THIS. is. still. important.

George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Riah Milton. Dominique “Rem’Mie”. Elijah McClain…

If you’re like me, you may find yourself constantly searching for ways to make an impact with everything happening. Do I march, do I share resources on social media, do I donate, do I volunteer, do I push through difficult conversations? Is it enough? Perhaps one of the greatest things we can do, is keep the conversations alive, keep applying pressure to lawmakers, and put words to action by voting.

please register & vote.

Since covid-19 hit the US, I’ve been fortunate enough to remain gainfully employed, and better yet have been able to get back to my roots and start creating again. So while I know my efforts may be small, I’m committed to trying. That’s why

I’m donating all proceeds from my black sands collection sales to the ACLU,

an organization which …

dares to create a more perfect union — beyond one person, party, or side. Our mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

There are a lot of important causes in need right now, and the ACLU touches upon many of them.

Hopefully my recent pieces can spark some joy as you stay healthy at home and hopefully, we can continue valuable conversations to demand. justice. now.

Each piece is handmade, unique, and contains its own imperfections. Not feeling any of these? Don’t fret, there are more to come and each with my personal commitment to donating proceeds to various valuable organizations.

Mahalo. Margot.

—

in memory

the following content may be triggering to some, scroll to the bottom to directly visit my artist shop.

ON JULY 26TH,

the life of a dear friend to my brother and family, was brutally taken away by her ex-fiance. Mary Guo was one of the nicest, most patient people I knew. She played board games with my cousins when I was uninterested, she delivered groceries to my Popo ‘cause I couldn’t understand Chinese, she was on track to complete her graduate degree as a DNP.

While I wish I could write a strong call to arms for anyone reading this, I unfortunately don’t know enough about what happened to fully understand where things went wrong. Some may argue it was domestic violence. I believe it’s a glaring spotlight on the inefficiencies in our system to care and assist those with severe mental illness. Because what I do know is that Mary was viciously attacked by a man who 7 years ago set fire to his apartment and threatened to harm first respondents. That same man spent 4 years in the Hawaii State Hospital then was released by a circuit court judge without restrictions. No mandated checkins, no assigned case worker, nothing. I also know that mental health is a serious issue impacting many people in Hawaii,

APPROXIMATELY 50,000 PEOPLE IN HAWAII SUFFER FROM A SEVERE FORM OF MENTAL ILLNESS. MORE THAN 10 MILLION ADULTS IN THE US HAVE AN UNMET NEED FOR MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT.

The purpose of this post is not to shame or blame anyone with mental health conditions but to highlight the fact that more is needed to address these challenges in today’s society.

ONLY 31% OF THOSE WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS IN HAWAII SEEK TREATMENT

and there are a myriad of contributing factors. Challenges with public health insurance, the lack of adequate providers throughout the Hawaiian islands, rising poverty levels, and insufficient resources to assist people.

I’ll be contributing the proceeds from my First Wave collection to Mary’s Gofundme to cover funeral expenses. You don’t need to have known her to purchase one of my pieces or feel the weight of another life lost right now. But I do ask that you hug those who you can right now, call a friend or family member, and take time to appreciate those around you. At a moment when we’re all forced to be more isolated than normal, let’s not let forget the importance of being present for each other.

Each one of my pieces for sale is handmade and contains its own imperfections.

If you or someone you know in Hawaii needs assistance with mental health resources,

211 IS A FREE REFERRAL AND INFORMATION HELPLINE THAT CONNECTS PEOPLE TO A WIDE RANGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,

24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Simply dial the numbers 2-1-1 from any phone.

For resources related to domestic violence, visit thehotline.org

Judges in Hawaii and many other states are appointed and confirmed to their positions by various elected officials. Doing your research and voting this election season is one of the best ways you can impact the direction of your communities.