On January 6th, 2021 several Heathen symbols were front and center during the siege on the US Capitol. I watched my inclusive and largely LGBTQ Heathen (and Heathen adjacent) community become distressed that, once again, our symbols were being associated with hate and bigotry. Lea wrote a pretty great argument for defending our symbols, and that along with the conversations I saw online made me question if my sale of Mjolnir pendants could do some good.
From here on out, a portion of the profits of every Mjolnir that I sell will be donated to Life After Hate, an organization that is dedicated to helping people leave right wing extremist groups to live more compassionate lives. Their aim is to disrupt violence done by hate groups through education, intervention, and outreach. One of their core principles is empathy, which honestly feels like what the world could use more of right now.
Fellow Heathen artists, I know how hard it is to survive being a small business owner. I know how tight money is in the best of times, and how much harder Covid has made things. But if you’re able, I ask that you consider doing something similar with your art to help raise money for an anti-hate org that moves you. If we want our symbols to be associated with good, I think we need to have them actively playing a part in doing good. Personally, I can’t think of anything better than Thor’s Hammer being used to smash hate.
You can donate directly to Life After Hate by clicking here.
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