A Need for Comfort: Soho Tea

What is it?

Black tea with hints of coconut, vanilla, and amaranth petals

How to Brew

Hot: Use 1tsp of tea per 8 oz of water. Pour boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes.

Tasting Notes

I’ve written about this before, but it’s got these lovely sweet, vanilla-y notes. It’s like dessert in a cup.

I want some of that! Where can I find it?

Buy online from Harney & Sons

How it came to my cupboard

My partner read my post about Harney & Sons, and ordered this blend the same night. Just one of millions of things that made me do a double take and think “man, I am so lucky!”

I’ve started drinking a cup of this every night while we listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks. It’s become a comforting ritual in a time of change and reflection.

Sharing Good News

A lot has happened since my last post. I’ve tried to read, process, donate, and reflect on my complicity in a white supremacist system. Why did it take me this long, so long, so many lives, to stand up and say something? To support black businesses? To demand Mayor Lightfoot sign GAPA? To truly listen and understand that while I have experienced racism, I have still enjoyed the silent benefits of white privilege due to my skin color and background?

However, I do think this moment is different than the rest–this can can become a movement. This is the first time I’ve ever had open conversations about race and systemic racism at work. This is the first time a company I’ve worked for has openly stated they are committed to do something. Are they paying lip service? Probably, a bit. Can we use it as an opportunity to get people to reflect, change, and act? Absolutely. Am I using it as an opportunity to reflect, change, and act? Absolutely. But once weeks pass, we can’t forget. We have to put in the work.

I’ve already come across many resources and lists, so I hate to add another one, but I will star and link to stuff that I have found useful.

• US Supreme Court Rules to Protect LGBTQ+ | Good Black News
• Kennedy Mitchum Gets Miriam Webster to Update its Definition of Racism | Good News Network

And two things keeping my spirits up lately:

1. We’re releasing our first diversity report for my company tomorrow–I hope this leads to better, intentional action to change what it looks like
2. My partner transformed his sourdough starter into sourdough pizza crusts. We’ve been having pizza pretty much for a whole week and it was awesome

Ways to Help
I’ll feature a different organization on each blog post.

Today’s organization: Black Lives Matter
DONATE $

“#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.”

Thanks, and enjoy your week.
Meeka