TCE's "Building Healthy Communities" Launches "Grassroots Womxn Rising" Convening

By Miranda Ynez

Miranda Ynez at the Grassroots Womxn Rising in the Bay area for SHG.

Over the weekend of March 17-18, 2019, I joined hundreds of women and girls from across California on behalf of Self Help Graphics & Art, to participate in the first ever “Grassroots Womxn Rising” convening. This first statewide conference hosted hundreds of resilient womxn of color involved with the California Endowment’s health equity campaign, “Building Healthy Communities” (BHC), that included 14 other BHC chapters throughout California.

This two day assembly was full of a list of panels about collective action for social change in areas such as housing, homelessness, gentrification, elections, Census 2020, LGBTQ+, mobilizing a statewide network, self care, skill-building around public speaking, reclaiming local government, advocacy, asset mapping, restorative justice in our communities; and above all, womxn leadership and empowerment.

Kim Carter, the founder of Time for Change Foundation, left us in attendance with the most valuable lesson to be learned when she said, “We don't rise apart, we RISE together. It's time for CHANGE.” Through this all, we were able to validate themselves in accepting the truth, 'Your Voice is Your Power', to be a changemaker, to uplift our sisters - our youth, and that we, as womxn, ARE enough.

I was proud to represent SHG as a member of the Boyle Heights Building Healthy Communities working group at Grassroots Womxn Rising. Participating in community oriented campaigns supporting our youth reaffirms the mission of Self Help Graphics & Art, and helps us build a network of solidarity for our youth.

On behalf of Self Help Graphics & Art, I would like to thank the California Endowment, Urban Habitat, and the Womens Foundation of California for supporting womxn leadership and power, in addition to planning and bringing together girls and womxn from across California. It’s clear that California is full of determined womxn & gender non-conforming folks leading the way to create healthy communities.

Find out more about the Grassroots Womxn Rising convening on their website:

https://urbanhabitat.org/grassroots-womxn-rising.

Miranda Ynez is a Self Help Graphics & Art Project Manager and an Arts Management

professional committed to increasing participation in the arts and culture through our local

communities. Story edited by Jennifer Cuevas.