Ujamaa FLD Report: Vol 4 Mar/Apr 22

A Storefront Monthly Newsletter dedicated to creating space for Black highlights in the community we call family."

The Ujamaa FLD Report Issue No. 4| March /April 2022

Guests watching over an event taking place. Ujamaa Bookstore has community events and workshops each and every month.

Happy Spring Family !

There is nothing like that first warm day as spring approaches, where we can leave the house without our coats and scarves and enjoy the warmth of the new season's sun.

Spring is a time for new beginnings and fresh starts. Ujamaa has experienced some new changes just in time for the spring and we want to make sure you know about all the new flowers you will see in our store!

Ujamaa's family has changed and grown a bit. We have a new management team that will help our budding garden continue to grow.

The best part? They are not just management: they were already Ujamaa family staff members AND they are all artists in their own right!

If you haven't already, make sure you stop in and introduce yourself to them. Welcome Stanley, Angie, and Maya. :

Meet Our Team: Stanley Gilbert,

Maya Simone,

Store manager Stanley, or Stan as you will likely come to call him, has an incredible gift of drawing pictures. His art is so realistic that it almost feels like you could touch it.

Jay-z once said, "intuition is there, even when my visions impaired, yeah." For new store manager, Maya Simone, intuition is a place where the arts and mindfulness can thrive harmoniously.

Store Manager

Store Manager

His muses vary and you can find him on Instagram sharing practice sessions, proving that the gift doesn't end at owning it; practice, repetition, and an overall desire to get greater than you already are is a theme that jumps from his social media. In addition to art, Stan is trained in tactical force and teaches firearm safety classes at the bookstore.

Beginning April 24th, you can join her as she facilitates her "Intuitive Arts" classes, where attendees will paint with free expression while focusing on "mindfulness" and "creative permission." Maya is an abstract artist whose paintings are illuminated with a vibrancy of colors and possibilities of interpretations. For more on her classes, follow the link.

Angelita Hampton, Asst. Manager

Assistant manager, Angelita Hampton's art touches various spectrums. Through pencil, she captures spot-on collections of humans such as Nina Simone. Her series on Simone sees her vision in a variety of shades and colors and captures the essence of Ms. Simone with precision and patient discovery. She was a featured artist at Nickel Plate Arts in the month of February with three pieces on display. She's also a curator and has hosted events at Ujamaa as well as other venues where she celebrates women while promoting wellbeing, self-healing, and empowerment. Additionally, she was recently selected to be part of the Neighborhood Food Champions 2022 cohort, where she plans to create a community garden that is also an arts hub for installations and creations. Her talents far exceed the ability to summarize; stop in and get to know more about exactly who Angelita, or Angie, is!

Wild Word West Each month, we will highlight one national and one local Black author. Featured local artists also have their works available for purchase at Ujamaa Bookstore.

Featured Local Author(s): "Adulting Is a Trip" by Athena Salisbury & Ranada Dalton

"Space Creators" Athena Salisbury is passionate about helping people and being a strong leader. Her leadership background extends out to workshops, small groups, and church. She is a trained life coach and the Chief Operations Officer of Empowerment Living Inc, where one of her partners, Ranada Dalton, serves as Chief Executive Officer.

Ranada is a graduate of Ball State and the Christian Theological Seminary, where she received her Master of Art in Marriage & Family Therapy. Similar to Athena, she has a zeal for assisting people as they go through different life transitions. At Empowered Living Inc., both ladies offer a variety of mental health and wellbeing services such as in-person and tele-counseling, workshops. and different community events. Creating safe and respected spaces where mental health can be discussed and cared for is of immense importance to both Salisbury and Dalton.

After a few discussions and idea-generating sessions between the two, they embarked upon the creation of their new workbook "Adulting is Hard" because they felt that even with the work they do, there were still topics, lessons, and tests that needed to be discussed; this workbook became the avenue to drive those conversations. Adulting is Hard" is an interactive, journal-style, mental health workbook that will challenge you to look inward for both the questions and the answers. It is designed to help users begin a process of selfdiscovery that promotes setting and achieving goals while also giving space to be 100% honest about the adulting experience. IT'S HARD!!!!! This book hopes to assist in the healing journey for anyone who is moved to purchase it.

It is available for purchase at Ujamaa Bookstore today.

To learn more about the book or its authors, visit whats4upublishing.com. For more info on Empowered Living Inc., visit empoweredlivinginc.net.

B L A C K

B U S I N E S S

Rose of Sharon SPOTLIGHT

ROSE OF SHARON Healthcare is an expensive sport. Those with

Since it's become trendy, it is best if you research

insurance have to navigate what doctors will

who and where you are purchasing sea moss from to

accept their carrier while those without

assure maximum results and quality ingredients.

experience extended wait times, poor service,

Rose of Sharon was created to be that provider.

and bad maintenance. One of the best things

Born with their customers in mind, they are defined

an individual can do for themselves is to stay on top of their health. Black people lead the case numbers in several life-threatening diseases so maintaining quality self-care is vital to helping us live long, healthy lives without becoming dependent on an everchanging healthcare system that doesn't value us. Sea moss can be quite beneficial to our health while providing 91 of the 102 minerals our bodies need. A tablespoon daily can provide a plethora of vitamins, iron, zinc, and other minerals.

by the love they put into all of their products and their willingness to share information about the benefits of sea moss. Additionally, Rose of Sharon sea moss gel is all-natural and only 10 calories per serving because it's made with just three ingredients.

Despite including NO sugar, it comes in plain AND pineapple, strawberry, and peach with new flavors added often. Rose of Sharon sea moss gel is available at the bookstore along with several other of their products such as sea moss shots.

Additionally, they have skincare, gummies, tea, and more. Come in and find out just how much!

Spring

BOOK SALE UP TO 50% OFF!

THIS SPRING! We all love books. We all love sales. So it's only right that this Ujamaa will be hosting a monthly book sale. Occurring the last Friday & Saturday of each month, come in and receive excellent discounts on great books (up to half off for some). Grab a tea and a chair and stay for awhile.

Books priced at:

Will be sold at:

$15 and below: $16-$30: $30 and above:

$5 $10 $15

WEEKLY WRITING GROUPS Do you enjoy creative writing? Journaling? Would you like to learn more about how to start your memoirs? Ujamaa has a host of writing workshops, groups, and meetups that take place every week! Check the calendar below for all the different opportunities to grow yourself as a writer. All workshops are open to all levels and types of writers.

Writing Circle Highlight: MEMOIR WRITING Meets EVERY Wednesday 4-7pm Come work on/start/consider your memoirs where you can get feedback, help with edits, explore concepts, and be genuinely encouraged. We hope to see you there!

2022

UJAMAA In Photos

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR SHORT STORY OR POETRY PUBLISHED IN OUR NEWSLETTER?

We are now taking submissions for the April issue of our newsletter. Since April is National Poetry Month, we would love to include some of your poetry!

Send us an email!

Submission Guidelines: *250 Words or less *Family/Public friendly (no vulgar language, topics) *Submissions must be received by 5pm December 20th. *Must be edited

Submit Content to:

"There's no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you."

parkermarlinmgmt@gmail.com

~Maya Angelou

RE: NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION