Are you a woman or gender-expansive person who wants to:
🌿Uproot our internalized misogyny, transphobia, and racism
🎧Practice listening to each other's stories and truths
👄 Learn to respond with empathy and compassion
🫶🏾 Work together towards our collective liberation
❤️🩹 Begin to heal racial divides
If this is you, join us at the:
Interracial Sisterhood Retreat
Building Beloved Community Among Women*
July 18-20, 2024
Hotel Kabuki
San Francisco
Cofacilitated by
-
Karen Fleshman founder of
Racy Conversations and
Interracial Sisterhood
-
Rozella Kennedy
Founder Brave Sis Project
author, "Our Brave Foremothers" Celebrating 100 Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous Women Who Changed the Course of History
Apply to join us
Retreat program includes:
a Welcome Reception July 18 6-8 pm
July 19 9 am to 5 pm
July 20 am to 5 pm
*we welcome all people who have experienced gender-based oppression,
including women, trans and nonbinary folks of any gender,
intersex people and gender-expansive people
Hotel Kabuki lobby, Japantown, San Francisco
One of the worst outcomes of white supremacy/ patriarchy/ capitalism is scarcity mentality: a sense that women and all people marginalized by gender are pitted against each other and struggle for our piece of the pie crumbs that hegemony lets fall our way.
Another challenge are traditional womanhood/feminine gender roles that encourage us to be in competition. White supremacy, the patriarchy, and capitalist consumer culture look on amusedly as we compete with each other, for so many types of crumbs.
The Interracial Sisterhood Retreat is a space for us to work collectively to create a new meal from those crumbs, a recipe so tasty, nutritious, and abundant that everyone thrives and we have more than enough for all.
"Unlocking the Power of Interracial Solidarity Among Women"
April 17, 2024 African American Art and Culture Complex San Francisco
In affinity space for women of the Global Majority** we will:
⛔unlearn lessons and myths we have been taught about
fitting into a white world, having to be “perfect”
colorism
power and privilege-what we hold and what we don’t
competition vs community
🔎consider how our mindsets influence our relationships within our culture/class/race circle, with other women of the Global Majority, and with white women.
Non-Black and Non-Indigenous Women* - We also need to unlearn our racist conditioning.
**"People of the Global Majority" is a term coined by Rosemary Campbell-Stephens, learn more here.
In affinity space for white women* we will:
⛔interrogate our conditioning
⛑️address our shame, fragility, and white tears triggers
🟰 practice receiving feedback with grace, repairing when we cause harm, and relating across difference as equals
Together, we will build Beloved Community
“Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.”
― bell hooks, Killing Rage: Ending Racism
Are you a history-maker and cycle breaker?
Apply to join us in San Francisco here.
FAQ
Q: When will the Interracial Sisterhood Retreat take place?
A: The Retreat begins with a Welcoming Reception the evening of July 18, and runs from 9 am to 5 pm on July 19 and 20, 2024.
Q: Where will the Interracial Sisterhood Retreat take place?
A: At the Hotel Kabuki, a distinct and elegant JdV by Hyatt hotel in San Francisco’s thriving Japantown neighborhood, near the legendary Fillmore District. We will tap into the long history of racial harm and interracial solidarity in this neighborhood.
Q: Am I required to stay at the Hotel Kabuki to participate in the retreat?
A: We recommend staying at the Hotel Kabuki. We have secured a room block discount. And you are welcome to participate in the retreat without staying at the Hotel. The hotel is located on Muni bus line 38 and there is a parking garage underneath the hotel.
Q: How much does the Interracial Sisterhood Retreat cost, and what is included?
A. The Early Bird discount retreat registration fee is $997. We have a limited number of seats at that price so we encourage you to apply early. Past retreat participants and women who complete the White Women Cohort are eligible for a 20% discount.
This includes:
July 18: An evening welcoming reception.
July 19: Affinity spaces for focused dialogue, unity spaces for collective discussions, and personal time for reflection. Includes breakfast and lunch.
July 20: Unity space for expanding our imagination. A closing ceremony centered on healing, celebration, and gratitude. Includes breakfast and lunch.
Rozie's book, Our Brave Foremothers: Celebrating 100 Black, Brown, Asian & Indigenous Women Who Changed the Course of History (Workman, 2023), a workbook, and a gift bag are also included.
Your hotel room is not included. We encourage you to apply early to secure the room block discount at the Hotel Kabuki.
Q. How can I demonstrate benefit to my employer so I can apply my professional development stipend to the retreat cost?
A. The ability to manage, collaborate, and work across cultural differences is a crucial component of organizational success and belonging. The topics, conversations, and resources we will explore together at the retreat/ convening/ summit are highly useful tools for strengthening your personal growth, mindset shifting, and leadership acumen, as a team leader and as an example and mentor to your coworkers, associates, and your managers.
If you have access to a professional development stipend through your employer, we strongly believe you will show up better at work by being part of this group. Let us know so we can provide you with additional resources and tips for taking some of these tools back to work. We can also give you a letter to request use of your stipend from your employer.
Q. Who should come to the Interracial Sisterhood Retreat?
A. All people who have experienced gender-based oppression and who are committed to healing from our intergenerational trauma and healing our divides, including women, trans and nonbinary folks of any gender, intersex people and gender-expansive people women and gender-expansive people, queer women and straight women, GenZ, Millennials, GenX, Boomers, and Silent Generation women, women with disabilities, and women of different faiths are welcome at the Retreat.
Please describe any accommodations you need in the retreat application.
Q. I want to come to the retreat. What should I do?
A. Fill out the application. We will review applications on a rolling basis and will contact you for an interview. Please share the application with your friends.
Q. I have more questions. Who can I contact?
karen@karenfleshman.com. Please put "Q -Interracial Sisterhood Retreat" in the subject line.
THANK YOU!
Looking forward to getting to know you.
INTERRACIAL SISTERHOOD RETREAT & COHORT
PARTICIPANTS TESTIMONIALS
The psychological safety established by facilitators was remarkable, providing a platform where I, as a Global Majority woman with intersecting identities, felt genuinely seen and heard. The facilitators skillfully guided discussions, fostering an atmosphere where I felt comfortable supporting the learning journey of my white sisters. This exchange of perspectives allowed for a deepened awareness of the impact of choices in words, actions, and attitudes toward Global Majority women.
Montreece Payton-Hardy, Interracial Sisterhood Retreat Participant
Sisterhood is a group of women, usually with a common interest, working together to support, uplift, empower, and bring out the best in one another. I've never been surrounded by more authenticity, vulnerability, and sheer passion than I was with these women. They helped reignite the fire within me to use my voice, loud and proud, to advance change. I can't think of a better group to call my Sisters and I'm so proud to stand in solidarity with them as we actively fight to dismantle white supremacy.
Corrie Schroeder, Interracial Sisterhood Retreat Participant
Shelby Stewart - What a truly transformational & healing space
We all cultivated in this inaugural Interracial Sisterhood Coalition cohort!!! It took courage & love, self-care, & a deep willingness to believe in the interconnectedness of us all. It was an honor & I feel privileged to be on the journey with these powerful women!
Rachel - I learned how to live according to my espoused values, by acting on what I say I believe
I now understand the importance of being present. The proximity to people who have different histories, backgrounds, and experiences than I, made my life richer, it makes all spaces richer.
Andrea - The Power of Presence
I learned that true presence is very powerful. Going forward I will practice being in the moment. My presence should be experienced by those that I share space with.
Cynthia - Understanding presence has led to greater compassion
We all cultivated in this inaugural Interracial Sisterhood Coalition cohort!!! It took courage & love, self-care, & a deep willingness to believe in the interconnectedness of us all. It was an honor & I feel privileged to be on the journey with these powerful women!
Jo - The Thing that I Knew, I Now Know Differently
The feeling that was in my head, has now become an embodiment, I feel it in my body. This program brought symmetry and connectivity. Having a community helps you feel competent to navigate through the sense of urgency & feeling stuck and allows us to reflect on how to respond differently.
Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a movement towards healing and collective liberation. Join us and become a catalyst for change and foster interracial sisterhood and solidarity.
Together, we will work toward building a future where the bonds between women are strong and all women are safe, free, and thriving.
We are Self-identified women of all racial, ethnic, and cultural identities building bonds to break from our past to & collectively build a society where we all thrive.