Tomme Beevas lives out his values in ways that we hope will inspire you too!
In this episode we talked about the tremendous work he participated in at:
- Pimento Relief Services - learn more and follow them on socials: Facebook, Insta, Twitter, LinkedIn and of course, you can donate here.
- Pimento Jamaican Kitchen and Rum Bar is Tomme’s restaurant and there are many tv episodes that feature he or the restaurant - this is the newest…a dinner with the Beevas family on the Magnolia Network
- Facebook: @pimentokitchen
- Insta: @pimentokitchen
- Twitter: @pimentokitchen
Tomme notes that Pimento Relief Services was created for those “on the front lines of liberation.” Pimento Relief Services was created after the lynching of George Floyd. He later talks about the 99’ murder of Amadou Diallo as well. As I write these notes, we have just learned of the shooting of 4 year old Arianna Delane, George Floyd’s niece, who was asleep in her bed when a yet-to-be-identified person shot into her apartment.
Tomme lists Marcus Garvey as one of the north stars of Pimento Relief Services, and quotes him saying: “Take advantage of every opportunity; where there is none, make it for yourself.”
Michelle refers to her experience at Sexual Violence Law Center, talks about the Harlem Nutcraker by Spectrum Dance
Tomme refers to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals which we could use to see how US cities are developing - as the US holds other countries to these standards…
Process:
Here are a few notes about what Tomme lists as how Pimento Relief Services was built to serve the community:
- They took a meeting place that already existed as a safe, community-based space: Pimento Jamaican Kitchen and Rum Bar
- Friends and community members were invited to identify their own needs!
- Needs included food as the primary need for which they threw a food drive. (Tomme points out that Minneapolis is the food headquarters of the world, and yet Minneapolis had a food desert in their city.)
- They coordinated an active list of needs for those on the frontlines of liberation - reporting needs out in real time via social media (needs ranged from fire extinguishers to insulin, diapers to food.)
- A week later, they threw a healing event, involving yoga, art, and other healing modalities
- The following week they held a gathering with 150 of the top leaders of the community in the small backyard of the restaurant - including religious leaders, the mayor, business leaders etc talking about how these groups could provide services to those on the frontline of liberation in the community
- Tomme defines liberation in three categories:
- Economic Liberation: How do we create more Black business leaders, how do we elevate folks in their occupations?
- Social Liberation: Tomme includes Food Justice, Social Justice, Academic Justice (women in academia, accurate political and social history,
- Political Liberation: How do we get people to show up for voting, running for office - what resources do they need to run their campaign, political action committee that funds candidates
Big pieces of wisdom:
Tomme drops wisdom through the entire episode, from how we use consultants, how we create community, how to center people from the beginning, what liberation looks like and overarching philosophy about our highest purpose. But here are just a few quotes:
“Start with Trust. Trust the people you’re serving to know what they need, and know what they want...I simply got out of the way and allowed them to build the community that they needed in the space that I happened to be a steward of.”
“Growing up in Jamaica, we recognized that even if there is just one loaf of bread…that’s enough to feed our whole community.”
“The roots of it go back to that greater responsibility to serve one’s community. Because our purpose is much bigger than we are. And when we think of our community itself, I feel as if each and every one of us have a greater responsibility. So for example, as a black man, I have a greater responsibility to my community. As a Jamaican, I have a greater responsibility specifically to my Jamaican community. I'm imagining as a white man, he should have a greater responsibility..and in the LGBTQ plus community. We each have a greater responsibility…And so it's answering that call to service, you know, stepping up and doing one's duty for that greater responsibility is how I've ended up here. And if nothing else, that's what I hope that people get from this conversation today. And if nothing else, I hope that's something I can pass on to my children.”
