The uncomfortable conversation we are GOING to have...

Back in August I wrote about an exchange my friend, Nikki of Global Alliance Solutions, and I had online about the upcoming Women’s Convention. The result was that Nikki and I decided that we would work together to create an alternative way for women - particularly those whom could not, or would not, attend the Convention - to come together to have some uncomfortable, but needed, conversations about how race, privilege, history, socioeconomics and biases have shaped the way women come together in community.

Or rather, shaped the way we don’t come together.

Nikki and I played phone tag for the better part of August trying to get some ideas together… and then the conversation stalled. It happens when you have two women who are doing their best to impact the world with only 24 hours in a day. I knew we’d get there eventually.

Enter Renee of Pastel in Plymouth... 

“Hey,” she wrote to me in an email at the beginning of September. “Want to do something the weekend of the Women’s Convention? I can’t afford to go, but I still want to talk.” She included Megan and Ashleigh of Femology in Detroit the thread. I added Nikki. Soon thefive of us were talking.

Because women are fucking awesome like this.

Nikki, Renee, Ashleigh, Megan and I have spent the better part of the last month brainstorming about what we can do together as four small businesses dedicated to empowering women. We even had a few conversations with members of the local Women’s Convention committee along the way. It quickly became clear that no one wanted to compete with each other - we were more interested in complementing each other’s work.

And because women are also fucking awesome like this.

I am thrilled to share that the SheHive, along with Femology, Global Alliance Solutions and Pastel will be hosting a weekend-long series, the weekend after theWomen’s Convention. 

Each experience in the Explore. Enlighten. Evolve. weekend will include a facilitated discussion and, more importantly, space to create a personal call-to-action detailing how we each can work to create more inclusive communities. You can attend any single event for as little as $10 or the whole weekend for $40. (The SheHive has a limited scholarship fund for women that want to attend, but cannot afford to do so. Just drop me an email.) 

Explore.Our first night, Friday, November 3rd, we’ll meet at Femology in downtown Detroit to discuss and take action on how our history has shaped our relationships with each other.

Enlighten.Saturday, November 4th, we’ll meet at Pastel in Plymouth to discuss and take action on how our the stereotypes, both negative and positive, that exist in our subconscious affect our behaviors and how we interact.

Evolve.And on Sunday, November 5th, we’ll meet at the SheHive in Ferndale to discuss and take action on how we create more inclusive communities for all women in metro Detroit.
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Reunion.Everyone that attends any part of this weekend will be invited to gather in mid-February for a 90-day check-in. More details about the reunion gathering will be released in early January.

I invite you to learn more about our weekend, to get involved, to sign up and to spread the word.

​Visit http://womensactioncollective.com/ for more details. I look forward to having some inspiring conversations with you and, most importantly, working with you to create tangible ways in which we can all work together.

With much love and gratitude,

Ursula Adams, MSPOD
SheHive Founder