April 19, 2009

Our Sister from Another Mother

I recently discovered the website of The Red Tent Women's Project located in Brooklyn, NY. Their mission statement states that:

The Red Tent Women’s Project is a diverse and dynamic community of women who are catalysts for social change. By creating safe and empowered spaces we facilitate community building, information and resource exchange, and personal growth for women and girls.

As explained on the Red Tent Women's Project website, a red tent [i]n many cultures, such as Chinese, some African cultures, and the Romany culture, red is a symbolic color of strength or female power. The tent itself is rooted in an ancient Judeo-Christian-Islamic history of women’s gathering spaces. Women used to go to the red tent while they were giving birth or menstruating—they had to because the men in their communities feared contamination from these biological processes. Yet in the end, the red tents became community spaces where women went to learn from one another, to be in community, and above all, to celebrate life. We draw upon these numerous rich traditions when we call the project a Red Tent.

The Women's Collaborative Circle is also committed to providing women in our greater Philadelphia community and on the web a space for refuge, information and empowerment. If you are in New York City or on the web, visit the Red Tent Women's Project social networking site and community center for groups. If you are in the Philadelphia area and are interested in seeing events, workshops or groups offered to women in our area, please contact us with suggestions and offer your skills to facilitate them!

Locally and globally we need to come together to create change!

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