Land, Liberation, & Decolonization
November at RYSE is Land, Liberation, & Decolonization Month. As we return from the Thankstaking holiday and share our organization’s strides and moments of joy, we wish to honor the land and labor of tribal communities past and present, as well as all Black and Brown communities who have faced enslavement, violence, displacement, incarceration, or any other form of alienation in the formation of this country.
Credit: Sonaksha Iyengar (CC-BY)
Land Acknowledgement:
- We acknowledge that we are residing on tribal lands of those who have lived on this land time immemorial.
- For so many of our communities, we have been disconnected, displaced, and dispossessed from our lands.
- Many of us have also been forced or driven to lands that others were forced or driven from.
- And many of us also are on this land as settlers, through histories of conquest.
Labor Acknowledgement:
- We acknowledge the unpaid, unhonored, and exploited labor of Black, Brown, and minoritized communities.
- We acknowledge the systems of economic exploitation still going on today, across the globe, across the County.
- In honoring the labor, we honor the fortitude, the resilience, the resistance, the expression and creativity of our ancestors and our living kin.
RYSE is proud to be the home and partner of the Young Women’s Freedom Center (YWFC) in Richmond.
For nearly 30 years, YWFC has provided support, mentorship, training, employment, and advocacy to young women and trans youth of all genders across California who have grown up in poverty, experienced the juvenile legal and foster care systems, have had to survive living and working on the streets, and who have experienced significant violence in their lives.
One of the first efforts YWFC embarked on in Contra Costa County was joining forces with RYSE and the Safe Return Project to stop the expansion of juvenile hall and closure of the Ranch due to lack of input from community and youth. While the Board of Supervisors ignored advocacy efforts, we continue to organize and advocate that Probation work with the community to enact a community-based, youth-inclusive plan moving forward. Together, we demand community-based alternatives that will prioritize the safety and well-being of young people.
Tumani Drew, YWFC Contra Costa County Program Coordinator, says YWFC is excited to be building a fierce team of youth leaders in the county. In the month of November, they held four (4) youth focus groups to better understand the needs of young people.
RYSE is excited to share space with an anchor partner so entrenched in our shared values of facilitating youth power, fostering safe, healing spaces, and committing to racial equity and justice. In our dedication to system-impacted youth of many identities, we are honored to contribute to and learn from Young Women Freedom Center’s mission of supporting young people navigating harmful systems.
November at RYSE: Program and Campus Highlights
Our RYSing Souls Altar, and Pan de Muerto made by youth and staff in honor of Día de los Muertos.
Tasty Tuesday Cooking Workshops: RYSE Pizzeria 🍕
A beautiful autumn sunset from the upper deck on campus and progress made on the Health Justice Center!
RYSE staff painting their self-portraits for RYSE's Community Portrait installation, a display and celebration of RYSE staff, partners, and members.
Our Media, Arts, & Culture department was deep in creation, making mini pillows in the latest Fashion & Media pop-up, and writing and editing in preparation for Youth Art Exchange's Annual Youth Arts Summit!
RYSE teamed up with Rainbow Community Center to provide FREE CONFIDENTIAL STD testing!
Program Flyer for our new Youth Anti-Displacement Storytelling Project.
