Introductions!

Hi folks! I'm Jabari. I've been facilitating BLMGB meetings from the start and I'm interested in growing our community, facilitating healing, and building collective leadership among POC. I've been a resident of Burlington for 2 years, working full time as a baker, with a background in activism and art.

Hi Everybody! Katrina here. I started working with BLMGB because I recognized a need I had (personally) for non-white community in social & racial justice work. I'm hoping to help build that in a healthy way here in VT for not only myself, but more importantly for black youth in my community as well. I'm a passionate Type-A INTJ with a background in youth work, nonprofit administration & Christian ministry.

Hi! I'm Amanda. I moved to Milton in January 2017 and have since moved to Westford. I have been an equine veterinarian for five years. I became involved with the Milton Inclusion and Diversity Initiative (MIDI) and subsequently with BLMGB over the last year. I felt compelled to become a part of social and racial justice organizing so I would be less complicit in perpetuating the oppression that I'd like to help dismantle.

Helloooo! I'm Akash. I moved to Burlington from South Florida around 3 years ago. I am a musician, training aerialist, and I like to dabble in visual arts. I currently work with kids at an Elementary school. I am here to become a part of BLMGB so that I can learn and have the opportunity to help dismantle the oppressive structures that are so embedded in everything. I have been working with kids for a little over a year now, and the more time I spend in that space the more I realize the importance for role models that are loud, proud POCs. I want to learn as much as I can so that I have the best tools to approach the wide and varied nuances of racism in conversation and in action. I would like to make an impact.

Hi everyone, I’m Deirdre Yee, I’ve been a member of this collective for a little while, and I’ve been very grateful and happy to connect with the wonderful people I’ve met and gotten a chance to work with here. I live in Colchester, Vermont, I’m from Montpelier, Vermont area originally. Growing up in Vermont was an interesting experience, race is always the biggest part of your identity if you aren’t white. It’s so homogenous here and the state is so focused on our own progressive, quirky identity. When you encounter microaggressions or ridicule or hostility, sometimes the most harmful part is when you tell well-meaning white folks who should be allies, who are either disbelieving or suspect you misunderstood or unbelievably shocked in a way that shows they don’t see any of this happening to POC. I’m Asian and mixed race, and I think this group is important to our community and it has tremendous value for me, personally, as a community here in Vermont that is working to lift that veil and change things, and most importantly, to fight so that black people can thrive bodily, economically and socially. I’m acting as the Information Coordinator at the moment, which entails setting up templates for our notes, taking notes when possible, delegating when that makes sense, and trying to make sure our group sees the updates and asks and action items coming out of our meetings. I’ve got a job in software, remote, and it means I travel a fair amount for work. So sometimes I’m a weird online presence only. That fluctuates with the seasons, so I’ll definitey be back! Looking forward to everything that’s ahead!

Hi Everyone! I'm Marianne. I've lived in Vermont for 7 years. I was a social studies teacher in a rural part of the state for 5 of those years. I found student and adult inability to discuss race and racism, the white washing of history that happened in classrooms, and the racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, and on and on that was present in the school and community to be frustrating, heartbreaking, and isolating. I'm here for community and because I believe that white folks need to be active in dismantling heteronormative cisnormative imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, in which I am complicit and I can do better. I want to be a part of building the world we need now. I am also interested in learning how to sustain wellness and foster healing for those engaged in justice work.

My name is Wafic Faour. While I do not regularly attend meetings, I will always consider myself a member of BLMGB. Living in a predominantly white “liberal” state, with the second highest rate of incarceration for people of color in the country, I cannot be a bystander. I am Palestinian and I see the Black struggle as part of our struggle, with many parallels. My belief is that there can be no significant progress facing Palestinians, Indigenous people, Black and Brown people, migrants, LGBTQ people, and poor whites without working together across coalitions, especially on matters that arise that require urgent action. In solidarity!

My name is Courtney Fleisher. I began attending WCCL meetings late summer (2018) and have been to one Collective meeting so far. I moved to Vermont 7 years ago after living in Chicago for 5 years (and having grown up in the Chicago area). I was privileged to serve on a multiracial team of psychologists providing trauma-focused care to a predominantly black population of children and families on the south side of Chicago. Flawed as it was, our team invested resources into addressing issues around race within our group and between our therapists and clientele as we provided care to the community. I am so thankful for the relationships I built there with mentors who helped me begin my self-reflective journey toward collective liberation. I am forever in awe of families of color that allowed a white girl to join with them in their journey to restoring hope and peace in their lives and relationships as they healed from the trauma they were experiencing. It was a true loss for me to come to a much more homogeneous environment, and it has taken me awhile to find my way to a community that encourages, supports, and holds me accountable in my continued journey toward confronting my own racism and using my privilege to transform the Burlington area into a community that achieves the mission of BLM-GB. As a psychologist, I am interested in furthering healing justice for POC and making change in local institutions to help them be more accessible and less harmful to POC. As someone who loves to prepare and enjoy food in community, I am excited to participate with the WCCL in preparing nourishment for the POC gatherings.

Hey Everyone! My Name is Hannah Brislin. I joined the Collective last April and have been active with this group on and off since then. I am in school so there are times when my participation is limited. I have been a social activist for 10 years and have worked with multiple organizations in our area, as well as in other states I have lived in.