[Tbtn] Discussion w/ Imani

[Ross A Wantland]

Our next scheduled meeting (according to what I've been told) is Sunday at 3pm at Espresso Royale-Urbana. 

I'm unable to make the meeting, but I did talk with Imani Bazzell. She had already said she wouldn't be able to speak at TBTN, but she was willing to speak to me about ways we can make this an event more than just a campus event. In short, she said that we have a lot more work to do than can be done by TBTN. Otherwise, it just feels dishonest. But she gave me a lot of ideas about forming a loose network of folks who will be together on the issues of violence against women, and ways we could go about doing that. I can talk with y'all more about this later. It is definitely an exciting (and overwhelming) venture, but we don't need to think about it this month. For now, we should make sure we invite a variety of community organizations to TBTN, including NAACP, Urban League, National Council of Negro Women, YWCA, League of Women Voters, SisterNet, etc. But it is likely that many of them will not come because they do not have adequate buy in for this event. Sure, the issue is important to them. But they may not feel in allignment with a march/rally, or they may not see TBTN as addressing their issues. That doesn't mean we can't invite and meet with groups, though. 

Have a great meeting, and I'll talk to you soon.
In peace,
Ross