Ujima Wednesdays in September: Herstory in the Making with SISTA Fire

This September, in our Ujima Wednesdays series Herstory in the Making: Building Power with Women & Nonbinary People, we are learning from SISTA Fire. SISTA Fire is a Rhode Island based organization co-creating a network of women of color and non-binary people of color to build collective power for social, economic, and political transformation.

We’ll explore how they approach political education, organizing strategy, and community connection, to understand how  gender justice becomes a force for systemic change when rooted in collective action.

Join us on Wednesday September 3 and September 10 at 6PM on Zoom or in person at the Shirley-Eustis House. Learn more and RSVP below!

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SISTA Fire: Organizing with Vision and Fire | September 3

Sista Fire is building a movement led by women and nonbinary people of color in Rhode Island who are organizing for deep and lasting change. Their work is grounded in collective care, political education, and a strong belief in the power of community leadership.

In this session, SISTA Fire will explore how gender impacts our relationships to power and how they build solidarity across experiences towards collective liberation guided by Black Feminist Praxis. This is a chance to learn how a gender and racial justice lens can shape powerful organizing from the ground up.

SISTA Fire: Organizing with Vision and Fire | September 10

Too often, advocacy groups speak on behalf of directly impacted groups without directly engaging them. SISTA Fire is clear that women and nonbinary people of color can speak for ourselves.

Through community-based participatory action research (CBPAR), SISTA Fire puts women & nonbinary people of color in the driver seat of their own storytelling and data collection. SISTA Fire used this strategy to take on Black maternal health disparities at RI’s primary birthing hospital.

In this session, SISTA Fire will share how they utilize community-based participatory action research to craft policy and culture change to transform conditions for women & nonbinary people of color. 

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About our Facilitators

Ditra Edwards is the Co-founder and Director of SISTA Fire, a powerful grassroots organization building the collective power of women and non-binary people of color in Rhode Island. A proud Black woman born and raised in Providence, Ditra brings over 25 years of experience in racial and economic justice work.

Justice Gaines (xe/xem) serves as the Political Education Coordinator & Trainer at SISTA Fire, building with women & nonbinary people of color towards social, political, and economic transformation.