Must Be Present

To Meditate: verb. Think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with an aid, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.

Condensed

Never Backward, Always Forward: A Case Against Complacency

Spoilers ahead for Luke Cage: In a traditional creating-a-superhero story, Luke Cage’s evolution into Harlem’s protector is both predictable and needed—a man, with a brutal past and horrific testimony, sees his loved ones tragically taken from him.

Spoilers ahead for Luke Cage:In a traditional creating-a-superhero story, Luke Cage’s evolution into Harlem’s protector is both predictable and needed—a man, with a brutal past and horrific testimony, sees his loved ones tragically taken from him. Most notably was Pop, a father-figure and mentor to Power Man (and every other young man that walked into his barber shop), whose motto resonated every time he spoke to Luke: “Never backward, always forward. Always.”

After last night’s Presidential debate, I went to bed feeling like I was out of options.

100 Reasons To Vote

After last night’s Presidential debate, I went to bed feeling like I was out of options. Whether you lean left or right, the 2016 campaign approach from both candidates has, sadly, divided our nation into two Americas. Which, frankly, seems to be the root of several major issues that will significantly impact how we live our lives today and how future generations will live in tomorrow’s America.

Y’all, Houston has placed NUMBER ONE in charity rankingsin the nation.

#52Causes: Houston’s On The Come Up

Y’all, Houston has placed NUMBER ONE incharity rankingsin the nation. With a city that’s relentless when it comes to getting shit done, Houston has firmly made a name for itself throughout the nation when it comes to charitable work.

Starring David Berman and writers…everywhere.

We spend a lot of time thinking about words and reviewing words making sure we aren’t killing the meaning or point we are crafting.

We spend a lot of time thinking about words and reviewing words making sure we aren’t killing the meaning or point we are crafting. We debate punctuation and whether it’s “non-profit” or “nonprofit”. BTW, it’s nonprofit.

Register to Vote Faster Than Leslie Knope

Voting is insanely important and yes—every vote definitely counts.

Voting is insanely important and yes—every vote definitely counts. But before you vote, you have to be registered. Today isNational Voter Registration Day and we are #blessed to be living in a world where we are always connected and where getting things done is easier than ever.

Creatures of HABIT: A Black Sheep Experiment (Part I)

“We’re not perfect—but we’re constantly perfecting.”  This is something you’ll hear us say around the Black Sheep office time and again, week after week.

“We’re not perfect—but we’re constantly perfecting.”  This is something you’ll hear us say around the Black Sheep office time and again, week after week. It’s a mantra of sorts—and at times it can even feel like a bit of a commitment we’re renewing. It’s a nod to the fact that we can always be better…that we can acknowledge the space for improvement, push ourselves harder and find ways to work smarter for ourselves, for each other and for our clients.

To be incredibly too predictable, I, the recovering community outreach officer turned brand manager, can’t help but bring us back to the importance of community—of creating a space to bring people together, in real life, for one-on-one conversations.

The Importance of IRL

“WOKE UP AND FELT THE VIBE.” —Kanye West

Black Sheep Quarterly Jams List

I hate to talk about this because I feel like it’s all I can talk about these days, but my husband and I are expecting our first child in October.

The Art of Appreciation

I hate to talk about this because I feel like it’s all I can talk about these days, but my husband and I are expecting our first child in October. As we’ve geared up to take on a new stage in our lives, we’ve been surrounded by enormous support and help. Help that might not always get the proper “thank you” it deserves. 

Learn To Ad: Madison Avenue Strategies To Strengthen School Communication

If you’ve ever had your eyeballs attacked or your fingers befuddled by a poorly designed app or website, you’ve probably had a moment of Poor Design Experience, or PDE.*

If you’ve ever had your eyeballs attacked or your fingers befuddled by a poorly designed app or website, you’ve probably had a moment of Poor Design Experience, or PDE.* As painful as these experiences are, you probably feel as though they’re not really hurting you—and you’re probably right. But, in the case of communications between schools and students, PDEs can make a lot of difference when it comes to important things, like understanding the college application process or becoming informed of educational options at different high schools. Black Sheep’s art director Jo Skillman has teamed up with University of Virginia educator and researcher Ben Castlemanto write about the importance of solid communications for educational organizations in an article published by the Brookings Institution. In true Black Sheep style, we’ve managed to pun the title.

GIF US YOUR BEST SHOT: A Challenge To Be The Next Black Sheep

So, you think you want to be a Black Sheep? Well, we can’t say that we blame you.

So, you think you want to be a Black Sheep? Well, we can’t say that we blame you. This is a pretty great place to work. We work hard, we play hard and we’ve built a culture that’s like no other you’ll find.

According to a 2016 report by Nonprofit HR, nonprofits of all sizes are expected to GROW—in people, purpose and impact this year, to help combat the rising demand in Houston for their services.

#52Causes: Thrive At Week 35

According to a 2016 report by Nonprofit HR, nonprofits of all sizes are expected to GROW—in people, purpose and impact this year, to help combat the rising demand in Houston for their services. Over half of nonprofits nationwide plan on creating new positions to help support the thousands of driven employees already working to make Houston a better place by dedicating their time and careers to the communities and people in this city.

Built on mud and created from gumption, heart and a can-do spirit, Houston was born 180 years ago TODAY.

Happy Birthday to HOU: H-Town Turns 180!

Built on mud and created from gumption, heart and a can-do spirit, Houston was born 180 years ago TODAY. (Not that it looks a day over 179…) Think about that: one hundred and eighty years. It seems like such a long, long time, but actually it’s a pretty short interval when you think about what we’ve accomplished as a city. 

Our National Park Service has a birthday today, and it’s a BIG ONE.

NPS: You Make 100 Look Good!

Our National Park Service has a birthday today, and it’s a BIG ONE. 

Reality television, sports and anything that can be classified as “pop-culture” is lost on me. I don’t know what a Drake is and I haven’t seen a movie in a theatre in almost a year.

Do You Even Know Who You Are?

Vengeance. Money. Love. These are all words we’re saying so you read this blog about economics.

A couple years ago I read my first enjoyable non-fiction book.

A couple years ago I read my first enjoyable non-fiction book. I know there’s a lot of enjoyable non-fiction out there, but REALLY… the magic of Hogwarts has resulted in an entire theme park, whereas the history of Hispanics in the Mormon Zion* has resulted in, well, my falling asleep on a hot pink highlighter.

Pounding the tarmac through the seasons, a band of runners are brazenly challenged with intimate questions as they pace their routes. Liberated from responsibilities, their guards drop dramatically, releasing funny and brutally frank confessions, and weaving a powerful narrative behind the anonymous masses.

A film by Matan Rochlitz & Ivo Gormley.

#therunners

**OFFICIAL SELECTION - SHEFFIELD DOC/FEST 2013**
** HONOURABLE MENTION - LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2014**
**OFFICIAL SELECTION - OPEN CITY DOCS, LONDON 2013**
**OFFICIAL SELECTION - NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL 2013**
**OFFICIAL SELECTION - KAOHSIUNG FILM FESTIVAL, TAIWAN 2013**

The Runners on The Guardian: 
theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2013/nov/15/the-runners-film-interviewing-people-jogging

The Runners

At Black Sheep, we love ideas: New ideas. Bold ideas. Crazy ideas. Audacious ideas.

Why Are You Running Today?

Why LinkedIn Is The Best Tool You’re Not Using

It’s time to move LinkedIn from being an afterthought to being a first thought.

It’s time to move LinkedIn from being an afterthought to being a first thought. If you’re using the platform the same way you were three or four years ago, it’s time to do some serious catching up. There’s a professional content revolution underway and those involved are on LinkedIn roughly 8 hours a week reading, publishing, sharing and liking just about everything.

Learn from locals #storyhopper

Over the last few years, I’ve spent a lot of time in airports.

Spend The Night With The Locals

Over the last few years, I’ve spent a lot of time in airports. There’s something I love about airports—maybe it’s the promise of adventure, or the $15 coffee, or the fact that security always, always, always pulls me out of line to search me and I end up having to frantically rush to make it to the gate in time.

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?

Regular

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

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The Politics of Food Access