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I Am Not Exotic – I Am Exhausted

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‘I Am Not Exotic – I’m Exhausted’ was a workshop series that dealt with the collective processing of realities of ‘othering’ experienced by BPoCs (Black & People of Color) within white majority societies and contexts.  Unpacking the emotional and psychological exhaustion that often come with those experiences, the initial workshop focused on the experiences of Black women and women of color at the intersection of racism and sexism.

I am not exotic - I am exhausted

It was a response to the exhaustion from being othered, marginalized, and judged differently because of existing as a Person of Color within a country’s white-christian norm.

The intercultural exchange between different communities of color and the acquisition of knowledge from Critical Race Theory served as an empowering tool. The event took place as a ‘safer space’ and was open to Black people and people of color. The workshop was instructed by Diana Arce from the initiative ‘White Guilt Clean Up’.

For Miriam Yosef, the inspiration behind this workshop was simply the exhaustion she felt and saw around her. Exhaustion from being othered, marginalized and judged differently because of existing as a Person of Color within a country’s white-christian norm.

The initial workshop focused on the experiences of Black women and women of color at the intersection of racism and sexism.

For the organization of the workshop, Miriam looked for reliable partners to cooperate with and teamed up with Bahnhof Langendreer e.V., a local socio-cultural centre in Bochum, that also served as the location of the workshop. Having participated at another empowering workshop given by Diana Arce the year prior, she was also Miriam’s first choice to help lead this workshop. With luck, Miriam was able to secure Diana’s participation to hold this initial workshop in February 2019 in Bochum, Germany. I Am Not Exotic – I Am Exhausted was also a part of the event series called “Salon der Perspektiven”, organized by local actors in the region.

I Am Not Exotic – I’m Exhausted’ is a series of empowerment events. If anyone wants to get involved in future events, please contact Humanity in Action Germany to get in touch with Miriam directly.

This project was made possible with the generous support of: