401 Gives – Sankofa Community Connection
Self-care is a vital practice for black women and women of color. It is about finding inner peace in a world of chaos… It is about preservation and acting in resistance to societal expectations”. -Tariro Mantsebo
Black and brown women are the ones who are often working hard trying to navigate and keep their head in up in a world that tells us that we don’t matter. In a world that needs us to help but is not there to reciprocate when we’re in need. We are often the protector and the prey for many other groups. This is the cross we must carry in order to get things where they need to be, but it doesn’t make it any less heavy. Being in each other’s presence will let us know that we don’t always have to put on the “Strong Black Woman” image that is unfairly cast upon us; we are human and should not feel ashamed for struggling, for feeling hurt, sad, angry or lonely.
There aren’t very many places we can go and just let our hair down.
Our daily experiences have been compounded by the impact of this pandemic. We have essentially been locked away in our houses for more than a year now and we have seen on a national stage, the struggle of black and brown people who are merely trying to exist. It is a tiring battle. As black and brown women we sometimes just need others to understand that we need rest as we are reliving and experiencing trauma on a daily basis trying to fight these racism battles. Yet we are often expected to just keep going, regardless of how tired or hurt we may be. We are often questioned when we express our needs for basic self-care as if it’s not important. Self-care is a way for us to liberate ourselves from generations of historical and familial patterns of suppressed pain, trauma and hardship. We want our girls to know they are deserving of rest and safety. If we are going to show them the way, it must be along a path that also allows them to take care of themselves while taking care of business. One is not more important than the other and in fact, one really cannot be done without doing the other. Not without a substantial cost of self.
I hope that you will help us do it by example instead of sacrifice.
The 2021 Self-Care Empowerment Retreat for Black Women & Girls will enable us to reach out to a community that is often underserved and overlooked. This event will allow us to make space for self-care, and allow us to take care of the attendees. The Restorative Self-Care Retreat is a healing, restorative and long overdue experience. Participants will leave feeling empowered, renewed and with the tools they need to practice self-care. Sharing this opportunity with others in the community will foster relationships and a build a support network-that is needed to thrive and prosper. We are asking for your support to make this life-changing event happen for well deserving people.
Jamestown for Justice – Sankofa Community Connection
Jamestown for Justice is proud to partner with Sankofa Community Connection to support this fundraiser.
Sankofa Community Connection (2 Broadway, Newport, RI) is a place of pride and a space that welcomes and centers the Black community. Its Founding Executive Director is Niko Merritt, a Black businesswoman, mom of four, educator, activist, and Newport community member.
Since its inception 4 years ago, Sankofa Community Connection offers events, like Know Your History walking tours and Black History month, as well as celebrations like Juneteenth, Kwanzaa, and Day of Renewal. It also offers community conversations, anti-racist and implicit bias trainings, Black History curricula, ACN courses through the RI Board of Education (beginning in Jan. 2021) and more.
Your donation will go towards:
1. Educational materials for young people learning Black History
2. Rent and utilities for Broadway community space, which will resume hosting events post-COVID
3. Supplies/equipment for ACN courses through RI Board of Education
4. Eventually, hiring and paying staff from the community “so that I can help them get out of poverty, provide for their families, and get further along in life.”
5. And more!
