1/30/23 Minutes: Tabling Opportunities, Spring Calendar Planning

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

  1. Event Review – We counter-protested the Walk For Life on Saturday. Our crowd was smaller than usual, probably because of the bitterly cold weather. Jackson noted that most of our regulars from years past were conspicuosly absent, and that almost all of our people were first-timers.
  2. Library Donation – Jackson has more books for the library. Ty and Marc like them.
  3. Tabling Opportunities – We are committing to tabling at Earth Day and Star City Pride. We are allocating $125 out of our treasury to cover the cost of tabling at both events. We need to figure out some specifics, but our time was short, so the issue is TABLED.
  4. Spring Calendar –

Black Musicians and Liberation – Early March?

Tabling @ Lincoln Earth Day – April 15th

Yard Sale Fundraiser – Friday, May 26th and Saturday, May 27th (tentatively)

Trans Issues Reading Discussion – TBA

Movie(s)?

Something for May Day?

TABLED: Future Tabling, Website Timeline

Meeting adjourned: 8:40 PM

1/23/23 Minutes: Library Updates, February Events, Future Tabling

In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Marc, Ty
Start time: 7:15 PM

  1. Upcoming Event – It is time for us to counter-protest the Walk For Life this Saturday! Jackson will be opening up the house on Friday night for anyone who needs to make a sign. Marc and Ty will be handling any need for childcare on Saturday. Jackson will be downtown with the signs for the protest.
  2. Library – Jackson has a few more books for the library. Ty and Marc like them. Ty and Marc are tentatively planning to do some library work on Saturday if there’s no child-minding to do.
  3. February Events – We need to get our February events up online ASAP! Ty and Marc volunteer bravely to get those events drafted.
  4. Tabling Opportunities – Ty has been contacted with opportunities for us to table at Lincoln Earth Day (Saturday, April 15th) and Star City Pride (Friday, June 9th and Saturday, June 10th). We probably have funds in the treasury to reserve tables and invest in some new Black Cat swag for said table. We have details to work out, and not enough time tonight to figure it out. TABLED.
  5. Website Timeline – We have no time to discuss this tonight, unfortunately. TABLED.
  6. Spring Calendar –

We want to do a reading discussion around Ty’s article about trans issues. We will approach OutNebraska to see if they want to co-sponsor.

TABLED ITEMS: Tabling Opportunities, Website Timeline

Meeting adjourned: 8:50 PM

1/16/23 Minutes: Spring Calendar

In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Rae, Ty

Start time: 7:20 PM

  1. Event Review – We had our documentary/discussion on company towns on Saturday, but no one outside of the collective attended! We still had a good discussion, but we think we should do more basic/accessible programming for the spring. This subject may have been too niche to draw a crowd, considering our current struggles with in-person programming.
  2. Spring Calendar brainstorming – In no particular order:
  • Yard sale fundraiser
  • Ty may have an article for a reading discussion about the current state of trans issues in this country.
  • alternatives to police and prisons?
  • Something with an Indigenous rights focus
  • something related to local politics?

Meeting adjourned: 8:30 PM

1/9/23 Minutes: Counter-Protest, Reimbursement

In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Marc, Rae, Ty
Start time: 7:00 PM

  1. Library Donations – We had many books donated from several sources. We spent the first part of the meeting going through those and deciding which ones we’ll add to our library.
  2. Upcoming Event – We have our video and discussion on “Corporate Control Over Public Space” here on Saturday afternoon. We are ready for this.
  3. Counter-Protest – Jackson will get the event up tonight. We just hashed out the last few details. Jackson will open the house for sign-making the night before, and Marc and Ty will be here Saturday morning to offer childcare if needed.
  4. Reimbursement for Thank-You cards – Marc needs to be reimbursed for picking up the Thank-You cards. He spent $46.93, and we will be paying him for his service.

Meeting adjourned: 8:15 PM

1/2/23 Minutes: Revisiting Defining Documents

In attendance: Isaac, Jackson (secretary), Marc, Ty

Start time: 7:00 PM

  1. Talking about spaces – We spent the first hour meeting with Isaac, who was involved with a defunct venue space called “HQ.” We had an open-ended talk about the history of HQ, Black Cat, and other similar community projects the Black Cats were familiar with. We hope the leadership behind HQ can rebuild that project someday soon.
  2. Walk For Life Counter-protest – We need to get online advertising up for this ASAP, but Jackson needs help. Marc agrees to get the ball rolling with a rough draft.
  3. Library Donations – Marc, Ty, and Jackson had several new books for our lending library, and everyone liked them.
  4. Defining Documents – Marc and Ty have been considering revising and augmenting some of our defining documents to better describe ourselves (especially on our website). Ideas included: an extended, more detailed version of our mission statement; a code of conduct; and a history of the Black Cat House project. There was also some discussion about if/how we should better stay on task during meetings when new people show up to them and if/whether we should try to revive our Open Hours as a preferable format to introduce new people.

Meeting adjourned: 9:05 PM

12/19/22 Minutes: Library Workday

In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Marc, Rae, Ty

It was another library workday tonight. Just a reminder that we will NOT be meeting next Monday, December 26th. We will resume meeting on January 2nd.

12/12/22 Minutes: Library Workday

In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Marc, Ty

Start time: 7:05 PM

  1. Event Review – We had our movie night with the documentary, Behind the Shield, on Friday night. The turnout was low, but the discussion was good. We were all really impressed with this movie, and should run it again someday.
  2. Thank You Cards – Marc has been in discussions with Goldenrod about printing his card design. They haven’t gotten back to him yet with quotes, but we trust Marc’s discretion if he thinks we’re getting a reasonable quote. We will reimburse him for getting the printing done, and we’re hoping to get those cards in time to fill them in at next week’s meeting.
  3. Library Worktime – We spent the majority of our meeting sorting through the a sizeable backlog of library donations. We also decided to spend the majority of next week’s meeting continuing work on some overdue library projects.

Meeting adjourned: 8:45 PM

11/28/22 Minutes: Calendar Printing & Distro

In attendance: Jackson (secretary), Ty
Start time: 7:07 PM

  1. Winter Calendar –

We reviewed Marc’s draft of our calendar before it hits the printer. Jackson replaced one event description. We’re ready to print this week!

Jackson will pick up our calendars from the printers. Jackson and Ty updated our master list of distro sites, and decided on how to split up the distro duties.

Meeting adjourned: 8:15 PM

11/14/22 Minutes: Winter Calendar

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

  1. Event Review – Our digital discussion was a bust! No one showed up, and we were plagued with so many technical difficulties that it wasn’t even practical to record the presentation for our YouTube. We probably needed to get it advertised sooner to get people to attend. We’re not sure why there were so many technical problems; it may just have been a bad night for Jitsi’s servers.
  2. Upcoming Event – We’re showing Judas and the Black Messiah this Friday night. We’ll be ready for it.
  3. Winter Calendar

December –
Friday, December 9th, 7 PM: Movie Night: Behind the Shield: The Power & Politics of the NFL

January –
Saturday, January 14th, 1-3 PM: A community discussion (?)
Possibly about Company Towns (“Your Town’s CEO”), but is that too niche? What’s our audience?
Saturday, January 28th, 10 AM: Counter-Protesting the Anti-Choice “Walk For Life” (@ Nebraska State Capitol)

February –
Ideally, a movie night in the early part of the month. And preferably, a fictional one…
Saturday, February 18th, 1-3 PM: Gaming the System: Class Privilege in “The Great Dalmuti”
(Black Musicians and Liberation? TBD?)

Meeting adjourned: 8:55 PM

10/24/22 No Official Meeting

There was no official meeting tonight. Jackson was the only Black Cat regular here. Three young leftists stopped by and checked out the library, and also donated three books for our library. But we just chatted until the visitors checked out what they wanted to check out and left. We will try again next week.