The BTS Town Hall created an unprecedented forum through a cross-sector, multimedia arts and culture/social practice platform for womxn of color to speak directly to public decision-makers concerning their experiences across four areas: 1) violence and public safety, 2) housing and displacement, 3) health, wellness and health care and 4) education.
In 2018, the Breaking the Silence Organizing Committee formalized the collaboration, renaming it the Girls and Womxn of Color Collaborative (GWOCC) which has since incubated and spurred multiple projects that continue to push the boundaries of womxn of color leadership and innovation in arts, culture, policy and trauma-informed healing pedagogy and practices, including:
Grounding the Policy Work
From 2018-19, three GWOCC members formed a local cohort team at the Women’s Foundation’s Women’s Policy Institute, a Statewide Fellowship, that provided the cohort team an opportunity to research, and develop and expand our skills in policy design. This work enabled us the team to research and uncover local inequities faced by girls and young women of color within primary and higher educational institutions. As a capstone project, the team produced a written document accompanied by a presentation that demonstrated collective and accountable measures to improving equity in educational opportunity and achievement.
Black Girls Leading
#BLACKGIRLSBRILLIANCE
Black Girls Brilliance is a global, middle-grades program that aims to uplift and honor the Brilliance of Black Girls through education, youth participatory action research, and civic engagement.
Strengthening Progressive, Political and Social Platforms
Asian American and Pacific Islander Women Lead (AAPI Women Lead) and #ImReady Movement are platforms of Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the US led by self-identified AAPI women and girls.
Alliance for Girls mobilizes girls’ champions to address barriers facing girls, create conditions for their success, and advance systemic change to achieve equity.
Utilizing Storytelling through New Media
The “At the Red Door” podcast exploring relationships to personal, social, and spiritual well-being in Black culture to inspire action and survival.
Regina’s Door | Beloved: An Insistence
Celebrating the Importance of Black Feminist Creativity
Ashara Ekundayo Gallery a Black Feminist art & culture platform that exclusively showcases contemporary and new media works by Black womxn.
