Safe spaces locally

[OoFaithoO]

Hi everyone! It has made my week to see this new area of MN. I’m thrilled to have a place like this to go to and feel part of a community as I’m really quite isolated from others that can identify with my experiences in real life. Just wondering if anybody has started a local Facebook Group or meet up group for black women? Would be keen to hear how others have gone about this.

Hello! Welcome!
I'm isolated too, and a gazillion miles away from London so I'm really pleased that this board is here for us.
Come on in and have a look around and I'm sure there will be others along to give some advice.

Another very isolated person here! I've never looked at local Facebook groups actually, that's a good idea

So excited for this new space, I’m in South Wales and have been living here for 7 years after moving from Kent.If anybody knows a good loctitian in these parts please let me know.

Hi* @LanaArcher* . There's a place in Cardiff I think called #pridedreadlocks. They are on Instagram. If they are too far away, they might be able to recommend someone nearer to you.

Hi ladies!

It makes me so happy to think of others feeling excited and happy like me. Is a place to go in real life something that would interest you? Would you actually give your time? I’m trying to gauge whether it’s a good idea, and how it would work. I definitely am craving this kind of community as I enter my early 30s. To learn from women of all ages would be great.

For example, it was hard to find anyone to talk about starting a new job where I’m the only POC out of 80 staff (mostly women). My dad was in the workplace in the 80s until recently, but times are quite different now. And I’m a woman. From getting out of the car for the first time, walking the corridors for the first time, first greetings with other staff, wondering how I’ll be perceived, getting first impressions just right, people trying to pronounce my non-English name..... the list goes on.

It’s not even about being unconfident, or being looked at (I have big curly natural hair ) I’m very friendly and assertive, it’s just having that little voice in your head knowing that you have to prove both immediately and over time that you’re a nice, normal person.

Anyway, just rambling! Would you want to meet to discuss this kind of thing?

I think it would be lovely to see people on here arrange meets some time in the future.
In the meantime, join in anywhere that interests you

Sorry if I wasn’t clear... I meant, in theory would you be interested. Say if one were to spring up in your area? That’s what I’m thinking about trying, Not trying to arrange MN meet-ups as such

Yes, in theory, if one were to spring up in my area.

@OoFaithoO yes in theory I would be very interested! I've been very insular, even before pandemic times because of anxiety, but honestly over the last few days I've felt a lot more like there are other people out there like me. If there was something in the future where I could meet a couple of them, I'd probably really freak out but hopefully end up showing up! Even for things like soft play with DCs.

How long have you been in your new job now? I'd very much like to hear about people's experiences with that kind of thing. I haven't worked since having DTs and I'm very nervous about the idea of returning to work for exactly the reasons you mentioned above. Having a place like this to vent about all the things that happen sounds like a great way for us all to power through in real life, if that makes any sense I've just been comforting DD as she seemed to have had a nightmare so my brain is a bit frazzled