On Lancaster City Alliance Mornings & YWCA Lancaster Evenings
March 19, 2025 |
| YWCA Lancaster Empowerment Circle - Image from Dr. Rev Chynaah, Lancaster March 2025 |
Good evening Beautiful People...and Happy First Day of SPRING!!! (it is official now).
I just got back home from an amazing women's month event at YWCA Lancaster. The event was an empowerment circle hosted by Dr. Rev. Chynaah, yep the same Dr. Rev Chynaah who invited me to be one of the five vendors at her First Friday Ubuntu event at the Ware Center.
Since today was a beautiful and fulfilling day, I thought to share the whole day, and not just the evening.
Starting the Day at the Lancaster Merchants Event
I started the day at the Lancaster Merchants Meeting at the Ware Centre. This monthly gathering hosted by Lancaster City Alliance is a must-attend for business owners and entrepreneurs looking to stay informed about upcoming events, partnerships, and developments in the city.
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| Merchant Meeting hosted by Lancaster City Alliance - Lancaster March 2025 |
I was there to promote a client’s upcoming open house, and also note upcoming events I’d like to attend.
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| Dropped by City Hall, Lancaster after the Merchant Meeting - March 2025 |
Since the Open House is happening on First Friday, I stopped at the municipal office/city hall to secure a First Friday sandwich board—an essential tool for visibility during downtown events.
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| The First Friday Sandwich Board that I am hunting down- Lancaster 2025 |
It was my first time back at city hall since pre-COVID, when the mayor hosted a meet-up for the African community. (Not sure if those gatherings are still happening, but they were a great initiative)
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| Pre-covid Mayor's meet and greet with Africans in Lancaster 2019 |
Speaking of pre-COVID, it was this week 5 years ago that everything shut down…and I am not speaking about the global shut down (I literally shut down…and looking back, I am glad I held on…I was drowning like anchored to the bottom of the sea drowning)…and five years later, I am out here as a contractor and running an African gifts and culture hub that is not only selling products but offering talks and mini workshops.
Back to today, the city sent me back to the Alliance - thankfully I got connected to the right person and a board will be dropped at my client's later in the week.
Afternoon: Prepping for the Women’s Empowerment Circle
After clearing my client’s to-do list for the day, I switched gears to focus on my own business to-do list. First stop: the local bead shop to pick up materials for the evening workshop I was facilitating.
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| The beads I got - Lancaster March 2025 |
Evening: Women’s Empowerment Circle at YWCA Lancaster
The highlight of my day was the Women’s Empowerment Circle at YWCA Lancaster, hosted by Dr. Rev. Chynaah. This event was all about connection, creativity, and healing, with five different activities designed to uplift and empower women.
My contribution? A simple jewelry-making session paired after a short talk on how African women use art or craft making sessions as a place for emotional and financial empowerment. After the talk, we sat together, shared stories, and strung beads into something beautiful—it was a powerful reminder of how art and conversation can bring healing.
The evening was filled with food, drumming, deep conversations, and incredible energy. I’m beyond grateful for the women I met and the moments we shared.
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| That Ubuntu print is from my shop - love when people display our stuff, you can get it or others here |
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| Promotional Poster for the event - Lancaster, March 2025 |
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| List of co-facilitators - March 2025 |
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| Led a session on Healing in Community through Artisanship - Lancaster March 2025 |
Reflecting on an Amazing Journey of Connection
I first met Dr. Rev. Chynaah last June when she was part of a group that presented at an event hosted by the church I was helping with at the time. We connected over our shared love for jewelry and stayed in touch for a while, but life happened, and we lost contact for a bit.
I first met Dr. Rev. Chynaah last June when she was part of a group that presented at an event hosted by the church I was helping with at the time. We connected over our shared love for jewelry and stayed in touch for a while, but life happened, and we lost contact for a bit.
Then, at the end of last year, I saw that she was hosting the Ubuntu Storytelling event at the Ware Center. I reached out, and not only did she decide to add vendors to the program after our conversation, but she also included me in this second event (today’s event), which was truly amazing.
As the saying goes, closed mouths don’t get fed… —and this experience reminded me just how true that is. I’m definitely looking forward to sourcing out more collaboration opportunities for both my shop and my clients in the coming months. Whether through vending, facilitating workshops, or simply building meaningful connections, I’m excited for what’s ahead.
Until the next update, I leave you with a mini video of this evening’s event.
Sending loads of love and light, and wishing you all an amazing Spring.
Sitawa
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