The Obama Foundation on Twitter: "Only two days until civic leaders like @aimeewoodall gather at the inaugural #ObamaSummit. Be a part of it: https://t.co/WdBQALg9je… https://t.co/AYdRSHVyq1"

Sometimes, we take our inspiration from in-house. Today we look no further than our very own fearless leader, Aimee Woodall.

Thanks, Obama [Foundation Summit].

Condensed

Ferrari 512 BBi Is A Piece of Art - Petrolicious

Putting Purpose in the Driver’s Seat with Ferrari

The 1981 Ferrari 512i BB has a horizontally mounted direct-injected V12 engine that produces 335hp, 333lb/ft of torque and has a claimed top speed of 179mph.

Rapping, deconstructed: The best rhymers of all time

Breaks on a bus, brakes on a car
Breaks to make you a superstar

Rap Battle: Storytelling on the Beat

But these here breaks will rock your shoes

As writers, communicators and marketers working in a cause-driven field, we are no stranger to the importance of untold stories.

War Stories: A Voice For The Voiceless

As writers, communicators and marketers working in a cause-driven field, we are no stranger to the importance of untold stories. We use our words and creativity to create urgency and inspire action. Sometimes these stories are lost in a noisy world. Unheard.

Find Your Values, Let Them Lead You To Action

Values have become a checklist item. Behind “Mission” and “Vision,” they’re the next thing to tackle before you startup, rebrand or launch a new culture handbook. But they really shouldn’t be. Real values are baked-in to your DNA. They’re like eye color—natural, striking and permanent. You can throw on contacts, but the truth remains behind the lens.

I grew up in a Southern family that loved its sayings.

Don’t Just Scratch the Surface

My inspiration is based on The Millennial Podcast by Megan Tan, creator and host. I strongly feel that we’re all lucky that our jobs are an everyday exercise in empathy, and podcasts like these provide such a valuable way to take in an experience you may have never thought about.

The Millennial Podcast

My inspiration is based on The Millennial Podcast by Megan Tan, creator and host. I strongly feel that we’re all lucky that our jobs are an everyday exercise in empathy, and podcasts like these provide such a valuable way to take in an experience you may have never thought about.

“Do blue butterflies eat pieces of the sky?” 

“Can girls be robots?” 

“Why don’t worms have faces?”

How Does Life Live?

“Do blue butterflies eat pieces of the sky?” 

We all know the David and Goliath Bible school story: Little guy wins out big over presumed-to-win giant.

The Advantages of Disadvantages

We all know the David and Goliath Bible school story: Little guy wins out big over presumed-to-win giant. Yada yada yada—upset and unforeseen victories ensue. In Malcom Gladwell’s book, David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants, Gladwell turns the idea that sometimes the smaller guy wins or the underdog comes out on top by flipping what we presume to be disadvantages to actual ADVANTAGES.

Who doesn’t want to start their week off with some philosophizing?

To Shock and To Awe

Who doesn’t want to start their week off with some philosophizing? Currently, I’m in the middle of slowly powering throughSeneca’s “On The Happy Life,” and a specific piece stuck out to me as relevant for our work—and a testament to the challenge of shocking and awing.

A COLLABORATIVE FILM BY GNARLY BAY + FOREST WOODWARD + FRIENDS

Special thanks to Doug Woodward, Brendan Leonard, Skip Armstrong, David Marx, Jeff Scholl, Elliot Ross, Jess Lowe, Howl Collective, Story & Heart

Edit:  Jordan Ingram + Gnarly Bay
Additional Audio Mixing:  Joshua Svare

Save the Important Places.  Protect the Grand Canyon and other wild rivers.  Please visit www.americanrivers.org/grandcanyon to learn more.

Supported by American Rivers / Chaco Footwear / NRS / Goal Zero / Marmoset Music / Story & Heart

MUSIC
01. Blind and Unwise (Instrumental) by Gregory and the Hawk
02. Honey Jars by Bryan John Appleby
03. Snowy Crescendo (Instrumental) by Bell Plaines
04. For a Film (Instrumental) by Bell Plaines
05. Awareness (Instrumental) by Lee Brooks

THE IMPORTANT PLACES.

Storytelling: The Important Places

My heart is on fire. I am surrounded by and continually following behind these incredible preservers and creators who have a knack for threading the important scenes through storytelling—a skill I want to keep growing forever.

Go ahead. Take a minute to panic because you already feel behind and overwhelmed.

Planning for Now Isn’t Good Enough

Go ahead. Take a minute to panic because you already feel behind and overwhelmed. Now take a deep breath because Benjamin P. Hardy is here to help.

On Saturday, we woke up in a world where the President of the United States put a curb on immigration by signing an order calling for a ban barring travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Take Action

Meet Sheepspo.

1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative by a member of the Flock

Regular

Turn and Face the Strange

I remember my first day at Black Sheep pretty vividly. I think we all know that feeling on a new job—the moment when you walk into a room of apparent strangers, with the sinking feeling that you (for some reason) simultaneously want/need the approval of every single person in the room AND a chocolate milkshake?

Write a Letter to a Stranger

I remember my first day at Black Sheep pretty vividly. I think we all know that feeling on a new job—the moment when you walk into a room of apparent strangers, with the sinking feeling that you (for some reason) simultaneously want/need the approval of every single person in the room AND a chocolate milkshake? No whipped cream, obviously. I’m watching my figure.

Today is Cyber Monday, a day when thousands upon thousands of us will shop for holiday gifts for family and friends with the click of a mouse.

A Cyber Monday Mission.

Things You Didn’t Know You Needed

We’re all about inspiration because we know how important it is with the work we do.

That PTO life: Gimme a break

We’re all about inspiration because we know how important it is with the work we do. We’re constantly looking for ways to spur on creativity and get ourselves thinking beyond the predictable for our clients. But what happens when we get tired? When we slow down? When brainstorming seems like a chore instead of a chance to rally around great ideas? When life throws a curve ball?

Bake the Cake and Eat It, Too

We’re busy. We’re overbooked. We go home stressed (presently about this election), shoulders heavy with frustration about the things that we didn’t finish, or tasks that were left undone. It happens to the best of us. But we are strivers and thrivers, and oftentimes find other ways to wind down.

No matter your impact space, the last few years have taught us that our causes are interconnected. Researchers are now dealing with what the White House calls “converging crises” across industries. As a purpose-driven organization, we’ve spent years discussing everything from environmental racism and climate change to education and housing. But until recently, we hadn’t yet looked into an issue that’s affected by all of the above: food insecurity.

Food insecurity affects millions of all ages and backgrounds across America, particularly impacting the BIPOC community and hitting kids especially hard after millions have lost access to free school lunches. 

The pandemic has only exacerbated the fragility of the inequitable American food system. In 2022, the Census Bureau reported a 41% increase in households saying they did not have enough to eat after Congress stopped pandemic relief programs. 

That's over 40 million people who are experiencing hunger—or the fear of hunger—on a regular basis. With rising food and housing costs, that number is only expected to grow. 

Food insecurity is the lack of consistent access to enough nutritious food to maintain an active and healthy life. This can include not having enough money to buy food, living in an area without access to healthy food options or experiencing disruptions in food supply due to natural disasters or other crises.

According to Feeding America, the causes of food insecurity are complex and include:

Systemic racism and racial discrimination

The devastating effects of food insecurity

Access to fresh, healthy food is a basic human need and a social determinant of health and wellness. Without equitable access, we see an impact on:

Health: Without nutritious foods, people are at an increased risk for chronic health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and mental health disorders—particularly as many turn to cheap, caloric-rich foods in lieu of fresh, prepared meals.

Education: Children who experience food insecurity are more likely to have lower academic achievement, be suspended or expelled and suffer from behavioral and emotional problems. 

Financial wellness: Food-insecure households often spend over 25% of their income on food, making it challenging to budget other expenses like housing, healthcare, education and utilities. This is more harrowing given that food-insecure households also spend more on healthcare due to their poor diet.

Words matter. Food deserts and food apartheid are related terms you have probably heard but are distinct concepts.

Food deserts refer to geographic areas where residents lack access to affordable, healthy and fresh food, often due to a lack of grocery stores or other food retailers. These food deserts can occur in both urban and rural areas and affect people of all races and income levels.

Food apartheid, on the other hand, refers to a systemic and intentional form of discrimination in the food system that leads to unequal access to healthy food based on race and income. This terminology recognizes that food access is not simply a matter of geography but a result of historical and ongoing inequities in the food system, including racism, poverty, and systemic inequality. 

There are organizations across most major cities to fight these issues, namely urban farms and dedicated neighborhood markets. However, given the multiple converging crises, issues like food insecurity are often overlooked in favor of more hot-button issues. That’s where all of us can step in.

What can social justice-minded people do to help solve food insecurity?

While food insecurity offers no easy solutions, there are many ways to get involved.

Poverty USA offers some smart systemic change recommendations:

Reduce food waste - we throw away 30% of the food we produce

Here are a few ideas you can engage with at the individual level:

Find your nearest co-op (like Plant It Forward) and volunteer and shop there

Call your representative to advocate for policies that support access to healthy, affordable food.

Support local farmers and community gardens

Educate yourself and others about the causes and consequences of food insecurity

Donate to organizations that are working to address food insecurity, such as Feeding America or the World Food Programme

Food insecurity is incredibly complex, but it’s one area we can actually make great progress on as individuals. Supporting these local, fresh food sources improves the entire community’s health—AND it means more delicious, interesting meals on your plate. That’s a win for everyone. 

What is food insecurity and what can we do about it?

Food insecurity is a complex issue affecting millions of Americans, with systemic factors like poverty, racism, and geography playing a major role, but there are steps we can take to combat it.

The Black Sheep blog is turning up the volume on community engagement, social media strategy, Houston happenings and what it means to lead a purpose-driven life.

The Black Sheep Agency | Social impact and nonprofit blog

We like to type as much as we like to listen.

We're not shy.

The Politics of Food Access