Desiring to see other women like themselves and to empower each other, a group of 30 black lesbians decided in 1987 to form an annual event to celebrate and rejuvenate themselves through empowerment workshops.
A quarter of a century later the all-volunteer group, the Nia Collective, will gather to commemorate their coming together in a sold-out fete at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove November 16-18.
The last time the collective's annual gathering was hosted at Asilomar was for its 10th anniversary, said treasurer Z'ma Wyatt.
The nearly 150 guests who will attend this year's gathering will have a chance to win a trip for two at Punta Cana Resort in May, commemorating Olivia Travel's 40th anniversary.
Judy Dlugacz, founder and president of Olivia Travel, congratulated the group on its 25th anniversary, telling the Bay Area Reporter in an email that Olivia "values diversity" and is "100 percent behind the Nia Collective's mission."
"We wish them well as they continue to build networks that help lesbians of African descent thrive," wrote Dlugacz.
The Nia Collective's major sponsors are Olivia Travel, which has its Sisters at Play and Sisters at Sea programs, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said its leadership.
Rise up
The collective was founded during the Black Lesbian Caucus at the Lesbian of Color conference in San Francisco in 1987. Its goal is to bring queer black women together from around the world and provide the foundation for empowerment and well being.
The group took its name from the Swahili language: Nia means "purpose," and is the fifth principle of Kwanzaa, according to the collective's website.
Over the years the collective's 15 board members formed a model; it became the only black lesbian organization in northern California, said current and founding leaders.
In addition to the annual gathering, the collective hosts and supports smaller events throughout the year.
In the beginning, the women simply wanted a place to be together to socialize, said Mary Midgett, 76, one of the founding members who served on the collective's board for two years. Everyone donated $25 and fundraised to produce the first event, which was held in a beauty shop in Oakland, she said.
"That place was wall-to-wall women. It was great. We had a ball," said Midgett, recalling the early years. She hasn't missed an annual gathering and is looking forward to this weekend's event, she said.
Every year the board members and participants donate to raise the estimated $15,000 to produce the event and give out scholarships, said Wyatt and Wendy Herndon, 63, who has been president of the NIA Collective for 17 years. The collective also receives grants. This year the group raised $49,000 to produce the event. The increased cost was due to the location, said Wyatt, 52, who has handled the collective's finances for the past two years.
Wyatt has been a member of the collective for about 15 years, she said. She and her partner, Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig, are also sponsors of Nia as the publishers of Shades, an Oakland-based magazine for women of color.
A photographer, Wyatt has also documented the organization's evolution.
Many of the collective's core members have been with the group for more than a decade. Others have benefited from the nine workshops generally conducted during the weekend event and enjoy simply being in the same space as other women-loving-women of African descent. The workshops are often focused on health and well-being, spirituality, stress management, financial management, and more to help attendees become the best that they can be in the year to come, said Herndon.
The collective has awarded scholarships to young black lesbians over the years when finances have allowed, Herndon added.
"They come to Nia so they can see people that look and love just like them," said Herndon. "It's so empowering. It's a positive, empowering experience. People say they have to come to Nia sometimes just to charge up so they can deal with the rest of the world for the rest of the year [and] ... to get charged up again so they can go into the new year."
Sisterhood is powerful
Herndon called the collective the "breeding ground of empowerment" and a "springboard" that gives the women the "power and confidence to believe in yourself."
"Nia is very near and dear to my heart," said Herndon, who plans to step down from being president.
She attributed the success of the Nia Collective to its members, who she described as "committed." That commitment has been the driving force behind the power of the collective in the black lesbian community and the broader community, partnering with organizations and ensuring African American lesbians are at the table when it comes to black lesbian issues. The group's representatives serve in business, community organizations, and government, she pointed out.
"I believe in what Nia does," said Herndon. "I believe in the empowerment and just having a presence in the community. Nia does have a presence in the community."
Perhaps one of the collective's most well-known members is Peggy Moore, who was the California political director for President Barack Obama's re-election campaign.
Moore also co-founded Sistahs Steppin' in Pride, the East Bay Dyke March. The Nia Collective was a constant force at the heart of Sistahs, Moore said. The march ended its decade-long run in 2011. Moore won't be attending this year's gathering, but she is taking a moment to "sit still, celebrate [the election win], and create an opportunity for myself to be clear about what the next purpose will be."
Moore, who has been a part of the collective for some 15 years after moving to the Bay Area from Oklahoma City, said, "I came alive," after her first encounter with the collective.
She described the collective as an "environment" to see herself as a woman and that she felt a "certain level of sisterhood" that "helped me" and "gave me an opportunity to have a voice and trust my voice."
The sense of sisterhood is what makes the collective unique, said Wyatt.
"I felt so welcome. I felt like I was in a place where I could be myself and that there were other women out there like myself and they embraced me," said Wyatt.
Midgett simply wanted to leave a legacy.
"The women always say to me, 'Midgett, I want to be like you when I grow up,'" she said.
Nia Collective leaders and Moore hope the collective continues with a new generation empowered by the annual gathering and stepping up into leadership roles.
"The future is in the hands of the younger people in our community," said Herndon.