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. 💛

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!

I’m going to be brief because if not, I will not sleep—but I didn’t want the day to get away from me before showering @Colin Yearwood with all the birthday admiration I could from every which direction—including from The Accomplice Accelerator and Identity & Belonging Lab communities!! So much of what I’ve been able to accomplish from getting this group together and believing in its value to having the courage to even send out some of the DMs that many of you have received with a personal invitation to webinars is thanks to his guidance around ethical sales AND our shared anti-oppression, pro-impact values. When we talk about how important representation, leadership and encouragement from people that look like you, this is what I mean. One of the things that most strikes me when Colin talks about his clients is ownership: “We did this. We accomplished that. We reached this audience.” Folks, no one is self-made—and I am no different. Thank you so much for being in my corner, for helping me pick myself up when things felt too hard, hopeless or overwhelming, and for inspiring me to continue to make sure this series, this community and this work reaches each and every person that needs it during these critical times. You’re the best, Colin!!

It’s hard to describe the level of warmth and safety this group is starting to emit… But I want to check in and see if it’s just me. Our next webinar specials are aptly titled: “Every Woman.” I’m looking forward to sharing more and announcing our topics and guests. You can get a head start on reserving your spot at our new $30 USD member drop-in rate (or $25/month subscription). All info in the classroom tab. But in the meantime: How is everyone doing this week? How did your February go? What current issues are on your mind? What are your accomplice level-up goals for the rest of this quarter? Most importantly, how can I support you? I’m listening. 🫶🏾

I’m looking for feedback, insight, and a bit of reassurance ahead of tomorrow’s March 1 new pricing structure rollout. Question: What is keeping you from attending our monthly webinar specials? Respond to the link poll below and add additional reflections in the comments. While you’re doing that, I’m going to get vulnerable with you all for a moment. Here’s the honest truth: I love bringing low-to-no cost opportunities to the community. It’s how I’ve always operated, even before creating a project devoted to change work, impact leadership, cross-cultural community-building. I truly believe that no one with the courage to open themselves to this uphill journey of becoming a better accomplice and servant leader should be shut out by cost. AND… I want us to have a real heart-to-heart about what it will take to get some more folks registering, contributing and attending the monthly webinar specials. To date, Dear White Women was our best run with 106 registrations and sponsored seats at $65/3-part series. The next best was our August pilot, with around 50 registrations at $24/one webinar. Those sales quite literally saved and leveled-up my business respectively—but ever since, between algorithms and economy panic, we have yet to even close to match either of those numbers. So, I was tasked by my marketing advisor to ask: What is holding you back? Because everyone here has accepted the invitation to join this group and the vast majority have paid, have been sponsored to join a webinar or are have participated a panel, I think you’re the best and most honest audience for this poll. Most of you know this series is SO valuable and special—and I don’t just want it to barely scrape by. I want it to thrive. We ALL deserve to have a space where we are heard and held in our journeys while the world is literally burning. Community and learning my power to persevere in spite of so much is what has made me who I am, and I want that for all of you. The good news is, the first pricing experiment will be with a LOWER price point to see if that helps those on the line for financial reasons.