Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership

And Still We Rise is a 6-month leadership forum for women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC leaders. As women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC leaders, the pressures we deal with are enormous. Every day, we juggle the demands of caring for our families and communities while feeling the strain of constantly having to establish our credibility, competence, and worth in a society that devalues and marginalizes us. We experience high levels of stress and burnout as we do our best to push against a concrete ceiling. And frankly…we are exhausted. Yet, our leadership is needed now more than ever. How do we stay the course without sacrificing our wellness and wholeness? How do we bring our most authentic and powerful selves to the table and lead from our unique vision and values as women of color and gender expansive BIPOC?

And Still We Rise is a forum that offers us a special opportunity to come together in community with other women of color and gender expansive BIPOC leaders to:

• Celebrate and affirm our experiences and identities as women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC leaders
• Prioritize our needs and nurture ourselves by practicing self-care/community care, rest as resistance, and radical joy as forms of liberation
• Reclaim and embrace our authenticity, wholeness, power, and brilliance
• Create a network of essential and life-sustaining support with other women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC
• Revitalize our vision, faith, and confidence in ourselves as leaders
• Share the stories of our struggles, strength, and resilience in a space where we are fully seen, honored, and embraced.
• Sustain our ability to continue to do the work and make a positive impact.

We will explore the following topics/themes:

• Leading with Vision – Affirm our unique vision and practice of leadership and values as women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC and develop strategies for bringing our authentic leadership more fully into the world.
• Naming and Claiming our Needs – Identify areas where we need support and learn how to prioritize our wellness and practice radical self-care.
• Stepping into Our Power – Explore the dynamics and challenges to our power and influence at the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, class, age, ability, religion, and other dimensions of social identity and intersectional oppression. Identify strategies for navigating these complex power dynamics as WOC and gender expansive BIPOC leaders in white-led organizations/culture.
• Building from the Inside Out: Addressing Internalized Oppression – Examine our internalized oppression and the impact it has on our ability, lead, succeed and build solidarity with other BIPOC.
• Empowering Our Communities – Explore ways to come together and build powerful and effective coalitions and movements for social justice, equity, and liberation.
• Next Steps/Additional Topics – Reflect on additional themes that emerge within the group as time allows, and identify next steps for ongoing networking, partnering, and coalition building.

Is this program for me?

This program is for all women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC. We welcome women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC who are bi-racial, multi-racial. We welcome women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC across the spectrum of skin color. We welcome LGBTQIA+ women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC. We welcome women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC of all gender identities, ages, social classes, abilities, religions, and other dimensions of social identity. So yes, YOU do belong here. Our definition of leadership is broad and inclusive, and we invite and lift up all forms of leadership, both formal and informal. Oftentimes, behind the scenes leadership is the most powerful and influential. We are all essentially leaders. So yes, YOU do belong here. Since this program emphasizes community-building and deepening relationships, participantsare strongly encouraged to participate in all 6-sessions.