Tag: Sister Circle Collective

Cycles and Blessings

Peace Community,

We trust this note finds you well! It’s been some time since you’ve heard from us. As individuals, a lot of the core group has been developing and growing in amazing ways. We also name that you are growing and shifting too, and are grateful to bear witness to one another.

As some of y’all may know, the Sister Circle Collective had its first gathering on December 21, 2012. This day marks five years since that moment. Each year we’ve discovered and rediscovered our work and how it has taken varying forms, including and not limiting, herbalism workshops, farm days, writing workshops, venting sessions, celebrations, movement classes, cooking demos, protesting, political campaigns, and campus organizing.

Each time our work took on different forms, so did the the interests of the folks who steer this work. As folks have stepped up, others have stepped down and this level of knowing is one of the reasons you could argue how we’ve made it this far. Yet we’d be lying to you that process has not also been met with pain. That we did not met all the expectations that we had set for ourselves and each other, no matter how well intentioned. Or that were not harmful towards one another. All movement work is messy, no matter the outward appearance, because we are a reflection of the collective.

In sharing these reflections with you, we want to emphasize that there is a need for the collective to stay true to one image in particular – the Phoenix. A symbol of creative energy and beauty, the Phoenix is also a symbol of the power of death and rebirth. At this stage of the game, we are naming that this is a time for the Sister Circle Collective to be reborn. We also name that we invite you all to be a part of that structured process with us.

Creating that structure, including how to accurately foster leadership development so that the collective is sustainable, is our primary focus in 2018. Hosting simple, monthly circles in a community space or home will be our secondary goal. You may catch members throwing down in conferences or events on their own though, and we hope that you’ll share events with this community as well! We’re happy to share out information to this network and support in as many forms as possible.

In the teachings of Octavia Butler, if we are truly to move from a place of understanding that honors God as change, then the SCC is blessed to have changed as much as it has. It will continue to change and grow, but with the guided practice of staying true to our origins. No matter how you’ve shown up in this collective, please known that you are seen, you are loved, and you are appreciated.

New Moon and New Years Blessings,
the SCC

Decolonizing Birth Conference 2017

Decolonizing birth CONFERENCE  

On the weekend of September 23rd-24th, Ancient Song Doula Services will be holding its 2nd annual Decolonizing Birth Conference called “Addressing Systematic Trauma & Oppression Through a Collaborative Care Framework” where we will be examining methods for change in reproductive health, opening a dialogue to discuss the effects of systematic oppression and reproductive health choices, while also providing a space for community based organizations to network and build on resources and methods for advocacy.

*We’ll be presenting Resilience as a Preexisting Condition: Healing in Community on Sunday! Learn more and view the whole schedule here. We are deeply grateful to be returning to this conference after presenting a workshop and facilitating a closing circle in the 2016. Thank you to the team at Ancient Song Doula Services for making this possible!

Soul Food – #SCCTurns3 Menu

#SCCTurns3 MENU

SOLD BY THE PLATE $5-7

(sliding scale)

Appetizer

Salad with greens from farm, carrots, beets

Dressings – garlic, salt, pepper, honey, apple cider vinegar, lemon

Main Dish

Quinoa/Brown rice bowls

Brown rice

Butternut Squash

Black beans

Sides

Pico de gallo

Salsa verde

Chimichurri

Sold separately: Empanadas: Colombian style – sweet potatoes and black beans, or  traditional with potatoes and hogao (or sofrito)

Dessert

Vegan pumpkin cupcakes with vegan cream cheese frosting

Homemade flan 

Drinks

Water

Apple cider

#SCCTurns3 Line Up

Peace community–

We’re so excited to share a preview of the soul food and magic lined up for #SCCTurns3!

Honey Moon Parlor

(eco-friendly bath and body products)

Lupita’s Creations

(jewelry to fund domestic violence training and support survivors)

Melandolly

(dolls of color that express the full range of our emotions)

Waysted

(African waist-beads to adorn your Goddess self)

Lxs Chilerxs

(antonitos-pop up shop from the Latinx community of Bushwick)

Habibat Adedagbo

(paintings celebrating the beauty of Black women)

Diane Davis

(paintings and handmade sculptures of women in movement)

Radical Latina

(spoken word and poetry from the Afro-Latina perspective)

Keilicia James

(spoken word and poetry from the African Disapora)

Francheska Alcantara

(monologues and poetry from the Dominican disapora)

Charnae Betton

(Jazz, R&B, Gospel Artist and Visual Artist)

Abigail Ferreira

(poetry for our people of color)

Priscilla Delgado

(musical stylings on the resilience of survivors)

Bulla en el Barrio

(Colombian cantadoras)

+many more! 

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow! For live updates, follow #SCCTurns3 on Twitter and interact with the Facebook event.

Much love,

the SCC

 

Update – #SCCTurns3 Bazaar and Open Mic!

Peace Community –

We hope this message finds you well. We’re only two weeks away from our #SCCTurns3 Bazaar and Open Mic! We are truly grateful for the many blessings of building, sharing, and healing with each other since 2012.

Here is our long-awaited update on the big day. Be sure to share the flyer and event page with friends and family!

—-

DETAILS:

#SCCTurns3 will be taking place on Saturday, December 12th at Mainchance (120 East 32nd Street). There is a suggested love donation of $5 at the door and food will be available by the plate for for a sliding scale of $5-7. We strongly encourage guests to bring cash.

We there will be goodies for sale during our community bazaar from 5-7pm, followed by an open mic from 7-9pm and a dance party to close out the night. The celebration is an intergenerational space that is open to all genders,spirits!

Accessibility – The event will take place on the second and third floor. While the building does not have an elevator, we will have someone from our team assisting people navigating the staircase.

Directions – The closest trains are 6 to 33rd Street, B/D/F/M to 34th Street, or the N/R to 28th Street.

CALL FOR CO-CREATORS:

Calling all the healers, artists, musicians, poets and more – there is an opportunity for you to co-create the magic of the #SCCTurns3 celebration!

Share your magic during the event as a vendor, performer or both! Vendors can sell crafts and services with the community  during the Bazaar (5-7pm). We ask that vendors donate five percent of their earnings to the wonderful space, Mainchance.

Performers are welcome to showcase their magic at the Open Mic to represent the creativity of our community and serve as a safe space to share stories of struggles, resistance, magic, and the beauty of people of color.

Let us know how you would like to add to the space by filling out this form. Please keep in mind that space is limited, so be sure to fill out the form as soon as possible.

—-

We are so blessed to celebrate this milestone with you and look forward to seeing you on the 12th!

 

With gratitude,

the Sister Circle Collective

Date/Location Update – #SCCTurns3 Celebration and Open Mic!

Peace Community–

UPDATE! We have a new date and time for the ‪#‎SCCTurns3‬ celebration!

When: Saturday, December 12, starting at 5pm
Where: Mainchance, 120 East 32nd Street, New York, NY 10016

We will have goodies in a bazaar with amazing starting at 5pm, an open mic starting at 7pm and a dance party at 9pm to close out.

This event is open to all genders and will be a sober space. Bring the kids and tell a friend to tell a friend!

<><>CO-CREATE<><>

CALL FOR ARTISTS:
Want to share your gift of song, dance or poetry? Contact us at sisterscirclecollective@gmail.com to help conjure this space!

CALL FOR VENDORS:
Have goodies you’d like to share with the community? Drop a line at sisterscirclecollective@gmail.com and let us know what you’d like to offer.

Spread the word and see you soon!

Much love,
the SCC

Gathering Our Journey’s Wisdom

Peace Community–

We’re please to invite you to join us for our final workshop, Gathering Our Journey’s Wisdom, as a part of The First Line of Defense Is Our Bodies series! The final session will focus on the energies of the Fall Equinox, and will be intergenerational space with filled with music, food and discussion. The session, facilitated by Ynanna Djehuty, will utilize writing and other mediums that will help participants identify how their identities have been influenced by their personal and collective histories.

When: Saturday, October 3rd starting at 5pm.
Where: Justice Center en El Barrio, 1637 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10029.
RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-first-line-of-defense-is-our-bodies-closing-workshop-tickets-18786645362

About the Justice Center en El Barrio:

The Justice Center en El Barrio is a dynamic new space for social justice and community organizing, committed to building the people’s movements. The Justice Center is home to five organizations focused on everything from fitness justice, to fighting police brutality, recovering workers’ unpaid wages and defending women’s reproductive rights. Regular programs include community forums, book clubs, film showings, free and low cost fitness classes and open mics.

About Ynanna Djehuty:

Ynanna Djehuty is an Afro-Dominicana born and raised in the Bronx. She is a midwife, reproductive health activist and writer. The focus of her work is the empowerment of women and people of the African Diaspora. Ynanna is the creator of These Waters Run Deep, a multimedia journey into the lives and struggle of Afro-descendant women. Using reproductive and maternal health as a lens,These Waters Run Deep artfully weaves narratives that highlight the socio-political landscape by through which women of color have learned to endure for generations. In October 2009, the Afro-Dominican speaker published ‘Hija De Mi Madre’ (My Mother’s Daughter), a combination of memoirs, poems and research material focusing on the effects of race on identity. Ynanna is the co-founder and associate editor of La Galería Magazine, an online publication for Dominicans of the Diaspora.

We hope to see you on Saturday!

Much love,
the SCC

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