Black Girl’s Guide Visits Harlem!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A DIASPORIC COMMITMENT TO EXPANDING ‘THE BLACK GIRL’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING MENOPAUSE’ TAKES FLIGHT
DURHAM, NC—On Tuesday, June 27, 2023, multidisciplinary storytelling project, Black Girl’s Guide to Surviving Menopause (BGG2SM) announced plans to deepen its intergenerational narrative shift work by co-creating peer learning exchanges to normalize the menopause experience of Black women, trans, and gender-expansive people in London, New York City, Toronto, and Luquillo (Puerto Rico)—fulfilling a pre-COVID commitment to center lived experiences across the African diaspora.
Since 2019, BGG2SM has helped Black women, trans, and gender-expansive people negotiate the different stages of menopause along with their ever-evolving identities, relationships, careers, responsibilities, and societal tropes. The process of selecting the right locations for deeper dialogue was intentional and carefully considered. Prioritizing strong diasporic communities and local collaborators were key factors as BGGSM evaluated paths to deepening conversations and partnering with purpose-aligned work in progress. Ultimately, the upcoming tour reflects the intentionality of a curatorial process that has powered the success of BGGSM’s revelatory storytelling thus far. BGGSM founder and chief curator, Omisade Burney-Scott adds that committing so fully—and carefully—to the ways the discussion evolves is significant because BGGSM “is a curated intergenerational exchange; a space for exploration, mentorship, intimacy, and vulnerability around life, identity, and change.”
The multi-city tour comprises intergenerational menopause storytelling events called “Orisii”—“pairs” in Yoruba—guided in partnership with community-based organizations, and peer learning conversations with Black women, trans, and gender-expansive people engaged in culture and narrative shift work focused on menopause, aging, and wellness. In London BGGSM will join Karen Arthur, fashion creative, model, menopause advocate, and creator of Menopause Whilst Black, to learn of the menopausal experience of UK-based Black women. In New York they’ll partner with Harlem-based cultural consultancy Betty's Daughter Arts Collaborative. In Luquillo, Molly Jones will welcome them into her arts and culture wellness retreat, Love, Soul, Beautiful; and in Toronto they’ll join Michelle Osbourne—the extraordinary multi-hyphenate who is radically transforming companies into socially conscious, human-first brands.
For Omisade, “menopause is a portal to the next iteration of yourself. We’re still emergent; it doesn’t matter how old you get, there is no shelf life on being emergent. Menopause is one of those portals that we kind of enter into that’s unchartered territory. When we emerge on the other side, we are absolutely transformed.” For those seeking answers, experiencing perimenopause, or simply curious, BGG2SM is a reminder that such a change of life is not a solo experience: it touches and changes every form of relationship—and yet, it is not to be feared. Rather, BGG2SM is curating a series of conversations connecting Black women, trans, and gender-expansive people as they move on, strengthened by the path of shared experiences. This first-ever international tour is evidence of how comprehensive the guide aspires to be.
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For details or press inquiries regarding BGG2SM’s upcoming tour, please contact Leigh Reed.
