Hattie Carthan Women Security Conference
DATE: MAY 8th 2011
PLACE: HATTIE CARTHAN COMMUNITY GARDEN
TIME: 9am to 5pm
ADMISSION: $20 - INCLUDES WORKSHOPS,COUNCIL,DRUM CIRCLE AND COMMUNAL MEAL
EARLY MORNING HEART OPENING YOGA BEGINS AT 8:00AM FOR VOLUNTEERS AND VISIONHOLDERS ONLY. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO SETUP THE SACRED SPACE SATURDAY EVENING AND EARLY SUNDAY.
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO THE WOMEN WHO HAVE STEPPED FORWARD TO BIRTH THIS VISION !
Heart-opening Yoga
JK Lilith will lead us in a morning yoga to open the heart, the fourth chakra, and expand the lungs. These organs of the body pump the air and blood through our bodies as the great rainforests and ocean currents drive the winds and waters across the living and conscious earth.
We will perform some gentle asanas, or poses, breathing deeply and completely as we align to the heartbeat of the drum.
Then we will rest in savasana, the corpse pose, while our bodies integrate the heart-opening stretches and let the body return to stillness.
Finally, we will do nadisudi breathing, which balances the hemispheres of the brain and opens the nose so that we can absorb more prana (breath, life) to prepare for this very special day.
Early morning Meditation facilitator Lillith AKA JK is a community gardener, a bicycle rider, a grandmother. Lilith is her other name, the first woman (before Eve). She was made of the same primordial earth as Adam .
TIME: 8:00 AM TO 9AM
JK is a co-founder of the New York Climate Action Group, an organization committed to stop New York City's consumption of rainforest wood. She also works with residents of adult homes to help them assert their rights. She lives with cats who were abandoned in the streets and gardens of New York City, and loves to come home to their quiet greetings. She was called by the living earth to give of herself, and is blessed by the gifts the earth gives in return.
We are here to help each other, to see the strength and power and universe inside every set of eyes. And everything is alive and talking to us all the time. It is a great privilege and responsibility to be alive right now when all our actions matter so much.
Spiritual nourishment for these times.
An ancestral ritual which
Re members our sheroes .
TIME: 9:00 AM TO 10:30 AM
This ancestral ritual re members ourselves and the matriarchs who have nourished us on our Earth path. We will pour water to the Earth as we softly whisper their names allowing ourselves to fully absorb the nourishment they’ve provided us.
Participants journey to the sound of drums in safe ritual container , moving beyond time and space to connect to their matriarchal ancestors. Journeying from the heart , we re-member and connect to our foremothers gathering medicine and spiritual nourishment for these times . The Spirits of the trees, animals, metal will assist our collective healing by toning our bodies and resetting the force fields around us.(aura)
Please bring drums and rattles to play, items inherited from foremothers, ritual items, perhaps an old gawdy earring or a worn out apron used by your matriarchal ancestor to be placed on a simple matriarchal ancestral altar, herbs for smudging,fruit, grain, honey,milk or other representations of nourishment.
Dress in white or light colored clothes. Water is always recommended when doing any type of meditation or journey work. This ritual will employ the use of herbs for smudging. Sticks, stones and bones are also welcome. Volunteers are needed to help setup ritual space the evening before our conference and to assist with smudging participants who enter the ritual space.Come ready to cast your burdens aside and receive the Spiritual nourishment you deserve! Ase
Reignhawk has led large rituals in woman communities for over a decade. Author of "Follow the Flow Home" and "A time for healing" books, recording artist of Primordial Pulse drum meditation CD is also ceremonial drummer, raphaologist, reiki master, intuitive Root healer and ritual priestess. Reign is committed to the use of primal sounds and indigenous plant medicine as a vehicle for self-exploration, healing and spiritual empowerment. Available for ancestral celebrations, crafting feminine empowerment rituals,community councils, percussion circles,herbal healing journeys,drum journeys and medicine making workshops. raphaology@yahoo.com
Workshop description:
Weed Walk - HEALING TOXIC MOODS WITH WILD FOODS
Spring Herbs - Explore early seasonal growth of wild-edible plants in the garden.
TIME 10:30AM TO 11:30 AM
Workshop facilitator - Sarah Elisabeth
My name is Sarah A. Elisabeth and I am an herbalist in the Wise Woman Tradition. I have studied with Susun Weed at the Wise Woman Center for eight years and have been teaching for five years. Learning about pesticides through Rachel Carson and the depletion of the earth’s resources led me to turn my attention to sustainability and my individual journey learning to lessen my footprint. Cultivating food and harvesting in the wild having the ability to reconnect one to the earth is the message I wish to impart. Email sage467@mac.com
11:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Guest midwife extraordinaire and birthing doulas will address the group on organic birthing practises and the importance of breastfeeding our babies. Women will also learn about services in our community which support the natural birthing process.
12:00 noon to 12:15 pm
The medicine of silence
12:15 pm to 12: 30 pm
NETWORKING
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
HEALTHY FEAST
COMMUNITY COUNCIL DESCRIPTION:
Depressed by anti-depressants? Is your food and environment making you sick? One recent study indicates that 1 out of every 10 women in the U.S is on anti-depressants with no real way of getting off. This problem affects both the wealthiest and poorest women. An even greater percent is self medicating and suffering silently.What can be causing the women of the Earth to lose hope? Let us get to the heart of matter. How can we connect to the simple joys of living in these challenging times. Please bring your stories of sadness,suffering in silence and pain to the circle so we can grieve as a collective.
TIME: 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
THE FRAME:
Our world faces a silent crisis . Everywhere people are self-medicating or taking some form of drugs to cope with life.(candy,white sugar and legal acohol included) Some people are working to solve the problem of drug addiction (both legal and illegal) from the confines of their laboratories and offices , addressing the problem mostly in scientific reductionist ways. However many ancient cultures see depression as the end point of a pathological process. It is a sign that our lives are out of balance, that we're stuck. It's a wake-up call and the start of a journey that can help us become whole and happy, a journey that can change and transform our lives. In fact to rise out of this dark dungeon one needs to assess their food, environment, mental intake and resolve the traumas of their lives.
Please bring tissues, water and whatever you need to begin the sharing of this dark place as it can be a very emotional place for many of us. We will begin the council with a moving from head to heart exercise which causes us to move beyond our pretenses. Please leave behind all titles of intellectual importance and join us in this truth sharing forum .
Reignhawk AKA Yonnette Fleming is a seasoned council facilitator working to reverse oppression in communities .She has worked tirelessly over the past nine years to build community resilience to the issue of food and economic insecurity in her homestead Bed Stuy community through educating members of the community and the use of intentional dialogue. Fleming facilitated community council at last year's UN CSD City farms tour which engaged U.N delegates and people in the local food system raphaology@yahoo.com
Workshop description:Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)-a means to physical and emotional pain resolution
TIME 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Workshop facilitator Beverly Nadleman practices EFT,Beverly is a 3rd degree Reiki practioner who conducts workshops in communities.
Easy to use and immediately accessible, EFT tapping on specific meridian points can relieve physical and emotional issues. It enables even neophytes to work safely on themselves almost any time and place. It is as useful for helping relieve pain of injuries as for, over time, correcting issues that limit well being.It can be used on and for children as well as on and for adults, and children frequently enjoy making a game of using it to help when they are frustrated or angry.
COMMUNAL DRUM AND DANCE MEDICINE CIRCLE
TIME: 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Join in this communal Drum and Dance journey which is an invocation and a direct experience of our connection to all of life. The african drums supports us to open our hearts and connect to our inner joys, healing and hopes in the wider context of relationship to our ancestors, culture, environment, and the spirit that moves through all things. We will drum and dance in wild celebration of life, embodying our prayers for ourselves, our families, communities and all our relations.
AMIN
Past Conference workshops
Workshop description:
The Art of Wombafestation:
Ignite Your Vision through Collage
Wombafestation is a self-empowering process to clearly see and create what you want in your life. Participants will explore blocks and activate dreams. Engage in guided visualization, and use principles of Wombafestation to create a collage that represents/invites a dream, vision or need you have. Believe.This workshop will assist women to connect to their own dreams and visions and to envision them in a way that will help them bring them into the world. We will discuss principles of wombafestation and some of the blocks and negative thinking that puts distance between us and our own dreams. Bring journal/pen, floor mat/blanket, any pictures, images or photos you might want to use in a collage.
Workshop description: Vivala Vulvalution!
Women need venues for exploring their power: to have control over their decisions, their bodies and their lives. In this workshop, we explore how we honor ourselves, the women in our lives, and our mentors, while creating new paths for living harmoniously with our bodies and our femaleness! Create Vulvalution! This workshop helps women take an honest look at what keeps women “apart” or in competition and how we can support one another in a bigger way. It engages women in discussion and in honoring the womentors who have helped us become who we are. We will create community within the workshop and really look at how to create greater women’s community in ourlives.
Workshop Facilitator Amy Jo Goddard is a sexuality educator, sex coach and ritualist based in Brooklyn. She teaches sexuality workshops and facilitates the Women’s Sexuality Empowerment Apprenticeship locally. Amy Jo has taught in women’s communities for many years and have participated in a number of women’s communities for over 12 years.
"Women’s space is really important to me and I love creating a safe space for women (and men) to talk openly about things that are hard to talk about. This is such a great opportunity to do what I do well and so enjoy in my home town of Brooklyn! I travel to do much of my work and it is very exciting to be a part of something locally where I can connect with local women and offer something important to them. " - Amy Jo Goddard
Workshop description: Wombing to create and cultivate safety and healing both inside your body and in your life.
Be Wild Wombing Circle 101 offers you the opportunity to womb in a safe supportive circle of women. Listen, share your stories, fears & hopes. Learn how to feel safe and comfortable in your body. Address physical, emotional & spiritual wounds related to your womb. Learn how to let go of pain. Transform your womb into a wild sanctuary. When you heal and reclaim your womb, you gain access to your creative energy and feel safe to fully experience your life. A healthy womb is essential to your sexuality, self-worth and joy. Wombing gives you the support & freedom to be wild.
Workshop description: Wild Woman Dance ~ dance to the beat of your heart
Wild: growing or living in a natural state. Not domesticated. Untamed
Heed the call, breathe, root, chant, dance. Awaken your wild woman & reconnect to your body’s natural wisdom. Listen as she speaks to you through rhythm. Feel her in your bones & in your heart’s beat. Create safety, nurture your hearts wildgarden. Surrender to her flow, the deep knowing within you. Awaken your inner creativity & wisdom. Reclaim your body & give birth to you.
Kiana Love, founder of Be Wild Woman empowers you to access your body’s wild wisdom & fall in love with yourself. She guides you to connect with your own wild rhythms & awaken through intuitive dance blending together chakra healing, yoga, breath, chant, trance, tribal dance, & alechemical fire. Special dance performance by ex-urban bush woman member and founder of Love-Making dances Zahava Gris~
Kiana LoveFounder & Director of Be Wild
WomanVisionaryEducator – Healer – GuideKiana is passionate about empowering women to reclaim their bodies & love feeling sexy. Her passion stems from her personal journey overcoming sexual violence, painful cycles, cysts, depression, and shame. She draws from her personal healing experiences, studies of the feminine, sacred sexuality, and healing to restore women’s’ connection their own wild wisdom.
Kianalove.com
Empower meant Tools Workshop
"The day the pipe froze and burst on a weekend and I was able to turn off the main and solder a cap to the pipe after cutting off the bad piece was one of the days I was happy I learned to do men’s work. It saved me hundreds of dollars in emergency weekend repair." Solita Stevens -Workshop facilitator Do you know how you grumble for months to get that new curtain rod up and it falls on deaf ears? Well guess what, after drilling, sawing and screwing using electric power tools during this work shop you won’t have to anymore and you might just shame him into doing his part to keep your home healthy, safe and happy. If you can compare independence with freedom then this workshop will free participants from a hostage crisis that lead them to believe that women do not build or handle tools especially power tools..
Discussion description:Women in Urban farming.
Urban farmer Karen Washington will speak about her life experience as a woman farmer. Parallel to some of the pro, cons of women farmers past and present
Workshop facilitator Karen Washington has lived in New York City all her life, and has been a resident of the Bronx for over 25 years. Since 1985 Karen has been a community activist, striving to make the Bronx a better place to live. As a community gardener, Karen has worked with neighborhoods to turn empty lots into community gardens. As an advocate, she has stood up and spoken out for garden protection and preservation. As a member of the La Familiar Verde Garden Coalition, she launched a City Farms Market, bringing garden fresh vegetables to her neighbors.
Karen is a Just Food board member and Just Food Trainer, leading workshops on food growing and food justice to community gardeners all over the city. Karen is also the president of the New York City Community Garden Coalition, a group that was founded to preserve community gardens and on the board of the New York Botanical Gardens.
Professionally Karen has been a Physical Therapist for over 30 years, and she continues to balance her professional life with community service.
“To grow your own food gives you a sort of power and it gives people dignity. You know exactly what you’re eating because you grew it. It’s good, it’s nourishing and you did this for yourself, your family and your community.” Karen Washington
Global Women’s Issues Discussion Panel
This discussion group will discuss the African Union’s - African Women’s Decade that will be launched on October 15, 2010, and how it relates to African women and women in general. October 15, is also World Rural Women's Day. We will discuss what the goals are for the next decade for African women and the Ghana Nkwanta Project’s involvement with rural women issues and sustainable development in Ghana. We will also discuss Beijing 15 call to action and share information and experiences from the recent 54th United Nation's Conference on the Status of Women.
Discussion Facilitator Linda Fletcher
Ghana Nkwanta Project
Adele Women Association 'Upper Volta' Nkwanta, Ghana
Meditation facilitator Lillith AKA JK is a community gardener, a bicycle rider, a grandmother. Lilith is her other name, the first woman (before Eve). She was made of the same primordial earth as Adam .
JK is a co-founder of the New York Climate Action Group, an organization committed to stop New York City's consumption of rainforest wood. She also works with residents of adult homes to help them assert their rights. She lives with cats who were abandoned in the streets and gardens of New York City, and loves to come home to their quiet greetings. She was called by the living earth to give of herself, and is blessed by the gifts the earth gives in return.
We are here to help each other, to see the strength and power and universe inside every set of eyes. And everything is alive and talking to us all the time. It is a great privilege and responsibility to be alive right now when all our actions matter so much.
Workshop description:
Weed Walk
Spring Herbs - Explore early seasonal growth of wild-edible plants in the garden.Healing our mood with wild food.
Workshop facilitator - Sarah Elisabeth
My name is Sarah A. Elisabeth and I am an herbalist in the Wise Woman Tradition. I have studied with Susun Weed at the Wise Woman Center for eight years and have been teaching for five years.
Learning about pesticides through Rachel Carson and the depletion of the earth’s resources led me to turn my attention to sustainability and my individual journey learning to lessen my footprint. Cultivating food and harvesting in the wild having the ability to reconnect one to the earth is the message I wish to impart. Email sage467@mac.com
Healing with Stones Workshop
Stones have been used in healing for thousands of years in all societies it is important for us to bring attention back to these powerful healers of mind, body and spirit. Stones are an effective alternative treatment that women can use to keep a closer check on their health in the privacy of their homes. Once introduced to these wondrous natural healers, women will be able to use them for the rest of their lives. In my own case , I became instantaneously obsessed with crystal and gemstone healing after learning about the powers of the rock kingdon. I later learned that this is something else I have to do with my life, learn and teach and heal using crystals and gemstones. My life has been transformed since my initiation and I feel incredibly honored that I have been chosen to share this knowledge. Workshop attendees will leave this class with a rock of their own choice for their Earth journey.
Workshop facilitator Solita Stevens is a New York City Master Composter, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Certified Horticulturist, Metal Artist, Garden Lecturer and writer, poet, and photographer. She is the Kings County Chair Person for District II, Federated Garden Clubs of New York State, Founder of Olympus Garden Club, editor of Olympus’ quarterly newsletter “The Express”, and a Garden Consultant with the New York City Housing Authority.
Council Title:
Exposing the wound that oppresses us as a collective. Getting to the Heart of racism! What is Race? Who does it serve? How does privelege work? Let's get to the heart of it, by working through our own heart stories of rage,anger ,pain.
In truth our hearts long for ONE HARMONIOUS EARTH where all are respected ,where diversity is the rule and our differences are our strength.
Today our world faces a crisis . Everywhere people are hurting and killing each other because they are different colors, speak different languages, follow different religions and ideologies. Many people are working to solve the problem of racism in the U.S from the confines of their offices , addressing the problem mostly in intellectual reductionist ways. However in order to address the collective shadows that have been created between people of color and the dominant group, we need to employ nature in the healing of our collective wounds. A few elders carry this wysdom for this work and have begun asking the question: How may the Sacred Hoop be mended?
This council suggests that a wholistic perspective is required for people working to affect change and to support healing on both personal and societal levels. Come share from the heart about the toxic effects of racism and ways that you have seen it work to oppress people and entire communities. Extend your understandings to include how racism also affects the choices of food that we find in our communities and the high level of stress that people of color face in their everyday existence.
We will share openly about the trap of disconnection and woundedness we face when we begin looking at everything as a matter of black and white. This conversation is not about shame or blame as it is about acknowleging the seething wounds we hold as a collective and changing the way we relate to it. What is race anyway? What purpose does this social construct serve in the U.S.? We will continue this work throughout the year in order to move from describing and compounding the problem to understanding race and its purpose in the U.S.
Please bring tissues, water and whatever you need to begin the sharing of this toxic wound as it can be a very emotional place for many of us. We will begin the council with a moving from head to heart exercise which causes us to move beyond our pretenses. Please leave behind all titles of intellectual importance and join us in this truth sharing forum about racism.
Reignhawk AKA Yonnette Fleming is a seasoned council facilitator working to reverse the toxic effects of racism and oppression in woman communities and communities of color.
She has worked tirelessly over the past eight years to build community resilience to the issue of food and economic insecurity in her homestead Bed Stuy community through educating members of the community and the use of intentional dialogue. Fleming facilitated community council at last year's UN CSD City farms tour which engaged U.N delegates and people in the local food system raphaology@yahoo.com
Workshop description : SMART skills for women
S Self-discovery
M otivation,
A chievement,
R esponsibility,
Team orientation
With the 3Rs -
Responsibility,
Relationships,
Resources as foundation,
We will use the SMART skills to discover, live and fulfill our purpose on the planet.
Aminisha Black has integrated her parental experiences with human potential trainings and a Masters Degree in Human Services to create a vision and vocation of discovering and unleashing the innate genius of parents and youth. The mother of five adult children; all professionals, who are community-oriented and socially-conscious, she is also “Nana” to eleven grandchildren. Aminisha’s interest in parenting was spawned in the process of rearing seven children and continues with observing her grandchildren. She dedicates her work to her two oldest sons, Pamoja and Amani, who are deceased.
As founder of The Parent’s Notebook, Aminisha developed The Self Esteem Project and Parents Empowered for Student Achievement (PESA), designing and facilitating workshops for parents, parent leaders and staff at the NYC Board of Education, Newark and Irvington, NJ public school systems, Save the Children, Inc., Child Development Support Corp., The Salvation Army, Manhattan Children’s Psychiatric Center, Pius XII and New York Mission Society - to name a few. In contract with United Way of New York City, she conducted a school-based parent involvement program in a Brooklyn Middle School, successfully increasing parent participation and training parent leaders.
As Education Director of the Parent Advocacy Center of Medgar Evers College, Aminisha coordinated parent trainings for public schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City. In that capacity, she developed the training curriculum and contracted consultants who delivered workshops on School Governance, School Report Cards, School Structure, Title 1 and School Wide Programs, Budgetary Effects on Student Learning, Group Dynamics, Stress and Time Management among other topics needed for effective advocacy.
Workshop description: Food Security Elder Council :
Many of our seniors experience food insecurity as a lifestyle at the end of their years. How can we as a community ensure that seniors in every community have adequate access to fresh and nutritious foods.
Asantewaa Gail Harris, a Brooklyn native currently living in the Village of Harlem, is the Founder of Community Vision Council. Elder Asantewaa is dedicated to promoting "healthy choices for healthy living" and she enjoys membership in Afrikan Holistic Health, NY Chapter, NIA Roots Collective and the US Department of Health & Human Services Healthy People 2020 Consortium.
Workshop description:
Finding our way by the light of the moon -Planting by the Signs
Planting by the moon signs is an ancient practice passed down from when people lived in close connection to the land. Learn where to turn, when to reap and when to sow. We will make a calendar during the class that can guide you to reclaiming this lost art .
Workshop facilitator - Chrysalis aka CraftHaven
Chrys lives amid organic heirloom vegetable patches and an abundance of wild edible plants. She plants and harvest by phases and signs of the moon.Chysalis is also a licensed sustainable builder. Notepads and pens will be provided at this workshop www.sustainable-1.net
Workshop description:
Herbal healing for womb men
The wise womb-man tradition is the oldest tradition of healing known on our planet.This tradition emphasizes the power of disease prevention and health promotion.
Workshop facilitator - Wisewoman Sis Cuchy -founder of Jahbulani natural hair and skin care products jahguide13@gmail.com
It is my dream to see more and more womb-men free from hidden barriers that are deep within themselves.We need change from deep within our soul, in order to re-discover who we truly are.Let's learn together,struggle together,grow together, and break our label of second class citizens.We should speak with one voice to allow our yearning for true freedom to be heard.
I love to work with womb-men to assist them in bringing their concerns,and uniqueness in the open . We are womb-men of mystery and magic,and our work is to nourish our heart,soul, spirit and to bring balance to Mother Earth. My commitment to reclaim the wisdom of my ancestors,following the wise womb-man tradition has led me to honor,and to respect nature and to use food as medicine.
Workshop Description: Decaying Matters
What is Composting" and its many uses. This workshop will introduce different ways to compost, i.e. trench composting, hot piles, cold piles, etc. We will explore making a simple compost pile as well as what to put in a compost bin. During the workshop, we will examine the different bins and piles which exist at the Hattie Carthan community garden. We will talk about the tools needed for maintaining the bins and piles,and touch upon vermicomposting and its benefits.
Workshop facilitator - ElbaCornier
Elba Cornier is a Master Composter trained by the Queens Botanical Garden. Her training extends from teaching seniors in the basic techniques of composting to introducing vermicomposting to young children and teens. Her love of everything green came from her paternal grandmother who was a Brooklyn urban farmer since the 1950's. As a child in her grandmother's farm, Elba spent many a day playing between the corn stalks and the gladiolas.
Elba Cornier is currently finishing her Master of Science in Education. She also holds a New York City Citizen Pruner Certificate.
Workshop description: Reflexology Massage; The Roots to Your Soul
This workshop will cover a brief history of reflexology, what it is and how it works, how it benefits us. A few techniques will be demonstrated and participants will practice self reflexology
Workshop facilitator
Amelia Estrada has been practicing reflexology for 17 years. Prior to learning reflexology I was a certified doula and decided to learn reflexology to supplement my services to women in pregnancy. I have also had training in Iridology, Shiatsu, Thai & Swedish massage. I am an ordained minister and a trained emergency medical technician.
How does this workshop address our conference theme of feminine health, community health or environmental health? How will workshop participants utilize this information after the conference
Workshop description: Don’t Let Anyone Define You. Bring ideas to life.
Lifelessons carry us throughout our lives. Women with disabilities are underemployed. If they find and follow their passion, they can earn a living and help support themselves, family and community. The Creator gave useverything we need to survive. Believe it and act as though it is so. Make things happen. Show our children that we are resilient survivors. We can succeed when we do not quit
Workshop facilitator:
Ceci-Charles King is a Boston, MA native, moved to Bed-Stuy/Crown Hgts; lifetime community advocate for truth in education & intergenerational learning; promote healthy foods, community gardens (since ’98) and current work: dismantling racism through the food system with the Growing Food and Justice Initiative (GFJI) and Growing Power, Inc. (GP); w/ GP Inc & World Hunger recruiting leaders of color to participate in/create competitive Community Food Projects_(CFP); and on the 9/10-12/10 Urban Ag/Small Farm Conference.__
Forging a Path for young women's participation in communities.
The media often portray young people, especially young people of color, as perpetrators of crime, drug takers, school dropouts, or other problems of society. With these images in mind, many adults think of young people as problems, and young people accept adult images of their deficiencies rather than viewing themselves as agents of change. Through this workshop we will create new models for young women's participation in community organization and civic engagement through evaluating our own experiences being marginalized as youth and as women in school, at home and other sectors.
Workshop facilitator Isabelle Jagninski co-founded the New York 2 New Orleans Coalition in 2006 when she was fifteen years old, an organization that engages young people in meaningful community action around food, sustainability and environmental justice. Today, she is an organizer with the Youth Coalition for Community Action, a national student network that trains youth how to train youth in community organizing in their neighborhoods. She is currently a Women's Studies major at Brooklyn College and an intern with Hattie Carthan Community Garden. izzy@ny2no.com
Natalie NKOY Lupuku was born in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently majoring in Human Services at LaGuardia Community College and interning at the Hattie Carthan Garden with visionary and community activist Yonnette Fleming where she hopes to learn more about growing food and the workings of food systems in order to mobilize and engage youth participation in the surrounding community.
Natalie Lupuku served as student advisory council representative (SAC) for one of the most productive clubs in LAGCC known as the Black Student Union(BSU). In that position BSU successfully managed three fundraisers for The Yelle Org., Okongo fight against rape in the Congo and scholarship funds so that students with economic crisis can afford books and transportation.
Natalie went on to create The Culture club, This club partnered with the United Nations club and they continue to manage fundraisers and discussion groups for student on campus about a variety of social issues. Natalie is an official member of Alpha Theta Phi Honor Society.
Natalie's vision for the conferences is for women to leave feeling more conscious of their health and well being as well as their family’s and planet’s. She plans on keeping the female youths active during the course of the day and help them embrace lost feminine practices . Natalie will oversee our Welcoming committee and is bound to soften your heart with her welcoming smile.
Women’s Expressions Art Tent
The Art Tent will be open to all throughout the Women Security Conference. It will offer an outlet for artistic expression to complement the activities of the day. If you would like to take time during the day to manifest your experiences through the arts, the Art Tent will be open to you. Different media will be available to foster personal expression. The Tent will feature a large scale collaborative project to remember the day and represent our experiences. All contributions to the project are meaningful contributions to this project. We can all draw inspiration and empowerment from each others stories and their artistic expression. If you would like to bring a personal symbol, memorials of a significant moment, or the women that inspire you in your family and your world, to contribute to this work, you are welcome to do so. Any expressions of your experiences of womanhood, your life, your work or yourself are welcome in this space. There will also be various media available to paint, write, draw, print or in some other way make your mark on this collaboration.
The Art Tent will hold a time to engage the children in making their own valued contributions to the day’s collaboration. They will be guided by the Art Tent facilitator to foster a safe atmosphere for the children and to encourage their participation in this project.
The Art Tent will also feature a T-Shirt making workshop so that you can work creatively and have something to take with you honoring your experience at the Women’s Security Conference.
Katie Joiner has been the Operations Coordinator for the Hattie Carthan Community Farmers’ Market since its opening in July 2009. She manages the Saturday market, where over 8,000 pounds of food were distributed during the 2009 season. She enjoys visiting with local market-goers and especially women of different generations and backgrounds who share recipes and stories about growing, cooking and eating food.
She enjoys visiting with local market-goers and especially women of different generations and backgrounds who share recipes and stories about growing, cooking and eating food. She has helped create food programs for seniors and neighborhood residents, worked with volunteers and local youths in the market. She is excited to be a part of this urban farming, women-led initiative and especially enjoys working with her hands whether in planting and maintaining crops or building structures.
Over the last two years, she has worked on multiple women-led farms in small communities internationally, where she worked on the ground alongside many beautiful, powerful women. She planted and harvested rice and vegetables, hauled feed for new calves, helped raise goats and herd sheep.
Katie earned a B.A. in Art: visual art and art history from Colorado College in 2008. She enjoys working with media in ways that allow her to discover the nature of the materials, especially through print making, painting and encaustic work. She has also organized summer arts programming for children and youth.
Katie will be the facilitator of the Women’s Expressions Art Tent, creating an open and welcoming space for women to collaborate through visual creative expression. She hopes to facilitate others in coming together to create a lasting visual representation of the Women’s Security Conference, for women to remember their experience and be empowered.
