Women's History is American History
“Feminism isn't about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”
- G.D. Anderson
This newsletter is dedicated to all women who have made a difference and who are making the world a better place.
For Women's History Month, we are celebrating the vital role of women in America and global history and paying homage to the incredible women in our lives.
Today and every day, Girl Be Heard is building a better and more equitable world by encouraging our staff, participants, and community members to see each other’s humanity and make space for girls and young women from all backgrounds.
News
Girls Make Movies: Back by popular demand, Girls Make Movies is well underway with 2 talented teaching artists Constance Tsang and Megan Christiansen leading the program, which consists of 10 participants selected out of dozens of applicants.
NYSCA Grant: Girl Be Heard is honored to be a recipient of a $49,500 grant award from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA). Following New York State’s $105 million investment in the arts for FY2022, NYSCA has awarded more than $80 million since June 2021.
Women's History Celebration: Meera Dasgupta performed 'S(hero)' at the annual 'Women's History Celebration' hosted by GBH supporter and Congressman Ritchie Torres at the New York Botanical Garden on March 23rd. Meera's moving performance here.
SPARK Prize Breakfast: Our staff attended the SPARK Prize Breakfast at Brooklyn Museum on March 8th to celebrate the winners and welcome Dr. Jocelynne Rainey as Brooklyn Community Foundation's new President and CEO. (Did you know GBH was 1 out of 20 a SPARK Prize 2022 finalists?)
International Day of Women: Nella Mupier and Alyssa Martinez attended Noisy Women’s 'International Day of Women Celebration' at Van Brundt Stillhouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. Alyssa performed 2 pieces, including "Human, Right?”. Watch her powerful performance here.
Participant Spotlight
Tori Moscoso
“When my sister and I were children my mom drove us to school she would make us repeat after her the phrase, ‘Career first. Marriage second.' As a child, I was like, What is this about? What's the big deal? As an adult woman, I understand the big deal, especially because women are pushed out of industries like STEM and finance.”
Watch the full video of Tori describing her mom here.
Mariama Diallo
"The fight for Black women’s rights globally shouldn’t be a slogan or trend. Without commitment there’s no start and without consistency no real world issues will ever come to an end. Sometimes it’s not even about the amount of representation being given but rather if it’s the proper representation decided by the collective of those people."
Haley Lopes
“I look up to my Aunt Melanie, who is a Girl Be Heard alumni and the reason I'm here [at GBH], because at every misfortune she always comes out stronger."
Listen to Haley speak about why her aunt is an inspiration to her here.
Upcoming Events
Be! Workshop Series: Spring 2022
Be! Workshop Series is returning in Spring from April 12 - May 17, 2022 to highlight various ways youth can use art, performance, and Radical Joy to empower themselves and amplify their voices as artists and activists. It’s free for girls, young women, and non-binary youth ages 14 - 21. Register here to reserve a spot.
Unplugged: Weekend Workshop Edition
Join us for our Weekend Workshop participants' first performance of the year! Hear the voices of talented girls and youth from the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn on Saturday, April 2, 2022 at 6.00 pm (EST). Their pieces answer the questions: Who am I and what role do I play in my community?
Register for free here and support young artivists and changemakers from NYC!
Staff Spotlight
Sukari Mtume
Artistic & Special Projects Program Manager
"A woman in my life who has inspired me is my aunt, Benin. My lifeline. My grandparents raised me so we grew up like sisters. I can't think of a time that I didn't want to be just like her.
Her grace, her brilliance. A beautiful Black woman! My admiration for her is endless.”
Angelica Torres
Interim Artistic Director
“My daughter Giselle: she's so strong, passionate and talented. She isn't afraid to use her voice and has been my strength when I've needed it the most and it makes me so happy to see everything she is achieving.”
Constance Tsang
Girls Make Movies Teaching Artist
“As a filmmaker, I sometimes question if my film is relevant and am often asked during development why my film matters… If I can come from a place of honesty, it becomes easier to understand my work and to hopefully transcend not necessarily other's limited imagination, but to expand on a perspective that others might not have thought about.”
Artist Spotlight
Bisa Butler is a former high school art teacher who has been dubbed as a modern-day Griot.
Butler uses vibrant fabric to create quilts that honor Black history and culture.
“It’s so satisfying when people can see the [humanity] that I’m trying to communicate, that this person is important and valuable; . . . [when they understand] that we’re all the same… My portraits tell stories that may have been forgotten over time.”
Check out Butler's front page feature on Cultured Magazine here.
Raveena Aurora is a New York-based singer and songwriter whose music explores themes of self-love, sensuality, healing from trauma, mixed with her identity as a pansexual Indian-American woman who was raised by Sikh parents.
Raveena's new album Asha's Awakening has a lusher, more effervescent sound as she shifts from telling her own story to writing from the perspective of Asha, a "Punjabi space princess" who travels through time and space to learn "highly advanced spiritual magic" from aliens.
Listen to Asha's Awakening here.
Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya was born to Thai and Indonesian immigrants and studied neuroscience at Columbia and worked at an Alzheimer’s research lab before becoming a full-time multi-disciplinary artist, educator, and activist based in Brooklyn, NY.
Phingbodhipakkiya's latest installation "Raise Your Voice" poses a series of questions and invites audiences to engage their own powers of advocacy and activism.
As artist-in-residence with the NYC Commission on Human Rights, Amanda’s art series celebrates the resilience of the AAPI community amidst the rise in anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 crisis.