I have had the good fortune of experiencing incredible teachers and learning environments in my life. I specifically say “learning environments” because, while I have worked with literal teachers, I also cannot deny the unique power of community.
My QTBIPOC community is my biggest teacher. The continued love and honesty that my friends bring to this world fills me with overflowing joy. As QTBIPOC people, we often navigate extremely challenging life events, but our ability to ride the waves of change and still make it to the dance floor will never cease to impress me.
If you are my homie, please know that I cherish you, even if we have fallen out of contact. I will always treasure our moments of joy and the way that we create home together.
One of my teachers, Kenneth Jover, often speaks about how the love of his teachers is what qualifies him to do what he does. I feel very similarly.
It is the love of my community that qualifies me and inspires me to engage in the work of community building and conflict navigation. May we all find our way home to each other, into a community of overflowing love and belonging.
I am so excited to recognize and uplift the many teachers, communities, possibility models, and divine inspirations I have crossed paths with during this life!
Unity Church of Charleston
Mirror Memoirs
School of the Ecocene
Speaking4Profit University
Kenneth Jover
Chilean Mustain
Miller
Evolve Benton
The Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective
Creative Interventions
Aly Maun
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Rashida KhanBey Miller
Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Shira Hassan
Prentis Hemphill
Esther Perel
Accountability Mapping
Kai Cheng Thom