Small community
Craving humble and unfussy community gatherings
There is a specific type of community gathering that I crave.
I think it’s embedded in my consciousness. Maybe it’s from all the time spent at the community service office or interfaith sanctuary at Saint Rose. Maybe it’s the decades I’ve been with Habitat for Humanity, time spent on construction sites and church basements and offices and people’s homes. Maybe it’s just how I grew up. This morning I woke up thinking about how sweet these small community gatherings are and how some of our best work and connection can flow from them.
Some examples:
A community mural session with dried mango and Bugles and homemade onion dip, not to mention consensus circles and democratic decision making.
A standard workday meeting but someone brought a pint of fresh strawberries they couldn’t resist buying at the co-op.
The local Catholic Worker House’s potluck dinner — they’ll have a pot of vegetarian soup and bread, afterwards we’ll learn about Dorothy Day.
Neighborhood meetings with homemade cookies on paper plates.
When the library collects all of the holiday books in one room and calls it a gift shop, but everything’s still free and there’s hot cocoa.
Fika on a Friday afternoon, chatting over coffee and scones.
Writing GOTV letters with cider doughnuts and berries.
A holiday work dinner but it’s at someone’s house and they made eggnog and put a decanter of whiskey next to it labeled “holiday cheer”.
There’s a theme, isn’t there? Simple food. Unpretentious setting. Usually small, often fewer than ten people. I’ll tell you who is really good at it: the activists I know from one generation up. I see them hosting these gatherings a lot. Unfussy and sweet. If the food display is Instagram-worth, you’ve gone too far. Think humble. Think, a box of Dunkin Donuts on the table.
Sometimes we recreate this in the midst of normal business, when my colleague brings in homemade Irish soda bread or a community member drops off a traditional Karen meal. Now that I think about it, Habitat’s seasonal coffee chats are trying to get at this same feeling.
I don’t often think of food as my love language. I’m not a confident host because I honestly just don’t know what people like to eat. It confounds me. I cook well but am not the type of person who loves to have everyone over and stuff them full! Sorry babe, that’s not me.
But these sort of simple gatherings? These little touches of intention and love? Yes, always and forever. Give me the humble grassroots meeting of five people sharing a casserole or tray of oatmeal cookies. There’s nothing better.
Elsewhere
Continuing to feel best about our global chaos when I’m doing something about it, no matter how small it feels. Our Working Families Party phone banks were a balm, and it turns out the power of the people can defeat billionaires!
All of this to say, I’m looking forward to The Barnraisers Project “How to Actually Build a Community “ session coming up this month.
Don’t forget to save the date for our 2025 Jane Jacobs Walk Albany — Sunday, May 4!
This!
This introvert cringes, but applauds! 👏👏👏