Will you support the work?

Dear Readers,

In the past year, I have written a handful of posts explaining the mission of the blog and why financial support from readers is critical to our mission.  

BGIM Media’s goal is twofold. First, to serve as a space for Black people and other POC living in primarily white spaces to have a voice and to know that they are not alone by having a community online. Moving to Maine in 2002 from Chicago fundamentally shifted everything I understood about the world around race, and finding (and providing) community even in online spaces was key to me keeping myself together. Second, our goal is to serve as a place of education for white people and others who are looking to do their own work on race. Having now spent 17 years in Maine and almost six years as the executive director of Community Change Inc., I have spent a lot of time in proximity to white people and working with them on matters of race. BGIM Media often uses personal stories to discuss larger systemic issues; this style of storytelling derives from my childhood idol Studs Terkel.

As I wrote back in December 2018, the site has grown but the financial support has not kept pace. Unfortunately, that remains true today.

Despite almost a year of trying to get the site fully funded, it hasn’t happened and in the past several months, we have lost some support. While seasonal fluctuations are a reality, the fluctuations that I am seeing are not normal.

We continue to gain new subscribers and to see an increase in likes/followers on social media. Despite monthly fluctuations in readership, we are on track to exceed last year’s numbers as far as hits to the site. But the financial support to the site is decreasing at a time when our expenses and needs are increasing.

Earlier this year, I toyed with moving all of our work behind a paywall to Patreon but after hearing from many of you, I decided against it. But the fact is that keeping an open site such as this which serves as a resource to many comes at a cost to me. Daily hacking attempts are our norm and the security and the skill to keep the site secure costs money. I am fortunate to have a dedicated tech person, who on more than one occasion has worked through the night to keep the site safe. But she doesn’t work for free.

There is the cost of the numerous subscriptions that we maintain and share links from and then there actual labor costs. All writers at BGIM Media are paid, and our rates are in line with other similar-sized publications.

So, I am making a special request: If this site is a source of information and a site that you value, please make a gift today. If you aren’t a monthly patron, consider a $5-a-month gift or a one-time gift of $60. If you are already a monthly patron, thank you for support and if you feel moved to make an additional one-time gift, it would be greatly appreciated.

As always, thank you for your support and keep fighting! Fight as if your lives depend on it. Because, for many of us, that really is the case.

In solidarity,

Shay aka BGIM


If this piece or this blog resonates with you, please consider a one-time “tip” or become a monthly “patron”…this space runs on love and reader support. Want more BGIM? Consider booking me to speak with your group or organization.