Hi everyone! So grateful to have met @Erin Corine Johnson and be invited into this community she has cultivated. I am Alexandria and after 33 years (my entire life) of living in the U.S. I moved to Madrid Spain 6 months ago. I am a school psychologist by training, with a PhD in the making. My research interests/work traces the genealogy of racialized disablement, arguing that the overrepresentation of Black students in special education is a direct continuation of historical logics of economic exploitation and control of the Black body. When I am not thinking critically about the state of the world you can find me marveling at a sunset, dancing salsa on the weekends, enjoying a cup of coffee or glass of wine, and binge watching a show or movie. Thanks for having me!

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As many of you know, I lost my paternal grandmother last Thursday to a long and brave battle with Parkinson's disease. She was my first creative muse and one of the safest and most nurturing people in my life as a child. I recorded this video today that is, as usual, being suppressed like crazy due to a dip in my online activity over the past week, as well as the mention of Black History Month and a gathering I'm not paying LinkedIn a cut of. I'd appreciate if you'd go give it a listen and some engagement. All of this said, the webinars are on for this week, February 24-25-26 at 3:30pm Central US/10:30pm Central Europe. If you have not yet registered, you may do so at this link. Replay available for all registered attendees. Contributions over the suggested add seats to our community sponsorship pool. Global Black community members, your seat is on us—please DM me your email address to be registered. For non-Black people experiencing financial difficulty, a limited number of community pool seats are available. Please DM me ASAP to claim one, no questions asked. These webinars will much more off-the-cuff than I'm used to. There won't be a lot of bells and whistles. But I think it's important to still show up for the community and for myself this week. I'd love for you to do the same. See you there. 🤍

Hi, collective! Just sliding in with a very quick note to let you all know that due to a family emergency, the US BHM Centennial Celebration webinars have been moved by one week to February 24-26. I got the call last week that my paternal grandmother’s health took a sharp decline, and it was looking to be definitive. After a few days of deliberation, I landed in Chicago yesterday to join my dad and his siblings to say goodbye. I wasn’t sure if I should make such a long trip for such a short time, but ultimately I’m glad I did. When I arrived, she was half conscious but awake. When I sat down at her bedside, her eyes opened wide and her face quivered into a fragile but visibly elated smile. I squeezed her frail hand, concentrating on one finger at a time. She nudged back almost every time, still seemingly in disbelief that I was in front of her having just called her from Barcelona. I played for her and sang to her one last time, alternating improv and a few of my favorite spirituals. After one or two more gentle squeezes to let me know she heard me, she slipped back into the “in between” and fell asleep shortly afterward. I made it just in time. She hasn’t opened her eyes again since. I’m glad she waited for me. 💛 This experience—a first for me this close up—has been a timely reminder that Black History is past, present AND future. It is in the books we read, the ground we walk on, and the pictures that remind us of the steps taken before us. It is as big as the historical figures whose names are known and celebrated, or as intimate as the family photo albums of everyday revolutionaries we have been so fortunate to share space and time with. Next week’s energy will be about so much more than sociopolitical milestones and famous names. It is a gathering to joyfully celebrate all the ways in which the Black community has persevered, survived, and even managed to thrive in spite of it all. I hope that with the extra week to prepare, you’ll continue spreading the word and block off that time to be in community with us. 💛

Thank you for accepting me in your community Erin. Hello Everyone, My name is Yodith. After 26 years in Europe I moved back to the Africa with a conviction that we need to take our responsibility and show up as the rightful owners of African resources. While we are watching others are rushing to Africa to secure land, minerals and other business opportunities. The geopolitical shift is putting Africa as the Next BIG thing. Everyone seems to be aware except us, African descendants.