OPERATION: STOP THE SPREAD OF TOXIC (MASK)ULINITY

In the face of a global pandemic, Ravens got creative with their activism, teaming up to launch our very first inter-Corps campaign and paving a new way for the organization. This Operation was a tangible way for Ravens to implement our collective liberation stance.

It was the summer of 2020. The world was (IS) in a pandemic. BLM marches were spreading like wildfire across the nation in response to abhorrent police violence. People – cis men in particular – were denying the importance of masking up to prevent the spread of COVID. How did we respond? We leaned into mutual aid. Ravens hand-crafted masks and sold them on our Etsy shop. 10% of all money raised was donated to the National Black Justice Coalition.

For every mask sold, we also donated a mask to the MacDonald Residence, an assisted living facility for low-income families in Portland, OR. We added an educational component to the operation, advocating for not only stopping the spread of COVID-19, but also stopping the spread of what we dubbed “toxic MASKulinity”: the abundance of cis men who were statistically less likely to wear a mask. We even used sterilized second-hand fabric to craft our masks – this Operation was for people and the planet. We’re always doing our part to build a better world.