Restful Leaders
DecompressLounge and WellnessSalon
The Restful Leaders DecompressLounge and WellnessSalon is a space for participants to step away from the intensity of the conference to relax and recalibrate as needed.
Mind Easing Activities
There will be plenty of options to help relax the mind like coloring books, and puzzles. A selection of reading books, water coloring pages, writing utensils, handheld stress relievers and more.
NappingNooks
There will be napping nooks available for folks to take their shoes off, relax their feet, lay down and rest themselves deeply or just enough to decompress and reenergize themselves.
MakersStation
The MakersStation invites guests to make their own tea blends, bath salts, and herbal blends!
Conference Experiential Spaces
We Tell Our Own Stories: Reproductive Justice Oral Histories
Georgia Dusk: a southern liberation oral history is an intergenerational counter-narrative to the mainstream depiction of Georgia politics and the southern liberation movement. We document the long history of resistance, struggle, and organizing in Georgia where an intersection of grassroots movements led by Black feminists has created a legacy of community networks, organizing strategies, and resources for healing in response to constant state repression. SPARK RJ is one of the central organizations within this legacy.
Georgia Dusk will host oral history recording sessions each day during the JusticeNOW2024 conference. This project captures the rich history of resistance, struggle, and liberation in Georgia, emphasizing the intersection of Black feminist-led grassroots movements. It serves as a counter-narrative to mainstream depictions of Southern politics by collecting oral histories that reflect the legacy of organizing, healing, and resilience against state repression.
Inspired by the Combahee River Collective, this project centers the voices of Black queer and feminist Southerners, reclaiming their stories and historical representation. Participants are empowered as collective owners of their shared history, contributing to a growing community archive.
Participants will record a 15-minute mini-oral history during the JusticeNOW2024 Conference.
The oral history interviews provide elements of history that are often not apparent in traditional archival documents or dominant media. The interviews enable participants to reclaim the narrative and historical representation of reproductive justice organizing and movement building. Each participant will receive a copy of the recorded oral histories, which will also go to the Georgia Dusk archive (and website) and to SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW.
*Please note: These interviews will be recorded on audio; by signing up you are giving consent to your story being used in SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW materials.
Interviews will take place in a revived school bus during conference programming. Please sign up for an interview slot here and Georgia Dusk will be in touch with you!
Use our Google Cander link here to schedule oral history appointments
Session Schedule:
- Friday, Nov. 15th: 10:00a – 1:00p | 1:1 oral history interviews.
- Saturday, Nov. 16th: 9:00a-12:00n & 1:00p-4:00p | Participatory story circles.
- Sunday, Nov. 17th: 11:00a-2:00p | 1:1 oral history interviews.
About Georgia Dusk
Ashby Combahee (s/he/they) is a Black queer memory worker from the South, currently serving as a librarian and archivist at the Highlander Research and Education Center. Ashby has worked on numerous oral history projects, including the New York Public Library’s Community Oral History Project and the Georgia Transgender Oral History Project. Committed to preserving collective memory, Ashby uses oral history as a tool for reflection and dialogue, emphasizing its importance in sustaining political movements.
Dartricia Rollins (she/her) is a Queer, Black, Southern organizer and cultural worker. She works as a Bookseller at Charis Books and More and Assistant Director of Charis Circle. Dartricia is deeply involved in reproductive justice, serving on the board of Access-Reproductive Care-Southeast and as a member of the Black Alliance for Peace. She highlights the significance of storytelling and documentation for Black queer organizers in the South, bridging literary arts and community organizing.
Georgia Dusk serves as an intergenerational counter-narrative to mainstream depictions of Georgia politics, documenting Black queer and feminist-led grassroots movements to reclaim the historical representation of liberation in the region.
Freedom2Choose MarketPlace
The Freedom2Choose MarketPlace is a local shopping experience that occurs onsite at the conference. It will host local and Black vendors from across the city giving Convening participants an opportunity to support local Black business in one convenient onsite location.
Freedom Market centers Black women and LGBTQI vendors first and foremost. It consists of vendors that offer a variety of goods that are earth friendly, culturally relevant, for the home, office, body, spirit, etc.
JusticeNOW2024 Art Gallery
Participants will have an opportunity to stroll through an art display of archived images from the years of work with said host organization. A picture story will give participants a visual glimpse into the impact the organization has had and allow for them to recall their contributions to the work.