ABOUT US
We are identical twin PhDs who merge the magic of ancestral medicine with sharp intellect. Our platform provides the balm to ease the ache of internalized oppression. More specifically, as doulas and certified yogis, we design multi-sensory workshops that provide sacred spaces for women of color to address intergenerational womb imbalances.
We are both professors of the Social Sciences within the City College of New York (CUNY). We’ve each authored academic pieces on the effects of racialized oppression on communities of color, Afro-Dominicans in particular. Our work has granted us access to platforms such as ABC, NPR, Univision, Google, Buzz Feed’s Pero Like, and Facebook to name a few.
The work that we do is inspired by the 7th generation principle among indigenous nations across the Western Hemisphere. The healing that takes place today will help to heal 7 generations before us and 7 generations after us.
Dr. Griselda
Rodriguez-Solomon
is a mother, wife and professor in the Department of Anthropology, Gender Studies and International Studies within the City College of New York. She earned her PhD in Sociology, with a certificate in Gender Studies, from Syracuse University. Griselda has conducted extensive research on the effects of internalization oppression on women of color’s reproductive health. She is also a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher. For the past decade, she’s been a birth doula and advocate for Birth Justice. The home-birth of her son transformed her forever.
Dr. Miguelina
Rodriguez
is a Dominicana from Brooklyn, New York. She holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy Formation from Rutgers University and is a certified Yoga Instructor. As a Professor of Urban Studies at LaGuardia Community College within CUNY (the City University of New York), her academic work revolves around Critical Ethnographies of the way BIPOC communities are negatively affected by processes of Gentrification in New York City. Miguelina believes in the power of what she calls practical magic: a marriage between logic and intuition. This practical magic carries her & others through life.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Brujas are people, particularly women, who have defied the odds of their times. The witch archetype was birthed as a response to female liberation struggles. The infant stages of capitalism (11th-15th century) saw the rise of a new form of global power. Church and state were at odds for people’s souls and their bodies as sources of cheap labor. Anyone who existed outside imposed boundaries of “acceptability” and “respectability” were considered threats.
For women rebels, this meant she was accused of being a witch. But witches are not evil. They are dangerous, but dangerous because they cannot be controlled in a way that is profitable.
As women of color, the intersection of racism into this phenomena further adds fuel to the fire (no pun intended). Under capitalist patriarchy, people of color, women, working class peoples, queer folks do not fit into what Audre Lorde refers to as “the mythical norm”.Our collective reclamation of this powerful archetype is thus our way of dismantling systems of oppression that have caused harm to many.
-
Not in the traditional sense (tarot, divination using cowrie shells or cola nut meat). But, when working with a collective or individual, we tap into our extra sensory perception (intuition) and share insights that may help at the moment.
-
Not in the stereotypical sense. We cannot bring back an ex-lover. Nor do we remove or place supposed hexes on people. What we do is teach people the power of the word. We’ve learned that through mantra (sacred chants) and journaling (spell-ing), we can transform our lives.
-
Lol! Unfortunately, we do not. But as scholars of Gender Studies we learn and teach that the idea of witches riding brooms is rooted in patriarchal folklore. Historically, witches were mostly women who defied the conventions of their time. Not for the sake of being rebels without a cause, but for the sake of sustaining sovereignty over their lives. Unfortunately, a woman’s sexuality is often the first thing that is targeted, as a source of control, when the person is deemed to be “uncontrollable”. Thus, women who defied Christian-based notions of female sexuality (i.e. laying in missionary style) were often accused of being witches. They were said to ride brooms, in the middle of the night, to go suck the souls out of men while having sex. We can all now gather what the broom is an analogy for…:)
As featured in
Bustle / ABC News / Oprah Magazine
Refinery 29 / Parents Magazine / News 12 Brooklyn
WNYC Studios / Telemundo
Let’s Work Together
Educational Workshops, Panel Discussions, Brand Partnerships and more.