Skip to main content

Anyone Can Serve


A small story about a Very Big Thing.

On Tuesday afternoon this picture appeared in my Facebook feed.




Our son and his friend are selling hand-cut and painted rocks. All the profit goes to Black Lives Matter! Feel free to order it here, too. We can deliver within Columbia.

On the same day that Howard County Youth hosted the largest protest event in Columbia/HoCo’s history, two second graders went to work in their own way, to support the same mission: Black Lives Matter.

They dug up rocks from their yards, washed them, hand-chipped them into varying sizes, and painted them. Next they divided them by size, decided on prices and made posters for display.

Some kids have lemonade stands. It’s not everyone who sells artisanally crafted rocks. Locally sourced, small batch rocks. Hand-cut, hand-painted rocks.

They sold out before bedtime. They made well over fifty dollars and that does not count the people who just donated directly to Black Lives Matter. As you might imagine, they were inspired to continue their efforts.


I believe they sold out on Day Two as well, but I can check in case you are still interested in getting in on this amazing offer. My two rocks were delivered to my house in a brown paper bag via their contactless delivery system. (Mom)




I want to talk tomorrow about how important it is that the largest single protest event in Columbia/Howard County history was planned and executed by its young people. To me that is by far the biggest local story of the week.

But today I want to rest my gaze on the inspiration and hard work of two children who wanted to make a contribution and came up with a plan. Every time I look at the fruit of their labors I will remember.

Inspired?  You can donate to the Black Lives Matter DC Chapter through PayPal:  directaction@dcblm.org

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...