Sojourner Truth School for Social Change Leadership

And Still We Rise is a six-month leadership forum for women of color and gender-expansive people of color. Participants are expected to attend all sessions since this is a community-building program. As women of color and gender-expansive people of color leaders, the pressures we face are enormous. Every day, we juggle the demands of caring for our families and communities while needing to constantly 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 people of color? These are some of the themes we will address in And Still We Rise.

We will:

·Celebrate and affirm our experiences and identities as women of color and gender-expansive BIPOC leaders

·Prioritize our needs and nurture ourselves by practicing radical self-care, self-compassion, and community care

·Reclaim and embrace our authenticity, wholeness, power, and brilliance

·Create a network of essential and life-sustaining support with other womxn of color

·Revitalize our vision and faith 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 leaders 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 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 to lead and succeed.

·Empowering Our Communities: Explore ways to come together and build powerful and effective coalitions and movements for social justice and equity.

·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.