See the Rise + Thrive Roundtable
What a time to be alive and celebrating International Women’s Day! On March 8, the Rise + Thrive Roundtable was a powerful conversation on resourcing rest and radical care with Minnesota leaders in healing justice. The discussion underscored the resounding importance of changing our systems to make space for wholeness and connection as we resource rest and healing.
As we have seen through uprisings to pandemics to threats on our reproductive rights, holistic well-being is critical to sustaining movements. Women, girls, and gender-expansive people have long been at the forefront of those movements — leading the way with grit and joy — yet investing in their rest and well-being has been minimal.
Women’s Foundation President & CEO Gloria Perez led a conversation with Minnesota practitioners leading movements for healing and justice:
- Suzanne Koepplinger, Healing Justice Philanthropic Leader & Founder of Catalyst North Consulting
- Amoke Kubat, Northside Healer & Artist of Yo Mama’s House
- Rebeka Ndosi, Holistic Healing Practitioner & Teacher
- Joo Hee Pomplun, Body Worker & Executive Director of The Alliance
In response to our ongoing research and listening, we invest in our impact area of holistic well-being & reproductive justice through policy, research, and grantmaking to ensure that women, girls, and gender-expansive people are well, with maternal and infant health, reproductive justice, and healing. Our investments address the impacts of structural racism and respond to community-specific needs with grantmaking for support, healing, and restoration for women, girls, and families affected by trauma, violence, erasure, and harm.
As Suzanne Koepplinger perfectly summed up, “Philanthropy needs to take the risk and invest in healing practices to be truly responsive to what communities have been telling us.” The COVID era has been “a fierce teacher” affirmed Amoke Kubat.
This is only the beginning of more conversations as we grow new narratives in what truly defines healing justice. Our hope is that the conversation brings you closer to what it takes to build a culture of collective care.
At the event, we made the special announcement that for our 40th anniversary this year, in honor of our impact area of holistic well-being, we’re making 40 investments in the powerful people of Black, Indigenous, and people of color-led organizations across all of our impact areas. We are committed to investing in this journey of healing justice as we transform our systems for the better, and we look forward to having you alongside us.
Learn how you can join a culture of bold feminist generosity at wfmn.org/giving
