Standards of Care

We heal in community.

And, co-creating community requires truth-telling, accountability & consent.

Below are my mission, vision, values and Standards of Care.

vision

To create a world where all queer, trans and disabled Black and Indigenous women, femmes & gender expansive folx are & feel cared for, healed & liberated.

Mission

Through writing, speaking, consulting & space holding, I: (a) activate & support Black & Brown lightworkers; and (b) cultivate & co-create belonging, liberation & healing for queer, trans & disabled Black, Indigenous & other melanated folx of the global majority.

My spaces center queer, trans, mad, neurospicy, sick and/or disabled Black and Indigenous beings, our well-being and liberation, but/and all aligned folx are welcome.

Values

1) Black & Indigenous Solidarity and Liberation

2) Love (the bell hooks kind)

3) Community Care

4) Intersectionality

5) Abolition & Transformative Justice

My Standards of Care…

  • B+W Photo of Rachel wearing gold crown and smiling

    LOVE

    We strive to love ourselves & each other using the bell hooks kinda love, aka “the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.” It requires care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment, trust, and honest, open communication.

  • B+W photo of Rachel on a stoop in Brooklyn wearing a leopard print dress with hair in braids and big hoops, smiling at the camera

    INTEGRITY

    We strive to be impeccable with our word & share from/with truth, to say what we mean & mean what we say, and to behave in ways that align with our word and values. We also know we will all make mistakes & strive to create sufficient safety for others to share with us when we do.

  • B+W Photo of Rachel wearing a gold dress & gold crown, holding a flower and smiling at the camera

    ACCOUNTABILITY

    We strive to hold ourselves accountable (both to ourselves & others) & engage in repair; and when we witness or experience harm, we invite others to do the same. We engage in accountability that is abolitionist, transformative & rooted in care, and we welcome teachable moments.

  • B+W photo of Rachel wearing a leopard spaghetti strap dress & gold headband leaning on a gate in front of a tree next to the stairs of a home in Brooklyn

    AUTHENTICITY

    We strive to be our whole, full & embodied selves and to allow others to be their whole, full & embodied selves, even if/when we do not understand or agree. We strive to accept ourselves, speak & live our truth and help create conditions for others to do the same.