BEE Collective Announces 2nd Annual Just-Us INDABA Programming – November 1-2, 2024

Charleston, South Carolina – The BEE Collective announces its 2nd Annual Just-Us INDABA: Birthing, Education, and Healing Justice Summit on Saturday, November 2, 2024 at the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1422 building located at 1142 Morrison Drive, Downtown Charleston, South Carolina. This all-day event will begin at 10 a.m. with on-site registration beginning at 9 a.m. The summit will be preceded by BEE Collective’s Community Ofrenda + Altar on Friday, November 1, 2024 at Public Works Arts Center in Summerville, South Carolina. All are welcome, including babies in arms.

Elders, those with disabilities, birth workers in Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities, and all birthing people are especially encouraged. Free and ample parking is available. Food and refreshments will be provided. The community ofrenda and altar event is free of charge. The Just-Us Indaba is available on sliding scale admission. Pre-registration is required. 

The BEE Collective’s Just-Us INDABA: Birthing, Education, and Healing Justice Summit is a transformative gathering and full-day event dedicated to pregnant, birthing, and parenting families, along with their healthcare advocates, reproductive justice champions, and supportive healing arts practitioners. This event is a gifted opportunity to register, engage, and co-create community-driven solutions that safeguard the well-being of pregnant, birthing individuals, and young children in the beloved community. 

“Together, we are committed to dismantling the alarming rates of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity among Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities in South Carolina. Let’s listen, learn, and collaborate for a brighter, healthier future. We aim to explore how cooperative models can enhance economic resilience and community empowerment, particularly within BIPOC communities,” says BEE Collective’s co-founder, Adrienne Troy-Frazier. “This year we will feature various sessions and workshops designed to delve into the potential of cooperative economics in fields such as birthwork, healing arts, and early childhood education.”

Beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday, November 1 at Public Works Art Center, the remembrance will begin with semi-private and shared space for personal meditation, in addition to a separate area for art making. 

From 6 until 8 p.m. there will be live music and spoken word poetry, accompanied by art making and traditional Mexican food, including homemade tamales and aguas frescas. Doula Racquel Washington, MA will also be offering herbal grief tea.  Spoken word poetry by Abby Duran and Natasha Akery. Performing artists include musicians Alva Anderson, Delia Chariker, and Leah María Suárez.

The community is invited to bring copies of photos of their loved ones, along with recycled bottles and/or any object to create a momento to leave in honor and celebration on the altar, or ofrenda (offering), in Spanish. This expression of love intertwines many indigenous traditions, including Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrated in México. 

The 2nd ANNUAL JUST-US INDABA will be presented on Saturday, November 2, beginning at 10 a.m. with on-site registration beginning at 9:00 a.m. All are welcome, including babies in arms. Elders, those with disabilities, birth workers in Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities, and all birthing people are especially encouraged. Free and ample parking is available.  is centered around the theme of “cooperative economics,” also known as “Ujamaa,” the fourth principle of Kwanzaa. Ujamaa is the commitment to the practice of shared social wealth and the work necessary to achieve it. 

2nd ANNUAL JUST-US INDABA full day of scheduled events, including speakers and presenters, community activists and advocates:

BEE Collective members, Kim Archung, Ph.D, Simone Lee, and Kratina Covington, will serve as hosts for the event. Dance troupe Wona Womalan will open the summit with a Call to Gather, along with Kianté Palmer.

Presenters and speakers include: Racquel Washington, M.A. and Crystal Davis of Southern BEE Alliance; Drisana McDaniel and Hollis France, Ph.D., Transformative Teaching Collective will provide the keynote address; Alicia Page (Statistical Research Analyst, South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs) and Treva Williams (BEE’s Campaign Manager and Founder, Transformative Organizational Consulting) will lead data walks and Indaba circles for community exchange; healing arts activities by Cookie Washington and Virginia Street; sound healing provided by Tiffany Richardson; local musician, Alva Anderson, will lead Circle Songs; Kianté Palmer close the summit with her Ecstatic Dance Party, with mocktails provided by the Cocktail Bandits. Additional offerings provided by our beloved community.

“Yemaya,” the art providing the official image for the inaugural Just-Us INDABA: Birthing, Education, and Healing Justice Summit, is from an original quilt designed, created, and shared with permission by Cookie Washington, one of the Lowcountry’s most beloved artists, representing the Gullah-Geechee culture and the African diaspora. Yemaya is the Goddess of Creation, Water, Moon, Motherhood, and Protection and is a major water spirit from the Yoruba religion. She is the mother of all Orishas. Many transliterations of her name exist in various cultures within the African diaspora.

Additional commemorative artwork by Camela Guevara to be unveiled at the Just-Us Indaba event on Saturday, November 2, 2024.

Refreshments and food at no additional charge will be available for all attendees.

This program is made possible with support and partnership from the following: Cooperative Education Fund, Sisters of Charity, Emergent Fund, I Am Voices, Berkeley County First Steps, Tri County Play Collaborative, BEE Collective, Southern BEE Alliance, and BEE’s beloved community-at-large. 

For specific inquiries or to schedule an interview, contact Adrienne Troy-Frazier.

About the Southern BEE Alliance

The Southern BEE (Birthing Entrepreneurship Empowerment) Alliance is a Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) birth and child care worker-owned cooperative. Its mission is to empower maternal and perinatal professionals in the Carolinas while embracing and uplifting the diverse, traditional wisdom embedded in our communities. By fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, we enable birth and child care workers to thrive and offer culturally responsive care that honors our heritage. Visit southernbeealliance.coop for more information.

About Just-Us INDABA

Just-Us INDABA is a transformative gathering and full-day event dedicated to pregnant, birthing, and parenting families, along with their healthcare advocates, reproductive justice champions, and supportive healing arts practitioners. The event is curated by The BEE Collective.