Post Event Reflection: Soulful Breakfast Conversation and Writer's Workshop with Dr. Gale Jackson
"I thought it was too late to follow my heart and write poetry. Now, I know that it is exactly the right time. Thank you, BlackFemaleProject!" - Event Attendee
On September 15th, BlackFemaleProject hosted a Soulful Breakfast Conversation and Writer's Workshop with Dr. Gale Jackson at Busboys and Poets’ Brookland location in Washington, D.C. As a poet, writer, storyteller, cultural historian, interdisciplinary artist, scholar, and educator, Gale is part of longstanding African diaspora griot traditions. She works in language and art making; story and journey; history and memory; performance, imagination; and community cultivation and social transformation.
We gathered an intimate and intergenerational group of 25 Black women to learn from Gale, first in her conversation with BlackFemaleProject board member Ché Abram, and then as she led us through an expressive writing experience. Our prompt was to write a poem to, for, or in the voice of one of the ancestors we’d called into the space earlier in our session. The feeling of healing was palpable as participants cracked themselves open in beautiful ways.
Key Takeaways:
There is power in spaces where you feel safe to share from the depths of your heart.
Despite the presenter’s different career paths, there was overlap and synergy in how their work was framed which created space for attendees to connect.
Through poetry and song, we honored the true spirit of the Black community and the varied ways we use our voices to tell our stories.
We are grateful to have been invited to join the 2024 Black Caucus festivities. Members of our team were able to attend workshops and events that helped connect our work to other Black organizations and communities within the larger movement for racial justice and social change.
We invite you to get your hands on Gale’s book, Bridge Suite: Narrative Poems Based on the Lives of African and African American Women in the Early History of These New Black Nations and enjoy the powerful poem, “Things” by Eloise Greenfield, that was read at the event as inspiration.
Your support makes it possible to offer transformative programs like these for free to Black women across the country. Donate now and invest in a world where Black women thrive at work and beyond.
