Charis welcomes author NoNieqa Ramos and illustrator Jacqueline Alcántara for a celebration of Your Mama, moderated by Sister Song Executive Director, Monica Raye Simpson. A sweet twist on the age-old “yo mama” joke, celebrating fierce moms everywhere with playful lyricism and gorgeous illustrations. Perfect for Mother’s Day. This event is co-hosted by Sister Song. Sister Song’s mission is to strengthen and amplify the collective voices of indigenous women and women of color to achieve reproductive justice by eradicating reproductive oppression and securing human rights.

Yo’ mama so sweet, she could be a bakery. She dresses so fine, she could have a clothing line. And, even when you mess up, she’s so forgiving, she lets you keep on living. Heartwarming and richly imagined, Your Mama twists an old joke into a point of pride that honors the love, hard work, and dedication of mamas everywhere.

NoNieqa Ramos is an educator who wrote The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary, a 2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens, a 2019 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection, and a 2019 In the Margins Award Top Ten pick. Her debut picture book, Your Mama, earned a starred review from School Library Journal. She is a proud member of Las Musas, the Soaring 20s, and PB Debut Troupe 21. She lives in Virginia with her family.

Jacqueline Alcántara is the illustrator of the critically acclaimed The Field and Freedom Soup and the forthcoming, Your Mama. Her favorite days are spent drawing, painting, writing, and walking her dog. In 2016, she was awarded the inaugural We Need Diverse Books Illustrator mentorship. Find out more at JacquelineAlcantara.com.

Monica Raye Simpson is the Executive Director of SisterSong, a woman of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. A native of rural North Carolina, Monica organizes against human rights violations, the prison industrial complex, and structural racism through a feminist and interdisciplinary approach to Black liberation from a southern to a global scale. A true renaissance leader, she is also committed to birth justice as a certified Doula and centers the reproductive rights of black women as part of her practice. Monica’s masterful integration of activism and artistry “artivism,” created a path for the release of her first live album entitled Revolutionary Love, an album praised for its blending of her gospel roots and her passion for social justice. This innovative sound is what she calls Revolutionary Soul. As a performer who works to empower marginalized people and tear down broken systems, Monica was named as a New Civil Rights Leader by Essence Magazine and chosen as one of the Advocate magazine’s 40 under 40 leaders.

This event is free and open to all people, especially to those who have no income or low income right now, but we encourage and appreciate a solidarity donation in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/CharisCircle?code=chariscirclepage

We will be archiving this event and adding closed captioning as soon as possible after airing so that it will be accessible to deaf and HOH people. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org. We are actively learning the best practices for this technology and we welcome your feedback as we begin this new way of connecting across distances.

By attending our virtual event you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to info@chariscircle.org immediately.

Your Mama: NoNieqa Ramos in conversation with Jacqueline Alcántara and Monica Raye Simpson