Sisters of Tomorrow, Atlanta, GA

Karibu ('Welcome') Day, Sunday, Oct. 21

2007-10-15T15:35:00.000-05:00

You are invited to "Karibu Day," Sunday, October 21, 2007, 3:30 pm.

This special event will be held at The New PAAS Restaurant, 878 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd, Atlanta, GA.

We will welcome the Ghanian delegation of Paramount Chief, Bo-Naba Alemyarim Baba Salifu, and the Taimako Family and all new metro-Atlanta families who wish to join the SOT community.

There will be brief presentations about Sisters of Tomorrow and Sankore Foundation, and light refreshments will be served.

RSVP by this Friday, October 19, 2007, at phone number 404-441-0119.

Family photos of Sisters of Tomorrow

2007-02-06T05:23:00.000-05:00

Click for larger images

The African Sisterhood Pledge

2007-01-29T19:31:00.000-05:00

As African sisters,

We will always be proud of our heritage and love our Africanity.

We will creatively maintain our culture with dignity and pride.

We will do our best work whenever we work and complete those things we begin.

We shall never disown our people; for it is from them and the Creator that we gather strength.

We have a responsibility to be intelligent African leaders of the future...

because we are the Sisters of Tomorrow.

About Sisters of Tomorrow

2007-01-29T19:29:00.000-05:00

Black females should prepare for, be guided through, and celebrate each phase of our lives from birth conception to the ancestral realm. Rites of passage thought and activities help us direct our energies to higher levels of human social development. It explores and imparts ways of becoming more productive, conscientious girls and women, and encourages family bonding and community cohesiveness.

Sisters of Tomorrow utilizes a culturally relevant approach based on African traditions to pass on life-skill competencies through discussions, training, volunteer service projects, and a range of hands-on activities -- for example, positive image art, African music and dance, quilting, jewelry-making, healthy food preparation, friendship-building games, and more. All this culminates in truly meaningful rites of passage ceremonies for Black girls and women.

A group of concerned Black women (teachers, mothers, community activists, social workers, and others) formed the original Sisters of Tomorrow in East Palo Alto, California (a.k.a. “Little Nairobi”) in 1984. Sisters of Tomorrow now has a 20-year uninterrupted history of serving as a volunteer, community-based, group-building “extended-family” which supports the positive development of African American females throughout their lives. Our families can be found throughout the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Meet Ikenna Ubaka

2007-01-29T19:00:00.000-05:00

Ikenna Ubaka became a rites of passage practitioner with Sisters of Tomorrow in 1991, while living in Richmond, California. As a recent Georgia resident, she is pleased to join the community of women and elders in forming a new Sisters of Tomorrow rites of passage community in Atlanta.

In addition to her experience as a mother of two beautiful daughters, her professional and volunteer career has been devoted to youth development. She has worked with preschool age children to young adults in a variety of settings, including independent Black educational institutions, public, private and charter schools, community centers, and juvenile detention centers.

From 1990 to 2002, she served as co-founder and administrative director of the Organization of Cultural Renaissance, implementing culturally-based leadership development programs for youth, including“Teens to Tanzania” and “Black Heritage Camp.”

She developed and directed youth programs for the City of Richmond Employment and Training Department, The Mentoring Center, The Oakland Youth Chorus, and The Afrikan Children’s Advanced Learning Center.

She served as community educator with the Black Adoption Placement & Research Center, where she spearheaded a three-county African American Church Outreach and Media Campaign.

Meet Chaye Wise

2007-01-29T18:30:00.000-05:00

Chaye Border Wise is driven by her dedication to enhancing the quality of human life through exposure to health consciousness. A native Washingtonian, she founded Wise Eating with the mission of "educating and promoting a healthy lifestyle in the fast-paced society in which we live, that is centered around healthy eating habits, stress management and natural healing." She has been presenting Wise Eating: "Eat To Live" healthy eating and vegetarian cooking seminars since shortly after returning to the Metropolitan D.C. area in 1990. Also a nationally certified professional massage therapist, she stresses the importance of combining relaxation and exercise with a healthy diet to achieve a sense of total well-being.

Mama Chaye is a second-generation vegetarian. She and her husband of 23 years have raised three health-conscious vegetarian children and just recently gave birth to a healthy, fourth child. She has advocated a peaceful, healthy lifestyle and natural healing for most of her 42 years. She began on this self-motivated path towards natural health education while in the beautiful rural setting of the Penn State University, where she received her liberal arts degree. She continued her studies when this path led her to the eccentric but peaceful West End community of Atlanta, GA. There she studied at the feet of holistic health author Dr. Llaila Afrika, prepared gourmet vegetarian meals with women from other Hebrew Israelite families, and apprenticed with natural birthing assistants and spiritual midwives of Dua Afe Whole Woman, Inc. Most recently, she completed the professional massage training program at the Baltimore School of Massage, receiving her national certification in therapeutic massage and bodywork.

A burning desire to share the experiences that she has been blessed to guided her to pioneer Wise Eating, a community-service organization that provides natural health education. Wise Eating also organizes natural foods buying groups and produce co-ops that make getting natural foods and natural health products simple and convenient.

She is currently providing services in the Washington, DC and Atlanta metropolitan areas. These personal stress management sessions, healthy and wellness consultations, thought-provoking lectures and stimulating group demonstrations are motivating people to investigate and consider changing to a healthier lifestyle. The exhilarating Wise Eating: "Eat To Live" seminars have been applauded as "outstanding" by groups of all ages. Her passionate presentation deals with topics ranging from modifying eating habits for weight loss and optimal health to how and where to shop for foods and identifying healthy snacks and meat and sugar alternatives. She also caters and is writing her first vegetarian cookbook.

Clients that have been impressed by her Wise Eating: "Eat To Live" concepts include P.G. County Schools, The Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex, D.C. Public Schools, the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, The Prince George’s Private Industry Council, Montgomery County Schools, DECADES Fitness Center, Brightwood Park United Methodist Church, The Organization of Cultural Renaissance of Oakland, California, Turning Points Youth Summer Jobs Program and Communities In Schools of Atlanta, Inc., just to name a few.

Meet Kanika Taylor

2007-01-29T18:00:00.000-05:00

Kanika Taylor is a mother, educator, community organizer, and conscious person dedicated to discovering and following her spiritual path. Her journey has allowed her to have an impact in various global communities. Stateside, her roots span the East Coast, most notably in Delaware, metropolitan Atlanta, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

As one of the founding members of the Umoja Committee, she has helped produce the Celebration of the African American Child for the past 16 years. Umoja’s aim is to provide educational experiences for African American youth that affirm their past and promising futures. This festival provides youth the opportunity to spend a day in New Orleans historic Congo Square, interacting with materials while other youth perform on the central stage.

Kanika has worked with a variety of rites of passage programs such as Sisters of Tomorrow, Atlanta, A.N.R.O.P.K., and her newest venture, a rites of passage program designed for males based on the guiding principles that encompass the culture as exemplified by Baba Kwame Ishangi.

She is one of the founding members of Circle of Sisters Global Link, a travel group designed to facilitate the exploration and sharing in the Caribbean, South America, and Africa. This group selects sites that have been influenced by the glorious cultures of African peoples. While traveling, they expose themselves to techniques or practices that will aid in the process of sisters maintaining wellness. They have practiced yoga, tai chi, water aerobic, and meditation. Seminars are designed to assist the sisters in tapping the gifts that they have within. They take time to rethink and contemplate their lives and reorganize, reorder or erase as needed. They spend quality time with local residents in order to experience the unique gifts of the area. This happens by spending time with social or spiritual leaders. The sisters are encouraged to bring educational supplies to be distributed to local youth while immersing themselves in the area in an effort to discover the oneness that we all share.

Clark Atlanta University art exhibit

2005-06-30T21:48:00.000-05:00

Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries
presents
Mothers & Daughters: Sisters of Tomorrow
July 17, 2005, through December 16, 2005

Mothers and Daughters: Sisters of Tomorrow (formerly titled Doting Mothers, Daring Daughters) is a collection of 10 portraits created by Atlanta photographer Sheila Pree-Bright that explores the dichotomy of communication between mothers and daughters about clothing. Dual-color photographic portraits of girls between the ages of 8-16 hang side by side, first with the daughters dressed according to their own whims of fashion without maternal influence or restriction, and then redressed according to their mothers’ preference.

Supported in part by the Grassroots Program of the Fulton County Arts Council and Macy’s Department Store, this exhibition is intended to examine and hopefully bridge gaps in communication between mothers and daughters through community forums that will prompt lively discussions. During the community dialogues scheduled for October and November (TBA), youths will have the opportunity to assess the differences in their presentations, versus their mothers’, noting how clothes reflect values and character. The title, Sisters of Tomorrow (SOT), is the same name of the community rites of passage group that meets on Saturday afternoons in the atrium of the Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries. The participants are also the subjects of the portraits.

Reception: Sunday, July 17, 2005, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Gallery Hours: Open during the National Black Arts Festival: July 16- July 24. Monday - Friday, 10:00 - 5:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 12:00-4:00 p.m. (Otherwise, closed for the summer).

Address: Trevor Arnett Hall, 2nd floor, Located at the intersection of James P. Brawley Drive and Greensferry Street, 223 James P. Brawley Drive, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30314.

Funding for this program is provided in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the General Assembly, as administered by the Fulton County Arts Council, the GCA-designated Grassroots agency. Funding for the Fulton County Arts Council is provided by the Fulton County Commission under the Guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council.

Sisters of Tomorrow in 'Essence Magazine'

2005-03-15T19:34:00.000-05:00

Ikenna Ubaka wanted a formal way to acknowledge the transition her youngest daughter, Zenzele, 9, would be making from childhood to adolescence. So last October, the 42-year-old director of Harambee II, an after-school and teen program in Atlanta, reached out to other local mothers and started a chapter of Sisters of Tomorrow.

This rites-of-passage program for girls, founded more than 15 years ago by mothers in East Palo Alto, California, draws on traditions from Tanzania, Ghana and other African cultures to help guide young girls into womanhood. Sisters of Tomorrow tackles subjects ranging from cultural identity and spirituality to sexual responsibility, health and social etiquette. “I wanted my daughter to be prepared to face new challenges,” Ubaka says. “I can’t wait to see how she will live out what she has learned.”

Click here for the rest of the article

SistersOfTomorrow.org launched!

2005-02-05T21:44:00.000-05:00

Sisters of Tomorrow, Atlanta, is now online at www.SistersOfTomorrow.org. The site is a gift from Detroit writer richard jones, whose also founding editor of the Black Male Appreciation blog at www.BlackMaleAppreciation.com.

'Essence Magazine' writer interviews Mama Ikenna

2005-01-26T21:40:00.000-05:00

Monday, January 24 through Wednesday, January 26, 2005, a writer for Essence Magazine interviewed Mama Ikenna Ubaka and Mama Nobontu of East Palo, CA. The writer is researching a piece about community organizations for Black females and hopes to feature Sisters of Tomorrow, Atlanta, along with other community initiatives meant to enhances the lives of Black females.

Photographer Sheila Pree-Bright to feature Sisters of Tomorrow, Atlanta, GA

2005-01-23T21:36:00.000-05:00

Photographer Sheila Pree-Bright has invited Sisters of Tomorrow, Atlanta, to participate in a new photographic project exploring the influence of media culture on shaping the identities and values of youth through fashion. Look forward to the exhibit at Clark Atlanta University Art Gallery in July 2005.

First grant awarded to Sisters of Tomorrow, Atlanta, GA

2004-12-19T21:33:00.000-05:00

Sisters of Tomorrow, Atlanta, received a grant from the Metro Atlanta United Way Foundation to implement an intergenerational oral history project (“Elders Legacies”) that will include girls 8-16 years of age conducting interviews and creating a visual exhibit of female family and community elders. The project will culminate with a Grandmothers Wisdom Party in May 2005.

First meeting of Sisters of Tomorrow, Atlanta, GA

2004-11-06T21:29:00.000-05:00

Sisters of Tomorrow, Atlanta, met for the first time at Clark Atlanta University, 2nd floor, Art Gallery.