Gift Cards are So Convenient ... Aren’t They?

At the Brown Get-Down, guests had the opportunity to bid for a variety of prizes, from a gorgeous boob mug by Black Banjo Arts to art prints, free passes to shows at the Cedar Cultural Center to gift cards to local businesses. Sweet Novemba and I wanted to support businesses that were affected by ICE activity in the Twin Cities, so instead of asking businesses to donate gift cards, I found four financial angels who supported purchases up to $1,160. This allowed me to give businesses money in the moment, and later drive business to them by distributing the gift cards. So smart! So easy! Right?

It turns out that it was actually hard to spend that much money on gift cards, especially to small and immigrant-owned businesses, in the week leading up to the show. The barrier that I hit many times over was that businesses just didn’t do gift cards. Or if they did, they didn’t sell them often and had a hard time setting them up. The latter situation generally resulted in a gift card—eventually. All it took was a little patience, and sometimes some troubleshooting. The sheer lack of gift cards was a whole other story, sadly.

The best we can do for those businesses, right now, is to name them for you and encourage you to visit them next time you have a need. You can do that for us, right?

• Need a cake? Pan dulce? Tamales? Visit Panadería San Miguel on Lake Street at 17th Ave

• Need groceries? Planning an asada? Visit Sam’s Market and Meats on 35th at Bloomington

• Need sambusas and Somali tea? Visit Albi Kitchen on Nicollet between 14th and 15th

• Need a kebabs, dolmeh, fesenjan, or biryani? Visit Nader Persian Kitchen on Cedar near Riverside

• Hit up almost any restaurant in the Cedar-Riverside area for delicious Somali or Ethiopian food

• Visit Karmel Mall off Lake between Pleasant and Pillsbury

Long-term, I’m talking with Ini Augustine of Technologist Computers and Elevate Hennepin (and designer of this website!) about how to help businesses get the most out of their point of sale systems, and to get their gift cards into your hands.

When Performance is Political

In March I participated in two performer-centered mutual aid actions. The first was the Twin Cities Pole Collective’s pin-up calendar, which raised more than $2,000 for MIRAC. The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee is an all-volunteer, grassroots, multiracial, and multinational immigrant rights mass-movement organization. MIRAC fights for legalization for all, an end to immigration raids and deportations, an end to all anti-immigrant laws, and full equality in all areas of life.

Cleo Torres’ first pole solo, performed at The Dog House for Pole Arts Co/Studio 33. Photo by Lord Hamlet.

While I love pole dance, TCPC, and the image they included of me, the second action was even nearer and dearer to my heart. On March 20, fellow performer Sweet Novemba and I produced (the first edition of) the Brown Get-Down as a rent relief fundraiser. In every way imaginable, the event succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.

Twelve BIPOC performers treated a full house at Red Sea Ethiopian Restaurant & Bar to eleven acts showcasing cultural pride, political rage, and unrestrained joy. That night, instead of being a meaningless umbrella term, BIPOC became a line-up that radically decentered whiteness, displayed expansive diversity, and welcomed all to celebrate our commonalities. IT WAS ALSO WILDLY FUN!

Sweet Novemba opened our ceremony with a PSA on Black history and Black realities. Hazel Noire closed the circle with a truly divine blessing to all queers. In between, we celebrated (and sometimes astonished) our elders and ancestors with Dominique Herskind and John G of Good Camel Comedy; begged for more chocolate from Haughty Hazelnut; traveled around the world with Cleo Torres; and evoked two island homelands with Dirty Chai and Ty Torres.

And that's just some of the performers. Our audience blessed us by trying improv for the first time, filling the unofficial dance floor with a BAILE INoLVIDABLE, and sharing personal stories that had us weeping with rage, pride, and joy.

Curtain call at the first-ever Brown Get-Down! Photo by Jared Frandson

Our audience also blessed us financially. Together we raised more than $1,700 to provide rent relief to some of our neighbors most affected by ICE's occupation of the Twin Cities. $750 went to the Pillsbury United Communities' Rapid Response Fund, serving the Cedar Riverside neighborhood that so graciously hosted our shindig. The Brown Get-Down would not have been possible, and would not have been the success it was, without the support of The Red Sea and of the West Bank Business Association. The remainder of that $1,700 helped pay rent through April for two members of a mutual aid network that one of our performers has served throughout the occupation.

On Friday night we celebrated us—all of us—and the strength we have together. We enjoyed it so much that we are eager to celebrate it again! Stay tuned by following our new socials for Sweet Cleo Productions. If you weren't there Friday and you just can't wait for the next edition of The Brown Get-Down, you can still partake in a bit of our magic by supporting the same causes we turned out for.

Pillsbury United Communities' Rapid Response Fund

Adelita Guerrera’s Rent Relief GFM

Huge thanks and so much love to our cast:

Sweet Novemba

Alegría d’Cirque

John Gebretatose

Haughty Hazelnut

Dominique Herskind

Maurice Fields

Cleo Torres

Dirty Chai

Ty Torres

Halle the Belly Dancer

Cravin’ Catastrophe

Hazel Noire

and our host Violet Vulgaris

To our crew:

DJ Mandy

Salem Sinful

Mx Trx

Desirée de la Paz

Emily Lund

To our biggest cheerleaders:

West Bank Business Association

KJ Starr

Caleigh Souhan

And to beloved fans too numerous to name.