Published in April 2020, “How To Take Care” was a limited release e-guide with 100 pages of rituals, recipes, and reflections for readers to try while self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic. With recipes from myself and 33 contributors from around the world, my aim with “How To Take Care” was to create an artifact of community and resistance that aided in supporting domestic violence victims. The download of the e-guide was FREE with proof of a donation of $5 or more to any organization supporting victims of domestic or intimate partner violence. The guide was featured in The New York Times and, 30 days after its release, raised over $10,000 globally for organizations supporting survivors 30 days after its release. “How To Take Care” was proof that even when we cannot physically be in community with others, we can still have an impact through genuine solidarity and advocacy. The publication also served as a motivational tool on the path to mental and physical respite in the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic. The spirit of How To Take Care continues to live on in a series of free and artist-led community care workshops inspired by the e-guide in partnership with Jubilee Arts, a community center located in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of West Baltimore. All workshops are held virtually, and select classes mail a workshop-themed gift to registered participants from Baltimore-based small businesses to bring an element of the lesson into the students' homes. The third season of this community arts partnership concluded in the summer of 2021.
