Kevin and Steve, thank you for starting and sharing on this chain, and thank you and everyone in this group for your willingness to do something positive to address racism. It says a lot about all of you that you were willing to contribute to a cause addressing issues stemming from racism as part of your pastime. Most people--I include myself--engage in roleplaying as an escape. This group has contributed, however modestly, to trying to make the real world better with our imaginary one. That's terrific. I often think about the special character this group (and to be fair, our Champions group on Tuesdays, also driven by charity) possesses, and I think that's a major contributor; it speaks to the type of people you all are. I wouldn't want this group's charitable or awareness work to become a financial burden to anyone. I suspect I share with many of you that I'm not a huge fan of pay-for-play RPGs, although I've participated in them, in part because I don't want to diminish our collective story-creating by making it feel transactional. Our collective ownership of this game is an important part of our special chemistry. Along those lines, if the group does set some form of fundraising target, I might encourage us to think about it as just that--a fundraising target rather than an expected personal contribution. We all have networks through which we could help spread word. Maybe it's something as simple as that--committing to raising money through the GoFundMe, whether for NAACP-LDF or some other cause, and leaving it to the group individually to decide how best to do it? My sense is that the amounts we raise will be less significant than the message we help spread. We just celebrated the Jewish new year, which is a time to reflect on the blessings we have and our hopes for the year to come. I feel extraordinarily blessed with health, family, the comfortable conditions in which I live, and the friends--including all of you--that I am privileged to have. I also feel keenly aware that not everyone in our communities share in these blessings, and that things I take for granted are things some in our communities do not and may never have--for too many, a denial that comes from the color of their skin rather than the content of their character. I do feel it's appropriate for me both to give thanks and to try to address those issues, if even in a small, personal way. For me, it's not about the money; it's about the statement. In any event, I want to thank you again for considering the issue, and I welcome others' thoughts.
