*Honoring the Past, Writing the Future: An Online Retreat for Black Women

Sunday April 25th, 2021 - 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m PST

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Led by shah noor hussein & Arisika Razak

Join us for a half day of storytelling, dharma teachings, meditative movement, and art in which we compassionately examine our diverse personal histories, celebrate our heritage, and create new liberation stories through writing. We welcome self-identified Black people that fall along the spectrum of cis & trans* women, gender nonconforming, gender neutral, androgynous, and nonbinary folks. Please bring writing and/or art supplies with you - as well as an object that represents your intentions for yourself in the new year or your personal power. Utilizing the writings and wisdom of cis & trans* Black feminist artists, we will set powerful intentions for the Spring season and reclaiming ourselves through ritual. This interactive workshop will include guided meditations, breakout groups, writing activities, and other practices related to fostering self-exploration while deepening our self-love.

100% of our programming is sliding scale and no one will ever be turned away for lack of funds. Thank you for the gifts of your generosity and for supporting the work of East Bay Meditation Center and our beloved teachers who have volunteered their time.

shah noor hussein, M.A., is a writer, visual artist, and scholar with a focus on Black feminism, art, and diaspora. They are a doctoral student and Cota-Robles Fellow at UC Santa Cruz and earned their masters from California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in 2017. shah has served as a Publishing Fellow with the L.A. Review of Books (2020), a Teaching Fellow in the Peralta Community College System (2018-2019), and Writing Fellow at CIIS (2016-2017). They have been practicing and instructing yoga and meditation in the community for over 12 years and joined the EBMC sangha in 2014. Their current work aims to (re)center marginalized voices through multimedia ethnographic research, creative writing, and educational engagement. shah currently works as an adjunct professor, a freelance writer, and a multimedia artist in Oakland. In their free time, shah likes to walk in nature, talk to their ancestors, meditate, eat good food, and sleep. To offer a gift to support shah's teachings, please do so via Venmo: @shahnoor

Arisika Razak, MPH, is the former Chair of the Women’s Spirituality Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Previously a nurse-midwife, her teachings incorporate diverse spiritual traditions, women's health and healing, multicultural feminisms, queer theory, and diversity theory. Arisika has led national and international healing workshops and ritual celebrations for women for over three decades, as well as embodied spiritual workshops for people of all genders. She has co-facilitated workshops with Marlene Jones at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and regularly leads workshops at EBMC. To offer a gift to support Arisika's teachings, please do so via PayPal: arisikarazak@gmail.com