With the support from the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh Grant funded by The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments I’m dedicating this new season to The PostpARTum Project. This creative wellness practice supports postpartum healing and centers the liberation of Black mothers.

Pittsburgh’s relationship with its Black residents, especially its Black women, is in desperate need of repair. In 2019, Pittsburgh’s Gender Equity Commission concluded that the city is the worst place in the country for Black women in almost every indicator of livability, including unemployment and education.

That work can’t fall on the shoulders of the Black residents themselves — they need support and resources. Dawn, Friedman, Savage, and Manning are cultivating the spaces that Black women need and making it possible for people to encounter yoga classes that reflect their communities.