Reflection: Co-hosting the Radical Collective Self-care Series.

It’s Monday 25th, Memorial Day 2025 to be exact. I finished cooking breakfast for Leilani, who is now a sophomore in college. And yes, for those that have followed my blog for many years, I too can’t believe Leilani is already in college. I came to stay with her for a short getaway from the city for some much-needed mom-and-daughter quality time. “One more hour Mom”, she replies in a low voice, trying to hold on to the last morning sueñito, when  I ask her “¿Y cuándo tú te vas a levantar?”.  An hour works fine for me. I have nowhere to go, her hard-boiled eggs are still too hot to peel, and I have a pending blog post reflection after finishing up the Radical Collective Self-Care: A community Offering series, in collaboration with PhD Judelysse Gomez, a.k.a my sister in the Dominican Diaspora…Judy. 

A sibling in the Dominican Diaspora

Judy and I met in the summer of 2023 at a writing retreat in Sosua, Dominican Republic, hosted by the Dominican Writers Association. It was a week-long transformative experience, grounded in the community among Dominicans from the Diaspora that were in search of diving deeper into our craft. The magic behind it all, encontrarnos in the location where many of our identities and childhood memories intertwined… rooted in la tierra madre of our ancestors.  As part of that experience, many of us stay connected. Some in-person due to proximity on the East Coast, and others digitally due to distance.  That is the case of Judy and I. We followed each other on Instagram and would connect when possible.

An idea coming into bloom

In the fall of 2024, we connected with more frequency, as we both fell into emotional despair with the uncertainty and expected changes that will impact the populations we serve in our lines of work, low-income and working families of color in the nation. As a result, we scheduled a virtual meeting and held space for each other. We shared our fears, preocupaciones, and explored what is vital for us to move forward grounded in strength. After a long conversation, we landed on the idea that between her background in Psychology and mine in Education, we could co-create a space for the community to learn and explore some practices through the lens of radical self-care and collective care practices. Our vision for the series would be inspired by authors and activist such as Audre Lorde, Angela Davis, and Kleaver Cruz.  We were unsure if we were going to make it happen, so we left it as an idea. I proceeded with encouraging Judy to check out an upcoming writer’s workshop hosted by DWA that centered around processing the turmoil that was happening in the nation. Long story short, Judy connected with Angela Abreu from DWA and pitched the idea about hosting the series through their platform as a community offering. She agreed to support the vision. In February 2025, Judy and I hosted our first session of our Radical Collective Self-care Series via Zoom. As part of our first session, we shared a feedback survey with participants. When asked “ How do you feel as a result of this session”, some of the responses included the following:

“More connected and engaged. Feeling less alone”

“Lighter and loved. Thank you for doing this. It’s appreciated” 

“I feel more at peace, empowered, and not alone.”

“I feel inspired.” 

After reading these responses, Judy and I knew there was something special about the series ahead of us. The rest of the journey was magical. Our session included participants from all over the nation and beyond. Judy and I always walked away in awe of the beauty of each session.

The culminating session:

This past Saturday, May 24th, we hosted our culminating session of the eight-part series. Judy and I had the honor of welcome our featured guests: Kleaver Cruz, author of The Black Joy Project, and artist Sissy Rosso. They were able to share their creative work with our guests and explain how it relates to self- and collective care. It was an amazing way to wrap up the series. Kleaver is not only an author of one of my favorite pieces of work around Black joy but also another sibling in the Diaspora. We met almost 10 years ago at a conference, and we have remained long-distance friends ever since. “Anything for your Anyi”, when I asked if he could come surprise our guests. Sissy is also very dear to Judy, whom she has served as mentor to. Two amazing humans and creatives in the Diaspora. This session, like all the others, served as a space where Dominicans, and BIPOC communities alike, could come together and explore what Radical Self-Care and Collective care come up in their life as a way of resistance. 

The revelations, connections, prompt writing, and discussions in the sessions reminded us that, while we must practice radical self-care, the power lies in finding ways to also care for each other. In this case, Judy and I were able to care for community by holding space for them virtually, along the margins, grounded in joy and the belief that connection is what will hold us through uncertain times. 

Epílogo

The next day after our series ended, I visited my mother to wish Feliz Día de las madres Dominicanas. I took her some flowers, her favorite cafecito, and a card with a heartfelt message. We chatted about life, our foremothers, and the tías that are no longer with us. My sister came over, and we faced Leilani who was on campus. Ironically, Leilani was Facetiming with our cousin in Florida. We ended up in a three-way call with the rest of the tribe: Todas… del linage de Abuela Julia. I walked away with my heart full of joy before I headed to my road trip to visit Leilani on campus. The goal: to care for my twenty-year-old baby. All aligned, magically and beautifully, as God intended. 

I finish up this reflection, as Leilani’s final stretch in her morning sleep comes to an end.  I want to be present and dedicate the rest of the day to mothering, loving, and reminding her that radical collective care sometimes can simply be intentionality about showing up for each other for some quality time.

It was a great weekend… I am grateful.

– Anyiné 

Gracias a…

PhD Judelysse Gomez for co-creating this beautiful series with me. For her wisdom, grace, and knowledge around this topic. You are magic.

Dominican Writers Association and founder Angela Abreu for the support in making this community offering come to life.

To all our guest speakers in the series.

Last but not least, Muchas Gracias to all our guests who joined from near and far, for one or multiple sessions, it was an honor to digital space with you all. Stay connected!