^{Image: The first banner naming and describing the work of “Doodles without Borders.” 2021-2022.} 

Kind light / Բարի լույս* to you, dear neighbors, artists, collaborators, community partners, co-conspirators, supporters of arts in Skid Row and doodles w/o borders,
^{*morning greeting in Armenian translates as “kind light” (բարի լույս [baree looys])}

As we enter Pride Month, remember that class consciousness without identity politics is ahistorical, and identity politics without class consciousness is ripe to get hijacked and weaponized and sabotaged. As you go to Pride related events, think about how can we always center that identity politics and class consciousness are inseparable in our struggles. And mark your calendar to come out for Chella‘s YGSLRHSTFUT (You Guys Suck Like Real Hard Shut the Fuck Up Thanks) band performing at Skid Row Museum on Sat, Jun 14th, and also at LACAN’s Juneteenth celebration on Fri, June 20th!

Post highlights: (1) Events/Activities in and near Skid Row, (2) Thoughts Aloud – Local to Global, (3) Quote of the Month.

HIGHLIGHTS in and near Skid Row neighborhood, June 2025
Some neighborhood events, celebrations, and parties to join

1. Sunday, June 1, 3-7pm: Dena Rise Up March (3pm: starts at 2560 N Fair Oaks, Altadena) and Rally (5:30pm at 403 N Figueroa, Altadena)
2. Sunday, June 1, 6pm: Art of Defiance at Stories Books and Cafe (1716 Sunset Blvd)
   
3. Wed, Jun 4, 8:30am: Adam Smith Court Support and Concert! @ 210 W Temple
4. Fri, June 6, 7pm: MOVIE NIGHT at Skid Row Museum (250 S Broadway)
5. Wed, June 11, 6pm: Movie night at the Park (San Julian Park)
6. Fri, June 13, 5-7pm ARTS JAM @ Studio 526 (526 San Pedro)
7. Sat, June 14, 7pm Chella‘s YGSLRHSTFUT (You Guys Suck Like Real Hard Shut the Fuck Up Thanks) band at Skid Row Museum
8. Thur, June 19, 2-6p: JUNETEENTH w/ Sir Oliver at Skid Row Museum
9. Fri, June 20, JUNETEENTH at LACAN (838 E 6th St)
10. Fri, Jun 20, 7pm: MOVIE NIGHT at Skid Row Museum (250 S Broadway)
11. Fri, June 27, 5-7:30: Open Mic @ LA Poverty Dep’t Skid Row Museum
12. Fri, June 27, Dusk: Movie Night by StopLAPDSpying coalition in front of LAPD headquarters (check their instagram for more info)
    
    To view or print the full monthly calendar, go to doodleswithoutborders.com/calendar
    

Pa/est/ine + Skid Row Actions: some places to find local downtown LA and nearby actions that make local Skid Row to global connections: Pal Youth Movement – LA, Organize – LA, StopLAPDSpying, LACAN

SAVE THE DATE / ONGOING
Walk with Me exhibit by Studio526 @ Skid Row Museum (250 S Broadway)
Regular museum hours are Thur, Fri, Sat 2-5pm

OPEN MICS as places to come together, and plant seeds of collective struggle.
There are at least THREE open mics currently in Skid Row neighborhood:
Weekly – (1) every Thurs, 6:30-9pm at Peace and Healing Center (116 E 5th)
Monthly – 
2) every second Friday of the month, 5-7pm, at Studio526 (526 San Pedro St)
3) every last Friday, 5-7:30pm with Lorinda at LA Poverty Dept‘s Skid Row Museum (250 S. Broadway)

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THOUGHTS ALOUD

Sign Offs

For a few years now, I sometimes use email signs offs as place to reflect.
Here are some examples:

With a morning coffee sprinkle of collective liberation future in the present, 

Sitting with a morning coffee, thinking that there is nothing like the importance of friendly and kind people around to be able to continue collective work,

With a raised cup of coffee to abolitionist, loving, kind, and collectivist relationships,

With morning coffee accompanied by chirping birds, helicopter and the freeway,

With wishes of continuously learning to practice our only inherent right: the right to struggle, 
the right to accountable, caring, imaginative, mutually supportive, collective permanent struggle,

With a raised cup of morning magic (delivered by caffeine with cardamom),

With loving commitment to internationalist liberation from imperialism, capitalism, white supremacy and patriarchy, as we collectivize the struggles,

With excited commitment to denormalizing service-minded thinking, and towards solidarity-minded community work,

With hope that the work of our day galvanizes us for tomorrow (lightly paraphrasing Ismatu),
Hayk

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QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“I don’t feel that the idea of family… is necessarily only a conservative and reactive site. I believe it is our inability to expand the concept of family. The family remains a location of self-determination. For instance, part of why Harriet Tubman starts a school in her house, in her living room, part of why so much civil right activism starts in the living room or the kitchen, is because those are the spaces, finally, that people have some control over.

In grappling with domestic space and family, my question is why such a conservative vision of the family has prevailed.“

– bell hooks in “Uncut Funk: a contemplative dialogue between bell hooks and Stuart Hall” 


dwb ONLINE:
1) Doodles without Borders (dwb) is now on Instagram / Facebook. 
2) There is a monthly dwb Skid Row Community & Arts Calendar. If you do community strengthening work in Skid Row and know of an event/meeting that should be on there, please share. 
3) dwb wishlist!  You can find it here: bit.ly/dwbwishlist 

Able and interested to SUPPORT Doodles?
Support Artwork Storage as a Human Right (and Collective Responsibility)
Community Arts Depot is a sister project addressing the vital need for artwork storage and access focused on Skid Row neighborhood members and residents. Artwork Storage as a Human Right – a glimpse from the Community Arts Depot story. This project’s sustainability is deeply dependent on grassroots support.  To donate to the campaign click HERE!
Email us for donating directly via Venmo, Paypal, or other ways.

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For previous newsletter(s), go to www.doodleswithoutborders.com homepage

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