The transition into Spring comes with lovely reminders of how growth and transformation can come only after some level of stillness and shedding. In our contemporary capitalist culture, we're rarely encouraged to be still. And especially for entrepreneurial women like so many in our network, it can seem impossible to allow ourselves to really rest.

My area of work has always been in education and education-adjacent nonprofits, but currently I work at an organization that does workforce development around supporting underserved communities and introducing them into the tech sector.

Black Women At Work — On Refusal and Recovery

“Who do you want to be this year?” This is the question that BlackFemaleProject communications program consultant and founder of WildFiya, Afiya Shani, posed to attendees of our New Year Visioning Workshop. On January 25, 2023, BlackFemaleProject members came together to answer this central question in service of manifesting their dreams.

BlackFemaleProject understands the immense value in telling our stories, and honors the unique power that comes from the profound experience of being a Black woman. Our work is equally grounded in the resonance of shared experience and the expansive potential of bringing together women with diverse journeys and perspectives. By listening to and learning from one another, we're able to reflect and refine our own roadmaps.

At BlackFemaleProject, we feel honored to carry on the legacy of community care passed down to us by our ancestors. In February, as we see and hear more presence to the powerful lineage and history of Black people in America, we welcome Black History Month as we do every month: by listening, learning, and celebrating the vastness of our collective and individual experiences. The legacy of service we inherited is evident in the everyday commitment of Black educators.

I think everyone should be dedicated to uplifting the voices of Black women and providing a space where they can be heard and seen. The world is a better place for it. 

On January 12, 2023, BlackFemaleProject community members came together for Own Your Story, a workshop presented by brand strategist, Olivia Christian.

In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. day of service, we are reflecting on our service to the community. As Dr. King said, if you want to serve, all you need is a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.

Our offering to you at the top of 2023 is our 2nd annual wellness calendar.

As we welcome the opportunity for fresh beginnings that the new year offers, we also honor the reality that our journeys continue on from year to year. While you reflect on years past, set intentions for your next chapter, and presence yourself in your everyday life, BlackFemaleProject is here in support of your wellness.

When you create the space to imagine beyond the day-to-day grind and the need to simply keep up, what possibilities can you dream up for your life? What world do you want for yourself, your family, and your communities?

I believe in the mission for BlackFemaleProject because it is the nurturing space I needed as a Black woman and as a part of America’s workforce.

I’m a connector. I’ve worked in marketing, in branding, and for ad agencies. I’ve led PR teams and I've led experiential teams that do events. 

While it seems like second nature to charge our cell phones, water our plants, and feed our families, we're not always so quick to prioritize taking care of our own basic needs. Self-care is radical.

This year, BlackFemaleProject has focused on implementing our 2022-2024 strategic plan. We’re diligently working to build our organizational capacity, and our goal for the coming few years is to transition from an emerging to an established nonprofit organization.

We embrace the interconnectedness of all of us—the fact that our individual wellness contributes to the well-being of the collective society.

Sharing our stories helps us to acknowledge and process our own experiences; be seen and heard by others; and contextualize the barriers and challenges we face as patterns that are not personal to us.