New Year, New Energy
Dear friends,
Happy New Year to you! At Apiary, we are just emerging from our little winter hibernation and are still adjusting to 2025. We know that this new year is filled with uncertainty and tension, as we and the country are in a state of transition. But as we’ve emerged from our rest, we feel ready and poised to meet this moment.
We plan to use the energy of change to create opportunity amid chaos. For the team of Apiary, 2025 will be a year of discovery, experimentation, and increased transparency. We hope to see you more this year, virtually and maybe even IRL. Swimming in uncertain waters can feel disorienting and even frightening. However, we are all grounded in years of experience and lineages of resistance that not only teach us how to move forward, but how to remain centered in our own unique, inherited power.
This year, we hope to craft spaces of joy, reflection, and innovation with you. As Kellie Carter Jackson says in her powerful book We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance, “the origin of joy is spiritual: it is a conscious conjuring of pleasure that transcends one’s circumstances.” We will not let tension and fear erode the liberatory path on which we tread. We are sure of the ingenuity and power of our community.
So no worries if you’re still in hibernation mode, if you’re still uneasy and uncertain about what’s to come. We’ve got you and we’ve got each other. 💕✨
What’s happening at Apiary
🐝 We are set to launch a new round of volunteer training through our one-of-a-kind Pollination Station in February. If you are interested in becoming a practical support volunteer, the Pollination Station is for you! We vet every applicant to ensure safety for folks and for the practical support organizations (PSOs) in which we place them. Enrollees attend three, in-depth sessions that explore trauma-informed response, the fundamentals of reproductive justice, and the history and practicality of practical support. Upon completion, they are then connected with their local PSO. To apply to the Pollination Station, click here.
🔍 In case you missed it, last month, we released our 2024 Impact Report. In celebration of how far Apiary has come, the 2024 Impact Report chronicles the last five years of our work, from an idea to a team that continually shows up. In just a few years, we have made a big impact, and we are ready for whatever 2025 may bring.
What’s happening in the community
❤️🩹 The wildfires in Los Angeles have been absolutely devastating, and our hearts are with everyone there. We are lifting up the folks at the Mutual Aid LA Network who have collated an ever-evolving list of resources for folks who have been affected by the fires. And may these horrific wildfires serve as a reminder that we are all just one catastrophe away from becoming refugees ourselves.
✊🏾While January 20, 2025, is Inauguration Day, it’s also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. At Apiary, we will be closed that day for radical rest, in honor of the radical fight for racial justice and dismantling of white supremacy that remains MLK, Jr’s true legacy (if you need a refresher, try Sheryll Cashin’s piece on MLK, Jr’s radical nature).
🗓️January 22 would have been the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. While there is a space for mourning what that ruling made possible, let’s also remember that Roe’s promise remained elusive to millions of marginalized folks. The abortion access crisis started while Roe was still the law of the land. Restoring the constitutional right to an abortion, while important, won’t solve the myriad structural issues that made abortion inaccessible for so many, especially Black, brown, immigrant, incarcerated, and young folks. On this anniversary, let’s recommit to a reenvisioning of true abortion access—for all, not just the privileged few.