Happy Birthday Sistas Van!

Today marks the one-year anniversary of Sistas Van! Many of you are already familiar with the Sistas Van initiative, but for those of you who have just recently been introduced to our work: Sistas Van is a Mobile Healing Unit and all-gender affirming space through which we provide our community with sexual and maternal health care necessities, counseling services, crisis intervention services, political education on issues surrounding violence against women, and more. Our mission from the start was to decouple birthing, motherhood, and sexuality from experiences of negligence and abuse that black women encounter when navigating the medical industrial complex. We built our strategy around a commitment to addressing the deep-rooted pattern of misogynoirist violence in medicine, and developed a trauma-informed response to said violence that would center the needs of our clients and engage meaningfully with their personal histories of sexual and maternal health. Additionally we believed it was crucial, given the many roadblocks that stand in the way of access to care, that we meet our clients where they were at: in their own homes and neighborhoods. It was through these considerations that the van came into existence. Looking back, we always knew the van would be called upon in a variety of different circumstances to address a wide range of needs as they arose, and it was for this reason we developed the program around mobility and direct intervention. Now that we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, that prescience has enabled us to answer the call to action that has been put before us. As part of our COVID relief plan, we are continuing to distribute women’s healthcare supplies, as well as food, toiletries, sanitary items, clothing items, PPE, and other essentials. We have serviced the Crown Heights, Bushwick, Harlem, South Bronx and Claremont neighborhoods, and will continue to show up wherever we are needed in the New York area. We are immensely grateful for the love and support we have received from the BWB family, and it is in light of the anniversary of the van and the vital mutual aid work we have been able to do through it, that we are now asking you to assist us in sharing that grace with the community. We are currently accepting donations to sustain our efforts – any amount is appreciated. All funds will be used for the purchase of supplies as well as maintenance of the van, and all donations made through the BWB registry on target will be mailed directly to the BWB home base. If you are in New York, and would like to make a drop off instead of ordering through the registry, be sure to fill out a short donation form linked below to arrange one. If you or your community is in need, be sure to fill out our request form, and we will fulfill your order as soon as possible. Finally, if you would like to celebrate one year of impact with us today, be sure to register for a special DJ set with Kwabena of the Running River Collective -- this event is from 4-6 and free to attend so be sure to sign up below! We thank you again for your continued support for Black Women’s Blueprint, and are looking forward to many more years of community building to come.

Donation Form for Supplies:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeibw3mh3M47juSdxpUrFF8hsIxe_qjM7rFZEyJcQxYwwuiOw/viewform

Target Registry:

tgt.gifts/risingforblackwomen

Form for Monetary Donations:

https://blackwomensblueprint.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=4

Request Form:

bit.ly/sistasvanrequest

Other Ways to Help:

Cashapp: $blackwomensbp

Paypal: bit.ly/bwbpaypal

If You Would Like to Volunteer:

bit.ly/sistasvanvolunteer

Link to Anniversary Celebration:

bit.ly/hbdsistasvan

For any questions, contact:

fierceblackwomen@blueprintny.org

Full Supply List: