Loving across lines of difference
I am an iyaloriṣa, an initiate and practitioner of Yoruba traditionalism. I have studied Afro-diasporic movement arts for thirteen years. I majored in Africana Studies. I work at a Brazilian cultural center and am married to a Brazilian partner.
My most recent ancestors are settlers from Ireland and Taiwan. I look different from both my Irish and my Taiwanese family members. One of the most frequent questions I answered as a child was "What are you?"
Difference has been unavoidable in my life, and an incredible blessing. I embody the portal between two island cultures sparkling with magic. Ifá and Afro-diasporic movement saved my life.
I live and love across difference every day. One thing I know to be true is that "there can be no love without justice" (bell hooks). Reaching my love across difference requires honesty about power and history.
I'm sharing the framework that guides my path as a trauma-informed healer. I expand upon it in the podcast episode linked to the graphic below. If you use this framework, cite me. I also invite reciprocity for the years of labor that went into distilling these guidelines.
I hold myself to these same standards:
When I teach Afro-diasporic movement, I return resources to Black teachers
I transcribed, edited and published Afro-Brazilian priestess Ebomi Cici's book such that the elder receives proceeds from book events and royalties, with the Portuguese version available for free
I transcribed/edited my teacher Baba Fasegun's books
I commissioned Ifá practitioner and artist Pierre Ciofassa to make a statue of the Yoruba prophet Orunmila for the Brown University Office of the Chaplain and Religious Life, the first Afro-diasporic icon present in the space
I wrote grants to bring Baba Fasegun to lecture at Brown, then published the video and transcript along with the blog and reading list for the Yoruba Religion and Afro-diasporic Freedom Struggles course I developed
I handled logistics for international sales of Orixá dolls for master artisan Iya Bezita d'Oxum
I work for racial justice-focused organizations in cultural preservation, housing justice and educational equity
I do not profit from my studies of Afro-diasporic movement and spirituality. To support myself, I am training in my Chinese ancestral healing modalities. I invite folks who have the means to compensate me as I reclaim and share the medicine of my lineage.
I am committed to community care. Here are my current love offerings:
Embodiment and Stillness Practice with Rest for Resistance