Brown Hope’s Monthly Book Club happens every first Thursday of the month on Zoom from 7-8:30pm. Our Monthly Book Club is organized by our Healing & Spirituality Action Group, and is a multiracial space– all races, backgrounds, and identities are welcome to participate. Together, we’ll create a supportive space to process, connect, and grow in community.

The first book we’re discussing is My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem. This powerful book explores how racism lives in the body and offers practices for healing, resilience, and collective liberation—through a step-by-step process grounded in neuroscience and somatic healing methods.

While the book focuses on the impact of racialized trauma on Black bodies, the practices and insights can be applied across communities, including Asian, Latinx, and Indigenous peoples, who are all navigating systemic oppression and racial violence. 

Meets: First Thursday of each month, 7–8:30pm PST.[ Sign up here to receive the meeting link.](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeK-AYYa2gdaBQDjTYoSNeBgUZGxJ8Zmf54rKBzytFFjExOlA/viewform)

Pace: Two chapters per month

Discussion Schedule:
* Feb 5 - chapters 8 & 9
* Mar 5 - chapters 10 & 11
* Apr 2 - chapters 12 & 13
* May 7 - chapters 14 & 15
* Jun 4 - chapters 16 & 17
* Jul 2 - chapters 18 & 19
* Aug 6 - chapters 20 & 21
* Sep 3 - chapters 22 & 23
* Oct 8 - chapter 24

Our book club is open to the public, feel free to share this invite with anyone who may be interested. If you have any questions, please contact[ healingaction@brownhope.org](mailto:healingaction@brownhope.org).


Brown Hope Monthly Book Club

**Mindful Medicine happens every third Wednesday of the month on Zoom from 7-8:15pm.** ([RSVP Here)](https://brownhope-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/PuSNXQgrSGe8b-lbaf_cfQ)

What we offer with Mindful Medicine is a culturally informed meditation and healing experience, open to anyone who is seeking to participate in the liberatory power of collective healing. If the current state of the world is causing you to feel exhausted and depleted— we offer this space as a way to be nourished, energized, and supported.

**There are four intentionally designed parts to Mindful Medicine:**
* Love Lessons, a quick teaching on various social justice related topics.
* Guided Meditation, a facilitator will lead us in gentle breathwork, inner awareness, and positive affirmations to cultivate feelings of peace, resilience, and trust.
* Writing Reflection, an opportunity to get our thoughts and feelings down onto paper before the group discussion.
* Group Discussion, a peer centered space to process, converse, and integrate our collective mindful experience.
  
We invite you to come to Mindful Medicine as your full authentic selves and share your lived experiences with radical vulnerability. We’ll have community guidelines with trained facilitators to ensure all voices have an opportunity to be heard and that the experiences of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people will be valued and respected.

Mindful Medicine is a multiracial space— **all races, backgrounds, and identities are welcome.** Let’s build community and strengthen our healing movement!

**#moralmeditation #wehealwithhope**


Mindful Medicine

*"Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.”* —John Lewis.

In remembrance of Congressman John Lewis, communities across the country are joining together for Good Trouble Lives On, a weekend of nonpartisan voter engagement, civic education, and faith-based organizing.

Join Brown Hope and Portland District 2 Neighbors Indivisible to celebrate John Lewis' legacy and pass it forward to future generations. We're hosting a special fireside chat with two of our elected leaders in District 2, Lew Frederick (State Senator for SD 22) and Travis Nelson (State Representative for HD 44), moderated by cameron whitten of Brown Hope. Topics will include the Voting Rights Act, political attacks on civil rights legislation, and strategies to empower Black voters.

We are facing the most brazen attacks on civil rights in generations. We must wake up, act, and carry forth the torch left to us by John Lewis.

1 pm Fireside chat with State Sen. Lew Frederick and State Rep. Travis Nelson, moderated by cameron whitten of Brown Hope.

2 pm - 4 pm: Activities: Register to vote or check your current voter registration. Make colorful flyers to post in District 2 reminding all citizens that voting is our superpower and we must defend it and use it!

A core principle behind all Good Trouble Lives On events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.


Good Trouble Lives On Fireside Chat

Want to make a positive change in your community? Join the Brown Hope Action Team!

The Action Team meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month, from 6:30–8:30pm on Zoom. Our monthly meetings are an opportunity to meet with fellow neighbors and brainstorm on collaborative racial justice projects together.

The Action Team builds support for Brown Hope’s mission of racial healing through volunteering and grassroots activism. The Action Team consists of three Action Groups which anyone is welcome to plug into:

* **Solidarity Squad:** a group of neighbors helping neighbors by distributing mutual aid resources in a grassroots, relationship-based network.

* **Healing & Spirituality:** this group facilitates learning spaces and engaging activities related to racial trauma and healing. 

* **Community Social Events:** this group enthusiastically builds community by creating inclusive gatherings centered around peace, love, and joy.

Got questions? Please contact: [cameron@brownhope.org](mailto:cameron@brownhope.org).

[RSVP Here](https://forms.gle/LA8YggGALVriJB2V6) 


Action Team Monthly Meeting

**Black and Bold** is a community event that honors and uplifts the incredible work of Black authors. We’ll be gathering at BOLD Coffee + Books (1755 SW Jefferson St, Portland) on Saturday, August 8th from 6–8pm.

Black and Bold will be a space for storytelling, inspiration, and belonging, where we allow ourselves to reflect upon the beautiful writings of people from the African diaspora.

The event will include a tribute to legacy Black authors who made trailblazing contributions to the arts and literature, and we’ll also celebrate published Black authors in our very own Pacific Northwest community, including an author conversation panel, live readings, and book signings.
Our featured authors are: **Emmett Wheatfall**, **Renee Mitchell**, **Judge Kemp**, and **Nastashia Minto**.
Join us for Black and Bold on August 8th. This event is free and open to all ages, but please consider a $10 suggested donation to help sustain Brown Hope programs.

*“A writer’s life and work are not a gift to mankind; they are its necessity.”* —Toni Morrison

To learn more about BOLD Coffee + Books, visit [https://boldcoffeeandbooks.com/](https://boldcoffeeandbooks.com/)

To learn more about Brown Hope, visit [www.brownhope.org.](http://www.brownhope.org)


Black and Bold

**Gather: an Interdependence Day Potluck **

Wednesday, July 1st | 6:00–8:30pm
Wilshire Park (4116 NE 33rd Ave, Portland 97212)

Are you looking for something different than the usual 4th of July celebration? Then you might be looking for *Gather: an Interdependence Day Potluck.*


Hosted by Brown Hope, Gather is an invitation to foster a more interdependent community in Portland. We’ll be coming together at Wilshire Park for an intimate experience of giving and receiving care. We’ll enjoy a shared meal, and you’re encouraged to bring your favorite dish! There will be vegan and gluten free options.

We’ve intentionally created Gather in the spirit of collective courage. This event will feature opportunities to connect with people and local organizations who are working to positively change their community. We’ll also have a live reenactment from excerpts of Frederick Douglass’ speech, *“What to the Slave is Your 4th of July?”*

Gather is free and open to the public. We welcome people of all racial backgrounds to show up, and we center Black, Brown, and Indigenous voices as we strive to boldly reclaim this holiday for collective liberation.

Please *Gather* with us on July 1st!


Events

Gather: an Interdependence Day Potluck

Brown Hope Monthly Book Club

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Mindful Medicine

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Good Trouble Lives On Fireside Chat

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Location

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Action Team Monthly Meeting

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Location

Cost

Black and Bold

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Location

Cost