We were not able to meet tonight. We will try again next week!

Meeting Minutes – June 21, 2021
In Attendance: Ty (moderator), Marc (secretary), Jackson
Started: 7:20 PM
Adjourned: 8:45 PM

Event Review: Pride on the Porch
– Due to the heat, we switched from an in-person discussion to meeting over Jitsi. Marc updated the event on Facebook and announced the change a couple of days prior.
– The discussion went well; we had a small but engaged group of people.
– The discussion was a bit unfocused and we did get off-topic often.

Upcoming Event: Local Politics Discussion
– Jackson will draft the description for this event soon.

YouTube Gardening Videos
– Wyatt wants to create some how-to videos about gardening and the water barrel collection system.
– When he’s back in town, we’d like to hash out some ideas and plans with him to discuss the videos–namely tone/approach, how much editing they would need, what equipment we should procure, etc.
– Ty pointed out that we should keep the videos pretty consistent in tone.
– The videos could also be used on the site to show off the BCH space online.

Site Updates:
– We have regained access to the admin account on WordPress.
– Jackson still needs to be able to get emails sent through the BCH site to appear in his inbox. We tried to figure out what the issue could be, and it might be related to our hosting service.
– Marc will create an account for himself via WordPress.
– Going forward, we have some additional plans in-mind for site content, including: aesthetic update, explicit connection to Facebook, connection to YouTube channel, fixing the event calendar, posting news posts and not just minutes, better tagging system for posts, better calendar (color-coded events, recurring events, etc.), showcase/tour of the physical space as a venue, revisiting the About Us page, Library information, collaboration form, add candid photos, potentially adding bios for active members if desired

Longterm Space Projects
– We need to reassess the accessibility of the BCH in terms of comfort, mobility concerns, and creating a welcoming environment.
– For example, there is a small (2″) ledge at the front door that may be difficult for wheelchair-users to access, and we need to be able to keep the driveway empty so the ramp to the porch can be accessed for events.
– We discussed what could be done outdoors and indoors to achieve some of these goals, including adding some landscaping details to the garden, using more comfortable furniture, adjusting lighting so it’s brighter, and so on.

No one was available to meet tonight. We’ll try again next week!

Meeting Minutes – June 7, 2021
In Attendance: Marc (secretary, moderator), Jackson, Ty
Started: 7:10 PM
Adjourned: 8:40 PM

Upcoming Event: Queer History and Fascism Discussion
– Marc created the event on Facebook, along with a graphic for it. Marc, Ty, and Jackson helped draft the description, and it was posted last week.
– Ty suggested reaching out to OutNebraska and the LGBTQA+ Resource Center to help promote the event. Basically, they could help drum up interest in the discussion.

July Event
– Jackson still needs to write up a description for this. The event is a month away yet, but Ty emphasized that we shouldn’t let it fall behind too far.
– We discussed potential talking points for the event, e.g. specifically conservative/reactionary decisions made by current Lincoln mayor Gaylor Baird, such as lowering funding for libraries and public recycling, and increasing the cop budget. We also discussed how a Democrat has been mayor of this city for 20+ years and Lincoln is still very behind in terms of public infrastructure and programs.

August Event
– Gardening day. These generally get good attendance.

Really Free Library
– Marc suggested calling it the “Black Cat Press & Pantry” though Jackson and Ty pointed out that it might not really need a name at all. Marc suggested giving it a name anyway because it’d be more useful to call it something for the purposes of the website and future updates to it.

Fall Situation with COVID-19
– We’re planning on potentially going back to something akin to normal for Fall, given the current significant drop in COVID-19 rates in Lancaster county. However, due to the Delta strain becoming more prominent, and the fact that Lincoln is a college town with international students, we will still be cautious and keep an eye on the rates through the season.
– For September and October, events could be outdoors.
– Types of Events: Reading discussion, garden day in September, resume the Columbus Day protest, and try out a movie night?
– We also haven’t had an event centered around feminism or religious skepticism in a hot minute, so we talked about potentially combining the two topics into a general “Women in Christianity” discussion. This topic proved fruitful during the meeting as everyone had lots of insight about it, so we suspect it would work really well as either a reading or open discussion.
– We also mentioned discussing Paganism and the spread of Christianity through Europe as a potential topic near Halloween. However, it might not be varied enough to have two religiously-centered discussions so near to each other. Marc suggested potentially doing this topic around Easter next year.
– Candyman 2021 will also be coming out in August, and the DVD/Blu-ray should be available by Halloween, so we could potentially show that for a movie night.

Box o’ Books
– Ty and Marc went through a box of potential library donations (leftovers from the yard sale fundraiser) and picked out a stack to add to the library.

Website
– The website will be auto-renewed this summer on July 26th for three years. The cost will be $431.64. We unanimously voted to approve this expenditure.
– Jackson still needs to contact either Bluehost customer service or WordPress to give Marc the ability to edit the site, and for Ty to fix some email troubles.
– Ty suggested doing some serious re-branding and development of the site. It needs to be more engaging and show off the BCH and its resources/offerings more.
– Marc offered to update the site when he gets editor access to it, as using WordPress and front-end site design is one of his skills.
– We discussed potential ideas for site pages—a more in-depth “about” section that would show off the space in BCH, what people can use/access in it, potentially photos of events, etc. Ty also suggested adding a form to the site to allow other likeminded organizations to request a collaboration or use of the space, too, which would definitely help us in reaching other groups.

Other
– The YouTube video for Black Musicians & Liberation will be complete before Fall for certain. Ty is finishing up the closed captions for it.

In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Ty, Wyatt
Start time: 7:20 PM

1. Really, Really Free Library – We further discussed the idea of adding a “Little-Free-Library-esque” library with books, zines, grocery items, and our calendars. It was suggested that we could possibly make the donations box look like a miniature version of the Black Cat House. (Complete with a miniature water barrel?) Ty is playing with design ideas, and we’ll see what Wyatt can build.

2. Summer Events – Thursday, June 17th, 7-9 PM, outdoor discussion, Working Title: “Pride on the Porch”; Marc to lead discussion, will hopefully spearhead online advertisement

Friday, July 16th, 7-9 PM, outdoor discussion, “With Jackasses Like These… Who Needs the Elephants?”; hopefully to focus on local Lincoln Democratic politics; Jackson volunteers to write up the advertising

Saturday, August 14th, 10 AM – Noon, garden workshop, Harvest Day in the garden

3. Fall Calendar Brainstorming – Possible reading discussion for September; Garden Day… clean-up and planting of winter cover crops?; Columbus Day protest in October; open discussions?; bring back movie nights?

Events could be outdoors in September or possibly October, but should definitely be indoors for November. We haven’t done an event themed around feminism or religious skepticism in awhile. Ty wonders if we should do something around Halloween on paganism and/or the Christianization of Europe.

Meeting adjourned: 8:45 PM