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!

Is anyone one else having issues joining? Have the link?

Hi Everyone. I was meditating this morning and probably percolating about community yesterday and was thinking about the Five Minute Club. Since my focus has niched to overwhelm in mainly physical spaces and I know the power of taking five minutes I 💭 of this. Maybe it starts as a one week challenge in a private group like Telegram. Free to join with a VIP 30 minute session. I know I have shiny object syndrome so curious if there is any interest and if yes any thoughts about making a post. Like what is the problem that this solves. It's only the beginning of getting organized since it doesn't address systems but it does feel good

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. Do you need spelunking gear to get to your kid's room? Are they always forgetting assignments or their backpack? There's help for you. Would love about 12 of you to help me beta test my project. It could be 60 to 90 minutes. If you're in, please comment HELP and some potential days and times. Please let me know your time zone. I'm in EST Picture description: gif of a green dinosaur picking up papers off their desk.