Exploring Belonging
The history of nonviolence is deeply rooted in communities of color, yet it is a lineage that has been co-opted, leaving many people who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and who work in nonviolence feeling isolated and alone.
As we create this weekly community of practice, we want to actively address this reality and create welcoming spaces for BIPOC people, where we receive practical care for the ways that we might experience discomfort when collaborating in movement spaces. This is a place to acknowledge erasure, name what we need in order to feel belonging, and cultivate ways of being that allow us to show up more fully while navigating the opportunities and challenges of collaboration to address issues in the world.
In this online workshop for self identified BIPOC, we will explore belonging through activities and inquiries that invite vulnerability and authenticity. This workshop is meant to be interactive, where we share and learn from the wisdom of everyone in the room through small and large group sharing sessions. We hope you will join us!
About Beloved Community Well
Beloved Community Well is a weekly practice space to build skills and connections for people committed to justice, healing and wholeness. Each week we will rotate between workshop sessions where facilitators will offer content on topics relevant to nonviolent movement work and relational sessions where people can give and receive support. This project is a collaboration between East Point Peace Academy and the Necessary Trouble Collective.
While our first session will be for self identified BIPOC, after that we will welcome everyone from around the world to participate in this weekly space. We have an intention to address the reality that BIPOC folx often feel isolated and alone in nonviolent movement spaces, so, in addition to starting this weekly series with a BIPOC only space, we intend to have affinity spaces each month where we hold separate break out groups for BIPOC identified folx and white identified folx. We hope you will join us in this experiment!!
Facilitators
Leonie Smith
For more than 30 years Leonie Smith, founder of The Thoughtful Workplace, has been working from an anti-racist, anti-oppressive perspective. Her approach is shaped by her own journey to find and build community that welcomes her perspective as a Black Woman, Canadian-born, of Jamaican heritage. She has a deep commitment to anti-oppressive practices, sharing practical ways of applying Nonviolent Communication. She shares her people-centered approach for creating group, team, and organizational systems in service to creating a world that works for all as a community member and through her consultancy, The Thoughtful Workplace.
laura ann coelho
laura (she/they) identifies as queer, kid of immigrants from India and the Philippines, born a settler on stolen Ohlone land with class privilege. laura brings 10 years of experience in the fields of public health and community mental health, working with community-based nonprofits, grassroots organizations, and government agencies on program and evaluation design and implementation, facilitation and coaching, and fundraising. after experiencing a personal health scare in 2013, laura began consciously studying embodiment and healing arts. as an embodiment practitioner today, laura is committed to politicized healing with intergenerational immigrant and BIPOC communities. laura’s greatest joy these days is laughing with their two niblings.
Kazu Haga
Born in Japan, Kazu (he/him) has been engaged in social change work since participating in the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage at the age of 17. He would go onto spend one-year living in Buddhist monasteries throughout South Asia studying the relationship between nonviolence and Buddhist dharma. He has over 20 years of experience in nonviolence, restorative justice, trainings and organizing and has been trained by elders such as Dr. Bernard Lafayette and Rev. James Lawson.
He spent over 10 years working in social justice philanthropy while being directly involved in many movements. He has been a Kingian Nonviolence trainers since 2009, is a Core Member of the Ahimsa Collective and is the author of Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm.
THIS EVENT IS OFFERED ON A GIFT ECONOMY BASIS. NO FEE IS REQUESTED, BUT DONATIONS TO EAST POINT PEACE ACADEMY IN SUPPORT OF OUR FACILITATORS ARE INVITED.
This event will happen virtually using the Zoom online conferencing platform. If you are not familiar with this platform, click here for instructions.
