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. 💛

The Accomplice Accelerator Webinar Series is officially back. On February 17, 18 and 19, we're doing this one as big as we can with a 3-part Centennial Celebration in honor of 100 years of US Black History Month. ➡️ Click here to pay what you can and secure your spot. ⬅️ This both is a CELEBRATION and a CALL-TO-ACTION. If you are ready to: ✅ Witness and honor our history with dignity ✅ Learn how to mobilize your privilege for good ✅ Understand how to process guilt without performance ✅ Strategize on how to be a better bystander in this socio-political climate ✅ Speak truth to power in the spaces where you hold power and privilege—including at home ...Then you need to be in this room. 👏🏾 Suggested contribution: $26 USD (enter your own amount from $10 USD to $10K USD) Global Black Community: your seat is on us. 🖤 Please DM me to reserve your spot —OR— you may pay it forward to a non-Black aspiring accomplice that is ready to be part of these important conversations! If you'd like to share information with someone outside of this community, please copy this link of the email blast that went out to our general mailing list yesterday. All links are included. Looking forward to seeing everyone and PLEASE help us spread the word. Let the countdown begin!

We had a fabulous inaugural town hall & support session today. Appreciate these lovely ladies for holding it down when I needed to step away to put out a small family fire! While we didn't record the whole session, there was a really great question/reflection that I wanted to be sure to capture. With permission from @Cheryl Wozniak and @Kristin Bigras, I wanted to share this clip. In matters of accompliceship in turbulent times when it seems like no one is being spared, it's important for us to remember that no matter how close an incident hits to home, social dynamics continue to exist. While we are all impacted and no two lived experiences are exactly alike, recognizing these dynamics and knowing when to decenter (and stay out of the center, period) is critical to the effectiveness of your advocacy. While you may *feel* a sense of identity, deep empathy or parallelism with a particular struggle, it's not always right for the moment to lead with this conversation—especially if you are of a predominantly privileged background or are in a position to guide or coach others through a difficult experience. It IS, however, important to use that gut emotion as information to guide a line of questioning that keeps the marginalized individual at the center of the issue being discussed. Use empathy as a catalyst, not a cover. Let me know what comes up for you as you hear this clip. 💛 A reminder that we'll be back next Thursday 1/22, same time (1pm CST/8pm CEST) for our next session. Link to register in the calendar tab. Looking forward to seeing more of you there!