Ujamaa FLD Report: Issue 4, May 2022

The Ujamaa FLD Report A Storefront Monthly Newsletter dedicated to creating space for Black highlights in the community we call family.

Issue No. 5 | May /June 2022

Written & Edited by Januarie York for Ujamaa Bookstore

IT'S TIME FOR SOME

ADULT CONVERSATIONS Ranada Dalton knew early on that she wouldn't be able to impact people's mental health in the organic way that she hoped to if she was stationed inside of someone else's practice. So naturally, created her own space Empowered Living Inc - alongside Joni Morse. In 2014, Empowered Living Inc. welcomed Althena Salisbury to the team, where she has since thrived in learning how to and being able to openly talk to people about their mental health. About the personal impact it’s had on her, she says, “I found that newfound joy in this phase of my life. To help people who are struggling, that’s my joy.”

Similarly, Ranada gets her joy from being able to “assist people to be better and helping them achieve their “aha moment.”

For Empowered Living Inc, healing should be holistic.

Their hope is to remove the stigmas and stereotypes about mental health, especially in Black communities, and establish taking the initiative to get help.

Normalizing mental health and therapy is a priority but they are also aware that people can’t really do the mental work if their basic needs aren’t being met. "We realize if I can't feed my kids or I got a bill due, I’m not really thinking about my mental health so we try to partner with a lot of organizations so that we can try to assist in getting people’s needs met as much as possible and help minimize the barriers when people are getting their mental health addressed”, says Dalton.

Photo Credit: Mauro Lima

- Ranada Dalton http://www.empoweredlivinginc.net/

Last month, the FLD Report highlighted the book “Adult Conversations”, written by both Dalton and Salisbury. The book, which can be found at Ujamaa Bookstore in the Indiana Author’s section, inspired them to create an Adult Conversations workshop (also hosted at the bookstore) which helps highlight portions of the book and answer any questions people might have. Additionally, the Adult Conversations workshops are meant to provide a safe, open space to shamelessly converse about mental health as well as provide resources and expose attendees to a network of professionals that might be useful to engage with.

For both Ranada and Althena, approaching mental health as a unique experience that can be crafted for all individual journeys is not only a priority but a passion. It brings them both joy and allows them to give back to their community the type of love that is needed and deserved. Not only is it ok to make yourself a priority, but there is nothing wrong with getting counseling and therapy. If not from Empowered Living Inc, from a place that specializes in what you need. Both ladies agree that collaboration with other organizations and groups better serves the community as one therapist or organization can’t serve everyone.

Everyone has a place.

When asked what they’d like the legacy of Empowered Living Inc to be, it would be a combination of people treating their mental health the same way they would treat their physical health, as well as for people to bring forward into the future more organic mental health practices for generations to come.

As of July 2022, Empowered Living Inc. will have been in business for 12 years.

They will be hosting an Empowered Living Workshop on Forgiveness on May 18, 2022, from 5:30-8pm

Wild Word West May was Mental Health Awareness Month and for this issue, we selected two in-house journals that can aid in one's mental health journey. These books are meant to provide another means of protected space for your thoughts and feelings to come alive. Make sure you visit the Indiana Authors section of the bookstore and grab a copy of one (or all)!

Her company, Cre8tive Recovery offers a large

Ph.D. candidate Tiffany Thompson M.Ed., LMHC-A, NCC has an extensive background in mental health including expressive therapy, counseling for schools, creative coaching, and therapy for the last 25 years.

She’s also an actress and acting coach and her background in the arts has a heavy influence on her mental health work with women, teens, and

variety of creative mental health and therapy services and options including but not limited to sound healing therapy, healing retreats, coaching, and programming for schools, organizations, etc.

She created the Searching My Soul Through Poetry journal to help inspire readers to tell their stories, traumas, and joys; this journal gives them a platform for those stories to be released.

organizations.

“Creativity is the gift of healing that you receive freely” - Tiffany Thompson

Equipped with inspirational poetry, affirmations, and writing prompts, this book also doubles as a space to reflect, color, draw, or otherwise create in.

Of course, this book is available for immediate purchase at Ujamaa Bookstore. Stop in and get your copy!

Wild Word West con't The Burnout Factor: Managing Burnout in a Time of Unprecedented Change - April L. Ervin, MBA April L. Ervin is Managing Partner and Chief Peace Officer at Sustainable Leadership, LLC and has 25 years of experience in the leadership field. Her approach to helping clients reclaim their lives after exhaustion

is

transformative,

holistic,

and

intentional. In 2018, she released her first copy of “The Burnout Factor on Education, focusing on nonprofit and education fields. She returns with a second edition, this time concentrating on the changes we experienced in 2020 and how that has affected those in leadership. “The Burnout Factor on Leadership: Managing Burnout in a Time of Unprecedented

Change”

acknowledges

the

pandemic and centers on helping readers manage burnout through stories, information, questions, and

Burned Out! Those in positions of leadership often experience periods of exhaustion and burnout. For women in these positions, the problems can feel insurmountable as they attempt to juggle both their professional and personal lives effortlessly and with the same fierceness each time. Since the pandemic, the feeling of burnout has intensified for many.

April L. Ervin wants to help you recover from burnout; she understands it all too well as she once spent years of her life sacrificing her needs and working tirelessly.

journaling space. Mental health in the workplace is equally as important as it is at home. The Burnout Factor recognizes that and offers yet another opportunity for personal and professional healing so that you can maintain a growth mindset.

B L A C K

B U S I N E S S

SPOTLIGHT

Men's Products

WHAT UP BRO It's a known fact that Ujamaa Bookstore is more than just a bookstore. This is a space for Black Commerce and small Black businesses to get an opportunity to thrive. While it's a given that we carry a large supply of self-care items for women and kids, it's not as well known about some of our men's line of products.

Below, you will find some of the men's items we have in the store regularly. This is by no means, an exhaustive list so please, come in and see for yourself. Be sure to stop by the shelving closest to the register for all of our newest items.

B L A C K

B U S I N E S S

SPOTLIGHT M E N ' S

L I N E

BEARD OILS & BODY WASH/CREAM:

We have an assortment of beard oils available to help keep your beards conditioned, moisturized, and conditioned. Divine Hands by J offers beard oil as well as body cream and body wash. Elevation Lifestyle offers "Well-Dressed Man" Beard Oil.

TOOLS, WALLETS, & MISC.

We also offer a plethora of smart wallets, toolboxes, survival kits, watches and accessories, domino sets, and whiskey sets that would make great gifts or personal items. We don't skip anyone's needs at Ujamaa! Brothers, we got you covered and if you have suggestions (or products), let us know what you would like to see!

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

OUTSIDE THE BOX W/ ANGELITA HAMPTON IG: Angelita hampton art

“Having to think outside of the

Some people were born to create art. They have the type of gift that allows them to see a story or a picture in everything. For them, inanimate objects are simply art pieces in search of the proper canvas to craft a home out of. Their eyes see the world through an array of colors and possibilities; these types of creatives are often unable to be bound by corporate desks and 30-minute lunch breaks. For them, life is best served as a daily adventure into the world of endless artistic potential, where space and time are abundantly awaiting purposeful creation.

box has created opportunities

Angelita Hampton is one of those types of creatives. A self-proclaimed empath and nurturer with a palpable

that I wouldn’t have even

exuberance, she states, “You can make art out of

dreamed before”

anything. I love the process {of art} and trying things out,” she says and does so by experimenting with “alternative mediums” as well as “found,” “unusual,” or even “discarded objects.”

Although she has taught more art classes than she has taken, having no formal training, she understands the importance of being in a constant open flow of learning and surrounding herself with other artists and community. She encourages other artists to do the same and to find more than one way to share their passions and talents and create spaces for others.

For as long as she can remember, she has been drawing, but it is poetry that secures the spot as Angelita’s “first love.” “I think it’s a form of protest,” she says about the joys of writing poetry. Additionally, she writes creative nonfiction, short stories, has a completed screenplay, and has been self-publishing since she was in college.

She grew up influenced by the music of Nina Simone and the writings of Alice Walker and Nikki Giovanni.

As a result, her writings center on social justice, and Black experiences, Black women and culture, and Black history.

Angelita always imagined she would be part of some type of revolutionary arts collective in the vein of the Harlem Renaissance or the Black Arts Movement, which was heavily influenced by several Indiana writers. To her, “art bridges gaps, and ideas, and brings people together” and is an essential part to our ability to express ourselves.

Community, public access to art, and social justice are what drives her creativity, and she believes her job as an artist is, “to bring people together through art to make a better world.”

Some of the ways she does this is by hosting, teaching, and creating the types of spaces she wants to see herself and others bloom in. While she may have always wanted to be a part of a Black movement, it turns out that Angelita is becoming/creating one of her own. Another way she is making art accessible to everyone is through the launch of her social justice magazine (expected the beginning of June). In full color and created on perforated pages for easy removal, it will highlight the artistic endeavors of Hampton and other artists whose work helps promote social justice.

Art is all around us; it is such an important thread in every community and culture. Collective Liberation Arts, the company Angelita founded, knows the importance of art and understands the assignment of making it accessible to those who might otherwise miss out. Their main goal: “To bring more people to art and more art to people.”

“I want my legacy to be that I helped make a change and inspire change in others.”

This is what we mean by “purposeful creations.”

She is already ten steps ahead on her legacy. ***Angelita is also assistant manager at Ujamaa Community Bookstore. You can learn more about her social justice magazine and upcoming events on her website collectiveliberationarts.com.

WELCOME

TO

UJAMAA

GREG ROSE

Ujamaa Bookstore would like to officially welcome conceptual artist "GREG ROSE" to our family! If you have not heard of them, now is the perfect time to get to know GREG and learn more about YOUR artistry, as Greg will now be offering in-house artist consultations every TUESDAY and THURSDAY, from 10am-5pm.

All genres and mediums of art are welcome to sign up and learn more about the ART of BUSINESS and the BUSINESS of ART! Greg's mission is to "create content that births new narratives and experiences for marginalized folx in a way that honors the past, present, and futures." An artist of no limits, Greg curates, scuplts, paints, and births visual arts. Some of their recent exhibitions include "Fathers: re-telling a narrative" @F.F.H.M.C Gallery (Indy) and "Minding my Business" at the B.B.C. @Purduue Univ. (Lafayette).

They also have "brand collaboration with 'Uninterrupted, LLC'. Greg Rose is also the Head Curator & Program Director at 1000 Words Gallery (Indy). A consultation with them might change your outlook and artistry for the better. Invest some time in your future today.

QR CODES FOR EASY SIGN UP COMING SOON. STAY TUNED TO THE UJAMAA SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES FOR MORE. . .

MENTAL HEALTH MONTH & JUNETEENTH @UJAMAA Ujamaa is a strong supporter of creating safe spaces for Black people to heal, unite, and discuss mental health. The months of May and June will be full of opportunities for community conversations, mental health workshops, and musical highlights and opportunities! Don't for June 19th is JUNETEENTH! Join us for our celebration from 12-5pm. Check the calendar below for all upcoming events.

Highlights: MRCI Mental Health Discussion for Men - Monday, June 13th, 6-8 pm MRCI Mental Health Discussion for Women - Thursday, June 23rd, 6-8 pm Holistic Health Fair - Saturday, June 11th, 1-5 pm Creator Space w/Ess McKee - Friday, June 24th, 6-830 pm Karaoke w/Januarie York - Saturday, June 25rd, 7-9 pm

BOOK SALE

WHO DOESN'T LOVE A SALE??!!!

Don't forget that EVERY last Friday AND Saturday of the month, we have our book sale where you can get up to 50% off of your favorite books!

June 24th & 25th Books priced at:

Will be sold at:

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

$5 $10 $15

MARCH APRIL 2022

UJAMAA In Photos

The Ujamaa FLD Report Issue No. 5 | May June 2022

Prioritize your mental health today, and everyday following! And don't forget to support a Black-Owned Business!!!

See you next month!

Written & Edited by Januarie York for Ujamaa Bookstore