7 Ways to Support WOCA

As WOCA celebrates over ten years of service to the field, it has only been by leaning on our values which provide us the foundation to remain steadfast to our mission. As an organization, WOCA believes in the principles of Kwanzaa*, a celebration which emerged out of the struggle for racial equality. Created in the midst of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, Kwanzaa is a non-religious holiday driven by seven main principles and designed to spark reflection and celebrate culture and community. While rooted in Pan-African traditions and dedicated to empowering Black people specifically, the seven pillars of Kwanzaa offer a universality that speaks to many communities, including WOCA’s. In fact, much of WOCA’s work is guided by these fundamental values*:

  1. Umoja = Unity

  2. Kujichagulia = Self-Determination

  3. Ujima = Collective Work and Responsibility

  4. Ujamaa = Cooperative Economics

  5. Nia = Purpose

  6. Kuumba = Creativity

  7. Imani = Faith

Here’s how you can use these principles to support women of color and the work of WOCA:

  1. Unity = Lift up and work together with women of color. Daily.

  2. Self-determination = Allow women of color to speak for themselves. Consistently.

  3. Collective Work and Responsibility = Commit to the work of dismantling systemic inequities rooted in racism and White supremacy. Hold your organizations and communities accountable, and with WOCA, begin the work of understanding and restoration.

  4. Cooperative Economics = Give. Lift up businesses and organizations run by people of color. Use your resources and in this pursuit, hire WOCA to consult, facilitate, speak or train. Also, pay women of color their worth.

  5. Purpose = Be intentional in the way you engage women of color. Look for ways to meaningfully help develop the talents of women of color and amplify their leadership.

  6. Creativity = Always center the arts and be inventive in your approach.

  7. Faith = Believe in women of color.

Seven principles support the work of WOCA. And you can support WOCA too. In addition to the above, make a financial contribution TODAY. Support our community and help grow our movement for the next ten years!

*learn more about Kwanzaa HERE
**captured in English and Swahili