MWM Special Edition Dialogue: Freeing Mixed Refrains

How do we speak our truth in a noisy world? How do we keep our voice rooted in ourselves when so many other entities want our attention, our money, our souls? How do we hold a container for ourselves while holding another’s different truth? If you’re holding these questions, we want to welcome you to this Special Edition Dialogue event hosted by Conie Borchardt & Sheryl Grace. In hosting this space we seek to provide an opportunity to have intentional dialogue with others who identify or experience life as mixed-race, biracial, multiracial, multi-ethnic, or transracial and/or transnational adoptees. If you want to dive into these complexities, you're in the right place to listen, learn, and share. This live workshop will include a guest speaker, opportunities for written reflection, singing new songs (if you’d like, mics off), sharing our stories in smaller groups, and large group discussion. 

Bios of Facilitators: 

Conie Borchardt (she/her or they/them) is a Public Heart Artist, a listener and vibration working to exercise her voice and take up space, to heal & liberate personal and collective wounds from ancestral trauma and white supremacy.  A confluence of more things:  Mixed Asian-European, Luth-opalian Sufi dancer, Urban-Rural, Wounded Healer.    Lives near the Mn’sota & Mississippi River, “B’dote,” land where the original Dakota & Anishinaabe people still live, work, and play.  Attended the first Midwest Mixed’s Conference in 2017 and felt both at home and needing more kindred community. Developing a community of care and storytelling space called Biracial & Rural, where Freeing Refrains is calling in others with mixed race/ethnic stories set in rural places.  See more at www.pointsoflightmusic.net. 

Sheryl Grace (she/her) works towards democratizing cell therapy at Be the Match as a Donor Operations Specialist for her day job. In her off time Sheryl has facilitates dialogues and community conversations based in social justice and equity. Sheryl also serves as Treasurer of a newly formed nonprofit, For the Love Project, which has a mission of pairing artistic entrepreneur mentors with high school students so they can see themselves as future entrepreneurs. Sheryl is also an alum of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders Making Our Voices Effective for Equity (MOVEE) 2020 summer cohort. Before the COVID-19 pandemic you may have seen Sheryl out and about at local concerts or food festivals and she looks forward to some day being able to participate in those activities once again. For now she is excited to connect with you virtually! Sheryl is also waiting for her spouse to surprise her with a puppy someday, but alas that dream has not come true yet.