Study Groups for
Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Folks:
BIPOC Facilitator: Sister Sankofa
Sunday nights from 4:30-6pm starting in September 2024 Sept 29-Nov 17, 2024 8 Week Series *Childcare may be available. Please inquire with Abbi at abbi.jaffe (at) gmail.com Location: North Branch Nature Center, indoors Cost: free (The cost is being covered by gifts of reparations from the participants in the study groups for white folks.)
Absentee policy:
Covid-19 Expectations: The study group for BIPOC folks will occur indoors in the Fall. Zoom / Video is also an option for participation. Everyone is required to wear a mask at all times when not able to maintain at least 6 feet distance from other people. Do not attend the study group if you are feeling ill in any way or have been exposed to Covid-19. |
REGISTER
Pre-registration required. We will notify you of your enrollment status by Sept 10. We hope to accept all that apply. Questions? Please contact Shanda Williams at shanda.williams4 (at) gmail.com HOMEWORK for first group meeting: Read through page 36 in My Grandmother’s Hands. Please also listen to this podcast of Resmaa Menakem. |
Info About Purchasing the Book:
- Check the author's website.
- Order from your local bookstore
- Look for the book on INDIE BOUND
- Find the book on Amazon.
Meet Your Organizer / Facilitator:
“Through my faith in possibility and love for humanity, I aim to build bridges for people to embrace change through the power of healing racialized trauma, one person at a time. Through my journey healing from racialized trauma and white supremacy culture, I have become more confident and conscious of how to construct my own empowering narrative and collaborate with others working towards transformative justice.“ ~ Sister Sankofa |
Sister Sankofa (she/her)
Sister Sankofa is a small business visionary, creator, and owner of SD Communications and Marketing Consulting Group LLC. She is also the one of the Assistant Directors of CROs (Community Resilience Organizations). Her innovative business venture offers social justice programs, small business consulting, networking events, event facilitation and creation, and talent promotion to conscious-minded businesses, organizations, and artists in Vermont and beyond. Sister Sankofa is committed to increasing equity opportunities toward BIPOC homeownership while helping people heal their financial trauma. She produces financial liberation programs and is the creator of the Money Matters: Financial Liberation and Wellness series, for which she was awarded “2023 Innovator of the Year” by the Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation. She is also active with An Economy of Our Own as a collaborator and program presenter. As a changemaker, reparations activist, equity strategist, and BIPOC community advocate, Sister Sankofa facilitates and co-organizes the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color) groups for The Everything Space's My Grandmother’s Hands Study Groups. She is a teaching assistant for The Everything Space’s Growing Resilience: Being Trauma Informed course. Sister Sankofa curates BIPOC affinity spaces throughout Vermont and is the founder of the Central Vermont BIPOC Advisory Group. Sister Sankofa is active in both the Vermont Professionals of Color Network and the Vermont ReLeaf Collective, serves on the Hunger Mountain Coop JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Committee and the Center for Crime Victim Services Advisory Council. Originally from Hartford, Connecticut, Sister Sankofa came to Vermont in 2017, bringing with her over 15 years of experience in the banking and insurance industry. Her background in financial services and relating to people from diverse cultures and social-economic backgrounds brings highly transferable skills and perspective to her current endeavors. Sister Sankofa studied communication science at the University of Connecticut and is a courageous experiential learner through her willingness to both advocate for justice and to heal from historical, intergenerational, persistent institutional, and personal trauma. Her combined career expertise and her personal journey of financial and racial healing is the inspiration behind her passion and dedication to healing and social justice as both a practicing manifester and small business consultant. Sister Sankofa loves animals and connecting with people from all walks of life. She enjoys Sun and Moon gazing as well as pet sitting. A community singer and actress, Sister Sankofa loves singing gospel, funk, and jazz. She also performs with the Montpelier Community Gospel Choir and Lost Nation Theater. A natural networker and web weaver, she prioritizes bringing people together through the power of love, song, word, and healing. |