-founder and current board member of the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance (PACA). Listen here.

News Roundup: August 12, 2016

Mary Seton Corboy, 1957–2016

We are very saddened to inform all of you that our founder, friend, leader and Chief Idea Officer, Mary Seton Corboy, passed away on August 7th.

Mary considered each and every individual who “touched” Greensgrow to be a part of the family and we want to assure you that the staff and Board of Greensgrow is fully committed to carrying on her legacy.

We also wanted to share Mary’s obituary with you. It reflects the broad impact that this amazing woman had on the community and anyone that was fortunate enough to know her. Read more.

Jasmine Morrell: Bringing queer color to Baltimore Avenue

As a queer person of color, tattoo artist Jasmine Morrell started working in the world of ink at a young age and soon found that racism, homophobia and misogyny were the order of the day in many tattoo shops. Often the target of unwarranted comments and attacks, Morrell set out to create a respectful space that would make all of its patrons feel positive, supported and free — a safe space for people to express themselves however they felt comfortable. Thus, Spirited Tattooing Coalition was born. Read more.

How Black Co-Ops Can Fight Institutional Racism

My parents realized when I was young that the schools in our Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood were subpar compared to those in Manhattan. So they combined their resources with other families in my community to start a carpool service that transported me and other neighborhood kids to the higher-quality schools in Lower Manhattan.

After school and during the summer, we'd attend programs at our local church. Many of the black families who took advantage of the carpool were members of there. On Sundays, these families tithed and voiced how their contributions should be used to pay for the employment of local teenagers, so the kids could make a little money and hopefully stay out of trouble. Read more.

Stories of the Great Migration told through films at International House

Film director Tina Morton says 80-year-old Adeline Behlin remembers when her family fled South Carolina for Philadelphia.

"Her grandfather had been beaten by a mob for trying to organize black people to vote," Morton said. "He had worked on the railroad and when they beat him, they left him on the railroad tracks. He felt the vibration of a train coming and had just enough strength to crawl off the tracks. A neighbor found him. And the family fled the next day." Read more.

Four Common Questions about the GMO Labeling Law

On July 14, 2016, the U.S. Congress passed a bill which establishes a national system of mandatory GMO labeling. A small win for non GMO advocates, there are many questions that remain unanswered. With the help from National Co+op Grocers, a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located in the US (Mariposa is a member!), we answer a few of the most common questions.

How will foods containing GMOs be labeled?

Known after the bill’s authors as the Roberts-Stabenow GMO labeling bill, this new law gives the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) two years to set up a federal system to regulate how foods containing GMOs will be labeled, and stipulates that product labels will be required to have one of the following three designations:

1. On-package written disclosure

Clear, simple language such as “produced with genetic engineering” will appear near the ingredient panel.

2. On-package digital quick response (QR) code

Packaging can contain a QR code that shoppers can scan with a smartphone and be directed to a website to learn whether or not the product contains genetically engineered ingredients. Very small companies will be allowed to use a 1-800 number or web address in lieu of a QR code.

3. On-package symbol

Manufacturers can opt to display a symbol that is yet to be developed by USDA.

What kinds of genetic engineering must be disclosed?

USDA will have to determine which foods will be required to be labeled. New genetic engineering techniques are being developed all the time and many of them will be approved for food consumption. Some examples of existing and emerging genetic engineering techniques include transgenic, RNA interference and CRISPR-CAS9. As passed, the law does not explicitly state which techniques will require disclosure.

How does the law differ from previous GMO labeling bills?

While this law is not perfect, it appears to be more consumer friendly than previous incarnations of the DARK Act, which did not require manufacturers to label GMO foods and could have defined GMOs as “natural.” These earlier versions of the GMO labeling bill were narrowly defeated thanks to the many concerned citizens, farmers and industry leaders who joined forces with key lawmakers to ensure that Congress heard consumers’ call for the right to know what they are eating and feeding their families.

What's next?

National Co+op Grocers, a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located in the US (Mariposa is a member!),  advocates for a simple written label.

GMO labeling advocates, including National Co+op Grocers (NCG) and many food co-ops, made an effort to inform lawmakers about the many reasons why QR codes (option 2, above) are often impractical, inconvenient or inaccessible for shoppers to use. NCG will continue to encourage manufacturers to print a clear disclosure on the package so that all people, whether they have access to a smartphone or not, can know at a glance whether a product contains genetically engineered ingredients.

Throughout USDA’s two-year rulemaking process, consumer organizations will have opportunities to weigh in on which techniques will qualify foods as “genetically engineered” and precisely how USDA will administer each of the three labeling options.

People who wish to avoid GMO foods can look for the USDA Organic label. By law, certified organic foods are not permitted to be produced or include ingredients produced using genetic engineering.

Reprinted by permission from StrongerTogether.coop. Find articles about your food and where it comes from, recipes and a whole lot more at www.strongertogether.coop.

News Roundup July 22, 2016

Jawnts: The sweet sounds of jazz in West Philly's Cedar Park

Most summer Friday nights, the sliver of park between 49th and 50th on Baltimore Avenue fills with people. The attendees are of mixed age and race, and comfortably seated, because most bring folding chairs and blankets to hear jazz in the neighborhood.

There has been jazz in West Philadelphia's Cedar Park for more than 10 years. It's a tradition that so reliably draws a crowd that a crop of vendors sprouts up along the outskirts, selling barbecue, hot dogs, water ice, and other seasonal favorites. Read more.

U.S. Department of Commerce “researching feasibility” of including co-ops in 2017 Economic Census

The U.S. Department of Commerce last week acknowledged receipt of a co-signed letter addressing a decades-long absence of federally-reported data on co-ops and said its Census Bureau is currently “researching the feasibly” of including questions on cooperatives in the 2017 Economic Census.

“The Census Bureau is committed to providing assistance to the cooperative business community by helping to document their existence and assessing their economic impact via our collected statistics,” the letter, addressed to U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R-CA), states." Read more.

Bartram's Garden unveils $2.7 million renovation, previews new trail

City officials and local students from Woodlands Academy gathered Thursday morning at Bartram's Garden, the nation's oldest surviving botanic garden, to unveil a $2.7 million restoration project and signal progress on the upcoming Bartram's Mile trail. Read more.

This coalition is working to increase Black voter turnout in Philly

Attorney and activist Michael Coard is concerned for the Black vote, and he has reason to be. Now, more than ever in Coard’s lifetime, there’s a need for Black Philadelphians to register to vote. Read more.

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