The Power of Community

Last week’s Navigating Harmful Workplaces Networking event filled my cup. I felt at ease being in a room full of supportive Black and racialized women. I met so many new people who were genuinely happy to be in the same space to unpack racism and discrimination within the workplace. I am so grateful to the panelists for breaking the ice by being vulnerable, honest, and generous in their sharing of lessons they have learned. The panel discussion opened the door for many of you to also share your stories and lessons organically.

Left to right - Dr. Sadia Sony, Jessica Frederique, Deepi Minhas, Jephtee Elysee, and Naika Thomas

Upon reflection, I came away with multiple lessons.

1)  Our upbringing can only take us so far. Many of us shared that we were raised to put our heads down and work hard no matter what challenges are thrown at us. For many of us, including myself, I think my parents believed that not naming or dwelling on racism/discrimination and instead focusing on the work is the only way to move forward, given our limited power to change our circumstances.

However, we acknowledged as a group that this doesn’t work in the long term as racism, sexism, and discrimination harms our physical and mental health as well as depletes us. I have tremendous respect for my parents and the lessons they taught me, but I recognize my need for additional models and lessons to navigate my experiences of racism and discrimination in a more sustainable fashion.

2)  We need to act as confident white men. Another discussed theme was our lack of confidence to ask for what is rightfully ours. Whether that be salary increases, additional resources to do our work, and so forth. Many of us have made ourselves small and invisible to avoid ‘ruffling any feathers’ and we don’t ask for help when others would.

3)  We are least likely to be mentored. The lack of mentorship for specifically Black and racialized women within workplaces has limited our abilities to progress to leadership levels compared to our white counterparts. Even when we reach leadership levels, there continues to be limited support and mentorship for us.

Mentorship is more likely to occur when we belong to the same network as our leaders as it is easier for them to see us for leadership roles and for us to communicate our desires to be mentored. When we don’t belong to the same network, which is many of our cases, it is easy for us to be unseen and harder for us to reach out.

 4)  Lastly, we need each other! The discussion around the need to support, mentor, and lift each other up was powerful! This will support our career progressions and overcome many of our experiences of racism and discrimination.

An important goal of colonization was to create division amongst us to weaken our abilities to fight back and resist our oppressors. Sadly, this division between and within our communities (moreso between women) has harmed us, caused distrust, and left us with limited capacities to build each other up when the system pushes us down.     

I left the session with even more conviction that spaces for Black and racialized women to be themselves and in community are powerful and healing! My goal with QueensConnected is to curate spaces for Black and racialized women and support the development of a healthier and stronger community of women that is more whole together.

UsNow 2019 Conference, Hamilton ON

Launch of the Sisterhood Community

In addition to QueensConnected’s yearly in person and hybrid events (dance parties, networking event, and yearly conference), the Sisterhood Community will officially launch in two weeks to provide more opportunities to build relationships, stay connected, and grow together.

The Sisterhood Community consists of virtual discussions on social and health topics that impact Black and racialized women. Many if not most of us haven’t had the chance to discuss numerous topics that impact our day-to-day lives in a safe, supportive, and exploratory fashion. Topics such as sexuality, sexual health, relationships, racism & discrimination, parenting, and mental health from our lived experiences vs mainstream, clinical, or academic perspectives we interact with daily.  

The virtual gatherings will provide safer space to explore these topics without judgement. Sessions will be moderated by Naïka Thomas or in partnership with a guest expert to facilitate meaningful learnings and conversations.

Virtual gatherings

• 2 hours in length and 5 times per year (May, September, November, January, and March)

• Facilitated by Naika Thomas - Registered Public Health Nurse with more than 15 years experience facilitating groups

• Include a 30-minute presentation at the beginning to provide context and background. The remaining 1.5 hours will be an informal discussion amongst members on the topic.

• Intimate and confidential virtual space (max 20 people) to allow for meaningful conversation and to build relationships.

There are multiple ways for you to experience the Sisterhood Community (see table below). Memberships will go on sale in two weeks!

Note: finances should not be a barrier for participation. Payment plans are available as well as Pay What You Can option, please reach out to queensconnected@gmail.com to access the Sisterhood Community discussion or any of QueensConnected’s in person events.

Sisterhood Community Member Pricing

* You can select one or many mentors from a list of Black and racialized female leaders with multiple and intersecting identities (i.e. mothers, newcomers, people with disabilities, gender diverse folks, etc.).

**Check-in with Naika to explore your membership goals and answer questions from the virtual gatherings

Join the waitlist for the latest news and to be the first to sign up.