I Have the Light of Freedom
Gathering for Black Female Justice Workers
Buckeyestown, MD
June 18-23

PLEASE PASS THE WORD TO BLACK WOMEN!

Please Pass the word to young black female justice workers and encourage them to apply. Send a Black female justice worker from your community, church, organization, group, club or school.

THE SPIRITHOUSE HOUSE PROJECT ANNOUNCES, "I HAVE THE LIGHT OF FREEDOM": A HISTORICAL AND GROUNDBREAKING SISTERALL GATHERING FOR BLACK FEMALE JUSTICE WORKERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 TO 35. THIS GATHERING WILL TAKE PLACE JUNE 18-23, 2006 AT THE BISHOP CLAGGETT CENTER IN BUCKEYESTOWN, MARYLAND. THE CENTER IS ONE HOUR OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON, DC.

PARTIAL LIST OF SPEAKERS

The "I Have The Light of Freedom" SisterAll speakers include young justice workers as well as older outstanding Black female long distance justice workers who continue to push and work for a more just society. They include:

• Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, cultural historian, founder of Sweet Honey In the Rock, musicologist, social critic, producer and director, and veteran of the Southern Freedom Movement;

• Kathleen Cleaver, a long distance runner for justice, lawyer, legal scholar, and global critic of COINTELPRO, author, and ex member of Black Panther Party;

• Jill Nelson, journalist and activist former writer for The Washington Post and author of many books including the best-selling, Straight, No Chaser: How I Became A Grown-Up Black Woman;

• Stacyann Chin, a fulltime artist, performer, cast member of Def Poetry Jam and author and performer of two off Broadway shows, Hands Afire, and Unspeakable Things;

• Rev. Dr. Renita Weems, ordained elder in the A.M.E. Church, teacher and Hebrew Scholar, and the author of several widely acclaimed books on women's spirituality and wholeness that include Just A Sister Away and I Asked for Intimacy;

• Dr. Paula Matabane, an award-winning media producer, published scholar, ordained minister, activist and educator in mass media, culture, and religion. Her new documentary memoir is "This Way Leads Home: Hair Like Wool, Feet Like Brass, The Search for Jesus."

• Dr. Barbara Ransby, activist, scholar, historian, social critic, and founder of the Black Radical Congress. Dr Ransby is an associate Professor of African American Studies and History and author of the award winning biography of Ella Baker entitled, Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement.

Please download application from www.thespirithouseproject.org beginning Monday, May 9, 2006.

Limited to forty women, the "I Have The Light Of Freedom" SisterAll is a community building project that calls together Black female scholars, activists, artists, students, workers, practitioners, and lay and ordained spiritual leaders between the ages of 18 and 35 who work for justice or who feel called to build up a non-violent movement that advances democracy in our community and in other communities. Furthermore, the SisterAll strengthens the connections between younger and older Black female justice workers. It renews our trust, respect, and intimacy so that we can build hospitable, just and life affirming environments where "we express the power of our collective voices in ways that add meaning and vitality to our lives" and the lives of others.

The following essential and overarching questions provide the fertile ground and the multidimensional tools (including spirituality and culture) for us to consider the short term and long term mission of using our gifts, skills and resources to build up our lives and the lives of others without tearing anyone down.

• What does it mean to be a young Black female justice worker in the 21st century, i.e. to encounter and address systemic injustice such as racism, sexism, classism and heterosexism?

• How do you address your gender needs and the needs of your community especially when you face demeaning stereotypes at home and in other communities?

• From what participatory models of leadership can you draw?

• How do we strengthen and democratize our coalitions with white groups while building coalitions with groups of color?

THE SPIRITHOUSE PROJECT AND ITS CO-CONVENERS

"I Have The Light Of Freedom" is a SpiritHouse project. SpiritHouse is a well known national non-profit ( www.thespirithouseproject.org) that brings diverse people together to build a non-violent movement that advances democracy by dismantling systemic injustice such as racism, sexism, heterosexism and classism. The director of The SpiritHouse Project and Co-Convener of the "I Have the Light of Freedom " gathering is Ruby Sales, a long distance runner for justice, veteran of The Southern Freedom Movement, public historian, spiritual leader, activist, seminarian graduate, history maker and social critic.

The other Co-Conveners are Martha Prescod Norman, long distance runner for justice, veteran of The Southern Freedom Movement, public historian, social critic and co-editor of a forthcoming anthology on the stories and voices of female veterans of the Southern Freedom Movement; and Gloria House, Professor of African American Studies, poet, social critic, activist and veteran of The Southern Freedom Movement.

LOCATION

"I Have The Light Of Freedom" SisterAll will take place at the Bishop Claggett Center in Buckeystown, Md. located approximately one hour outside of Washington, D.C. The Center offers a tranquil setting at a very reasonable rate that includes air conditioned cottages, three meals a day, bike and walking trails, meeting rooms, beautiful scenery, a chapel, a swimming pool, and an activity room for entertainment.

DIVERSITY

In choosing the forty participants, the organizers will keep in mind a range of variables that include geography, age, sexuality, class and personal statements. It is our intention to bring young Black women from different social, economic, sexual, political and spiritual locations together into a community of Black women who begin to collectively think of strategies that build up Black womens lives as we simultaneously build up the lives of our families, institutions, and communities.

COST AND SCHOLARSHIPS

The cost per participant for this five day SisterAll is $710: $330 for room and board and $380 for tuition and materials. Room and board includes housing and three meals a day. This cost does not include transportation to the SisterAll.

SpiritHouse wants to make it possible for a diverse group of Black women to attend this SisterAll by providing scholarships to young women who are financially challenged. We need your help. We strongly encourage you to ask your organization, job, school or church to sponsor you. Sponsors will be listed in all program booklets and will be listed on our web site. Application packets and requests for scholarship will be available to download from the SpiritHouse website by May 9, 2006.

You can download the complete list of speakers on the SpiritHouse website, www.thespirithouseproject.org, by May 9, 2006.

Thank You,
Ruby Sales
Founder and Director of The SpiritHouse Project
(www.thespirithouseproject.org)

Copyright © 2006
Last Modified: May 13, 2006.
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