Hattie Carthan Women Security Conference
DATE & TIME : May 8, 2011 9am - 6pm
PLACE: Hattie Carthan community garden Corner of Marcy & Lafayette Avenues
GG- Bedford Nostrand B38 - Lafayette & Marcy Avenue
"No country will ever achieve its full potential if half its talent pool is stymied or under-represented."
The Bedford Stuyvesant women security conference is a space to help women of color and women of the dominant colonizing culture begin important healing conversations which can help to bridge the historic betrayal which exists between these groups and cultivate healthy relationships based on mutuality and respect. Healing this rift allows us to stand on common ground as we address the health of each other, our communities and planet.
MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER OF BED STUY WOMEN SECURITY:
In 2014, we hope to gather women on the land again,create a communal banquet of living food and speak from the heart in council on three levels, the feminine body, the feminine network or community, the environment.
If this work is a part of your dream, please send our beloved pioneer/visionary Yonnette Fleming a short line saying you are ready to birth this dream for our women along with a committment of how you can support our vision.
If you have access to resources for womens work and want to see women of all nations come together to create an agenda change in their communities, please stretch forth thy mighty hand.
Farmer Yon
See Results from our womens artesianal community here:
Hereare a few pictures which tell the story of what happened the first time an agenda was created in Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn to build a diverse partnership of women based on mutual respect . These partnerships are desperately needed to prevent the phenomenon of one group of women speaking for all women from occurring , to help build tolerance and awareness of the difference between diversity and inclusion
Opening libation prayers
Senator Montgomery - State of our communitys Health
INTERGENERATIONAL DRUM
NETWORKING OVER LUNCH
Women conversating with elder about breadmaking
READ MORE ABOUT THE FIRST BED STUY WOMEN SECURITY CONFERENCE IN THE SPRING CREEK SUN NEWS by Clicking link below:
CARTHAN WOMEN CONFERENCE.pdf (PDF — 248 KB)
Did you know that 1 every 10 women in the U.S is on anti-depressants. What is making us sick ?and how can we work with our foods and Sacred practises that help us to live healthier,more joyful lives.
Did you know that in 2016, there is no dedicated group or governmental agency or agenda dedicated to addressing Land use issues and advancing feminine leadership in the environment in NYC?
Did you know that there is no Hattie Carthan scholarship for women or girls who work in the environment?
To Donate please click
Nature shows us that change happens organically as networks of relationships form among a group or specie that share a common cause and vision of what’s possible. Rather than approach change through the mainstream left brained idea of achieving critical mass, our work is to foster critical connections . We don’t need to convince large numbers of people to change; instead, we need find our connections to each other .Through building relationship with each other we develop the new knowledge, practices, courage, and commitment that lead to broad-based change.
The Bed Stuy women security conference is about fostering critical connections which bring about positive Change for ALL women.
The Call :
We gather the women who know the power that women hold when we come together to dialogue,organize and vision for the future of our Earth.One of the most important acts in these times is to find the courage to be in the conversations that truly matter. We find our individual selves and our common purpose when we learn how to speak and listen to each other with respect, truth and compassion.In this place deep collaboration and beneficial partnerships among women thrives.
We gather the women who hunger for the opportunity to be outside in nature. We gather the women who tend the soil and grow healthy food. We gather the women who protect the Earth from over development and greed. We gather the women who envision a world where women have the same opportunities as men to own land.
We gather the women who have committed to a life of serving others and mothering their communities back to health.We gather the women who drum,chant and sing for justice.
We gather the women who dare to take stand in their communities. We gather the women who long to heal from betrayal.
We gather the women who yearn for deep mutually beneficial partnerships based on respect. We gather the women who are caregivers in our society. We gather the women who have suffered trauma to their wombs. We gather the grandmothers who raise their grandchildren. We gather the women who suffer abuse in silence.We gather the young maidens who struggle to retain their innocence.We gather the women whose voices have been suppressed as though they carry no wisdom. We gather the women who have become invisible because they don't fit the mainstream standards of beauty and fall beneath the power line.
Conference Outline and Objective:
Women are currently being challenged to create networks based on respect, mutuality and creativity to reverse the toxic effects of the “empire” mentality. The Hattie Carthan woman security conference is an opportunity to build a diverse group of Brooklyn women who are informed about the issues that affect women and can organize and advocate for our bodies, our children, our families,the flora and fauna, our land, rivers streams and oceans , our planet and the air around
The Hattie Carthan women security conference is an opportunity for diverse groups of women to come together to heal from betrayal in order to gain a general consensus about the State of our health ,State of our community, State of our environment and build networks that can facilitate lasting change.
This one day conference will provide highly interactive workshops and speaking councils which will help women identify basic up – to date issues which affect our communities and gain a basic understanding of the importance of organizing for change in communities.
We understand networks are the only form of organization used by living systems on this planet. These networks result from self-organization, where individuals or species recognize their interdependence and organize in ways that support the diversity and viability of all.
In our current suffocating paradigm that has guided much of recorded history much of our networks act out of domination and fear, to oppress women, wage war, terrorize, and subjugate others. We must come forward now to build diverse networks based on respect and mutuality and to organize and take action on behalf of the voices of the disenfranchised among us who have no lobbyists and corporations working for them.
We are always accepting sponsorships to help more young women join the Hattie Carthan Urban Agriculture Corps.Make a PayPal donation on our website banner page today http://www.hattiecarthancommunitymarket.com/
The day long event took place outdoors at the Hattie Carthan community garden (A historic working garden named after Brooklyn environmentalist Hattie Carthan) and will begin with A Re-Membering our Fore mothers ancestral ceremony acknowledging the contributions of our local sheros such as community icon Hattie Carthan, Shirley Chisolm and others who have left indelible footprints for us to follow. The conference will engage women who are working to honor and advance the work done by women throughout history .
And in this Spirit of Re-Membering we choose not to selectively remember only those who've been celebrated in our histories,as we know that out of Africa , too, sprung the most formidable of feminine leaders.
We Re-member that civilization was born and nurtured through maturity in the matriarchal culture of Kemet and Kush . The state of Arabia for over 2500 years was governed by Queens for as long as anyone could remember.
We give thanks to those Queen Mothers of Africa, and those beyond who could not ascend to the throne except for through their blood lines. We give thanks to the mourners of many traditions who used their feminine vibration to facilitate the transition of the spirit from the physical realm to the spiritual realm.
We thank our ancestors and foremothers thoughout our history. We give thanks and praise to all these daughters of creation. The primordial elements of our civilization have been taught to us by our great and unknown mothers and sisters who provided the template for all civilizations.
Please bring a white scarf to throw over your shoulders for our libation & Re-Membering our Foremothers ancestor ceremony at the beginning of the Program. Pictures and stories of your foremother and gifts of grain or fruit for the space are welcome in our circle.
NYC Middle Passage Ancestral
Ceremony -
Daughters of the Earth Ancestor altar - MA Y.Fleming
Sacred Drumming:
The conference will employ the drums to center and connect women to the Earth at various times of the day. Drumming helps us cooperate with each other and is known to relieve stress, to lift spirits, to create community, to put us in touch with the natural beat of the universe around us and enliven within us a means of connecting with spiritual realms. The pulsing rhythm seems to provide a wave that carries us beyond our emotions and intellect to a deeper, higher level where we can receive guidance and blessing.
The beat is universal – drumming as a way of communicating with other people, spirits, and self exists around the world and throughout timeThe drums are a tool of empowerment for girls and women. In many traditions women have been excluded from seriously playing the drums.Drumming helps synchronize our left and right brains and connects us to the deep wysdom of the Earth. and the ancestors. Sacred drumming is an entry point for many shamans to access and retrieve lost aspects of ourselves. Drumming tonifies and clears traumas of the Earth and human aura.
NYC Middle Passage ancestor ceremony - Elder Queen Mother Candace Sylvia Jordan(now raised ancestor)
TRE drums
Empowerment tools .
Conference Founder Y.Fleming at Congo Square Brooklyn
Female dun-duns drummer at weekly circle since early nineties
The Red Tent (Reclaiming Lost feminine practises)
Woman healing in Red Tent
A menstruation tent for women will be constructed in a private area on the conference site in order for women to gather. It is important that women seek ways of being that is more consistent with our rhythms and cycles.In times gone by, when a woman went into labour she went into the red tent to give birth. This was the space in the village where women gathered every month to celebrate menstruation. They stopped working for a few days each month and spent the time sharing stories, pampering each other and resting.
The Red tent allows women the freedom to be completely open and honest about their womanly experiences. This is where the stories of love, birth, heartache, death and many other life experiences where shared and passed down from mother to daughter. These were the stories, which taught the young women the natural events of life and relieved them of fears in these times. How do you currently honor your moontime? It is important that we learn more about that connection as we go inward to honor our wombs and bellies. There will be lots of Red raspberry and nettles to make tea while you journal, rest, draw, read, or listen to women’s wisdom in the stories we share. It is time to revisit those lost practices.
WG Menstruation altar portal - Constructed by Y. Fleming
Em Power meant Tools
There will be opportunities for women of all ages to help us prepare the space for our women security council.The Founder of this conference firmly believes that women and girls must play a part in the actual building and shaping of their communities instead of being firmly locked into gender roles and oppressive stereotypes.
Body work and energy work is critical to our wellbeing. Sometimes stress causes uric acid to become trapped in various areas in our bodies. Touch is quite important to human health and helps us stay in connection with other. If you feel stressed around your back and neck areas please mention this when you signup at the registration table so we can book your time slot for body work. We expect quite a lot of healers to be present, so please find someone you trust naturally and ask for what you need. Reach out and let us know if you are a Reiki master or certified bodyworker who would like to offer massages at the conference.
There will be lots of opportunities throughout the day to soak up lots of Earth energy, to rest under a tree,for herb walks, for sitting with a rock and for networking so that women can get to know each other! This year we have decided not to jam the schedule with listening based workshops . We need to understand the natural cycles in order to advocate for the flora, fauna. Life grows and changes through the strength of its connections and relationships. In nature, if a system lacks health, the solution is to connect it to more of itself. A big part of our pathologies arise from spending most of our time indoors separated from our true nature.
Body work and energy work is critical to our wellbeing. Sometimes stress causes uric acid to become trapped in various areas in our bodies. Touch is quite important to human health and helps us stay in connection with other. If you feel stressed around your back and neck areas please mention this when you signup at the registration table so we can book your time slot for body work. We expect quite a lot of healers to be present, so please find someone you trust naturally and ask for what you need. Reach out and let us know if you are a Reiki master or certified bodyworker who would like to offer massages at the conference.
What does the future look like for our young girls? What kind of Earth are we leaving behind for our daughters and grandaughters? What kind of education will they receive around community and the environment? Who will enact the changes needed to create a healthy community so that they can make healthy choices?
How do we preserve the legacies of our phenomenal sheroes?
Hattie Carthan dedicated two decades of her life to helping the community of Bed Stuy to become more environmentally aware, thus the formation of The Magnolia Tree and Earth center in Brooklyn and the Hattie Carthan community garden. We are here because of her dreams. Join us in re-membering Hattie Carthan , in giving arms and legs to her vision and in preserving her work and legacy.
What can we do to create a local food system that promotes urban farms as places that provide fresh food and serve community health?
How can we create more safe spaces for women of all ages to gather and commune in all communities?
What steps are we taking to ensure that young women know how to prepare healthy food?
How can women of color communicate their concerns to their elected politicians in a direct organized way? How do we discontinue the exploitative phenomenon of others speaking for us and about us ? How do we ensure that communities of color receive their fair share of resources for women's work?
What can we do to educate our women about the links between feminine health and planetary health?
What lessons about community can humans learn from the bees beyond how to make a profit from honey?
How can we depart from the practise of factory farming our animals ? How can we work to
depart from the practise of using chemical fertilizers in our gardens/farms?
How can we contribute to the health of our urban soil through managing our organic waste(composting)?
How can we introduce food seasonality conversations in our communities?
Resilient wild weeds - Hattie Carthan community garden
Sage Bush - Hattie Carthan herb garden
Women working to ensure food justice for all communities
How often do we gather to eat together in our community?
Kitchen medicine Herb class w herbal wysewoman- Yonnette Fleming Hattie Carthan herb garden
How well do you know your landscape? The garden is home to over fifty trees which require seasonal care, love and attention.
How well do you know your landscape? The garden is home to over fifty trees which require seasonal care, love and attention.
Why is it important to educate our women? Community members learning about health disparities in the garden
Our seniors have seen it all and carry a wisdom that is undeniable, yet we find few places where there opinions truly count.. Why are so many seniors in our community experiencing food insecurity as a lifestyle?
How are the voices of our seniors heard in our communities?
How do we ensure that seniors in low income communities have equal access to fresh foods as their counterparts from other communities?
To help a young woman Learn on the farm and earn in the Market please make a donation on the banner page http://www.hattiecarthancommunitymarket.com
The conference seeks women who are able to volunteer to serve on conference day in the following categories:
Registration
Welcome committee - greeters with a fierce hug
Maiden coordinators - to engage girls who attend with their mothers,grandmothers
Security
Food service/setup and breakdown
Drummers,chanters,singers
Reiki masters,massage therapists,energy healers
Sacred Space Holders for our menstruation tent
Sound specialists
Visual artists and documentary makers
Food for Thought:
Taking responsibility for our bodies:
Women's health:-Alternative approaches. What do we understand by health? Is our current system a healthcare or sickcare system? If fresh fruits and vegetables are important to health, why do veggie and fruit farmers receive no subsidies from the government for health? What are disparities and how do we eliminate them in our communities.? How do socio-economic factors impact the overall health of minorities? What is the State of health of women in Central Brooklyn? How do those statistics compare to women’s health in other communities? Have lost feminine practises such as gathering together to share visions during menstruation contributed to some of the pathologies we experience today as women? Come share your stories of womb trauma, menstruation and bloody rape in our Red Tent. How does the Earth respond to rape and pillage anyway?
Responsible Parenting
How available is fresh food in your community? How are mothers and women involved in ensuring that our children receive the correct education & culturally appropriate nutrition in schools or at home? Are you concerned for the safety of your child in our parks? Are you free to get fresh air and outdoor exercise in your community? Or are you trapped indoors because of the crime statistics in your neighborhood? What steps can be made to ensure that all Parks, gardens , markets are safe for women and children to re-connect to their food and nature ?
What are the current issues being worked on in the political arena that affect children in low-income-communities and their health? Are you currently involved in the School Food conversation or the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act which will decide what our children eat in school and where that comes from? Have you met with your child's school to express your feelings about the state of nutrition in our schools? How has that process worked for minority children in the past (a large percentage of our children are now obese) and what can we expect to see change if we don't become advocates for what is being done to us? How can women become effective advocates for the future of our children? Are you involved in making sure that our children are receiving a truthful account of history and learning about the ways that minorities have contributed to civilized culture and our communities?
Environmental justice
What are the programs available to women in low income communities to receive environmental education? What are the necessary steps to ensure that women and children receive training and access to green collar job in urban communities. What are green jobs? Is it just a matter of retrofitting buildings and roofs and installing solar panels? How is women's work currently supported by the government? How can we support our homesteaders,cottage industries and other forms of womens work in o cities?
Re-membering our selves
How do we re-member our environmental sheroes currently and how are feminine legacies protected in low-income communities? Why don't we have a Hattie Carthan scholarship fund for minority women and girls who wish to advance their studies in environmental education and advocacy? How will we cultivate a new generation of people and nurture young girls to utilize nature centered thinking in order to propose effective creative solutions to problems in their communities? What steps are required to celebrate and perpetuate the legacies of our feminine sheroes? How can successful stewardship programs be introduced to cultivate environmental stewardship in low-income communities.
Gender balance – What are the necessary steps required to ensure gender balance in the community decision making and in the political process?
Visioning our future
Organizations doing feminine empowerment work , gender equality work and others with programs specificially designed for women in the Brooklyn community are invited to network with us, spread information about the work of the new herb farm and two markets.
Read more about our work at hattiecarthancommunitymarket.com.
We welcome organizations working with children to network and promote your work at our annual Playstreets. July to September .
REGISTRATION for the 2013 Women security event:
Registration for the 1 day conference is $20 . Women may register online or in person at the Registration tent.Free meal ,workshops and woman's drum circle is included.. Women may contribute as much or as little as they can afford at the Registration Tent. All donations will be used to offset expenses incurred to produce the conference , to cover for those women who cannot afford to pay and to provide a healthy meal to participants. Raw food will be sourced from the garden and local farmers. No woman will be turned away because of her inability to pay. Please tell us about your childcare needs in your online registration form so that we can organize mentors to engage those babies.
When you pre-register online you have the choice to pay online with your credit card or walk in with your cash to the registration table. No checks at the gate please.
To Pre-Register, Make a Donation to our conference or to help a young woman learn on the Farm and Work in the market Please Click Here http://www.hattiecarthancommunitymarket.com/
THE COST TO CREATE AND PRODUCE THIS CONFERENCE WAS A COMMUNITY INVESTMENT MADE BY FARMER YON & 13 CO VISIONARIES INTO THE FUTURE OF BEDFORD STUYVESANT WOMEN AND GIRLS.
WOMEN SPEAK UP AND REQUEST TO BE HEARD!
How else can we get our message accross regarding what we care about most? How do we acquire the resources to address or change the circumstances that oppress women if we fail to organize effective networks for CHANGE.
NAMASTE