Liberation Table
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Welcome to the Liberation Table!
An Introduction to the Liberation Table from Hillary
Over the past several months, I have been working on a project called the Liberation Table. The creation of the Liberation Table is the result of my personal journey from ignorance about my people and our history to knowledge, power, and continued self-liberation. The content within the Liberation Table Manual was heavily influenced by and in many instances directly borrowed from the Keti Koti Table and Manual created by Mercedes Zandwijken and the celebration of Kwanzaa created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, in addition to the Jewish Haggadah and Passover Seder. My exposure to Jewish culture, tradition, and education—including the Passover Seder, Hebrew school, and summer camps—played a significant role in shaping my belief in the strength that comes from a people truly knowing their story.
What is the Liberation Table?
The Liberation Table is an opportunity for Black people of African descent to gather together with family and friends and to reflect upon our history of innovation, oppression, and strength over a traditional African-American meal (or other traditional meal with African roots). This ceremony would take place on the first Sunday of the month of February to celebrate the beginning of Black History Month. The Liberation Table Manual is a guide for how to practice the Liberation Table; it includes prayers to our ancestors, stories from the continent of Africa and from descendants of enslaved Africans in the United States and the Caribbean, singing, chanting, movement, and of course a delicious home-cooked meal. In his book, The Mis-Education of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson says: “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” The Liberation Table helps us to keep this history alive for our community. We envision a country and a world in which Black children and people of the African Diaspora have pride in their histories and know their power and worth.
Meet Our Team!
Hillary Bridges is a proud descendant of Africans forcibly brought to the United States and enslaved in Georgia and South Carolina. She is the founder of Students for Educational Justice in New Haven, Connecticut and one of the co-founders of the African Education Program in Kafue, Zambia. She was a John B. Ervin Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, a Danish Government Scholar at the University of Copenhagen, and spent several years of her life outside of the U.S. in Chile, Denmark, and France.
Benie N’sumbu is a Congolese-American who immigrated to the U.S. at a young age with her family. She is currently a college student studying sociology. She believes that the Liberation Table will allow Black people to connect with our ancestors and heal some of the generational trauma caused by slavery and colonialism.
We are Black women, we are the Diaspora!
How you can help!
If you have the means, we would be so very thankful to receive a donation from you. Starting in July, our team will be taking the current draft of our Liberation Table Manual to the next level. In order to do that, we need some funding.
Here is what the funding will go towards:
1. Liberation Table Team Stipends
Our Liberation Table team expects to spend approximately 10 hours each per week on this project over the next 7.5 months (July to February).
Below is our plan:
July- Finalize our first draft of the Liberation Table Manual
August- Initiate first round of Liberation Table beta tests
September- Edit the Manual based on feedback from beta testers
October- Initiate second round of Liberation Table beta tests
November- Edit the Manual based on feedback from beta testers
December- Make The Liberation Table Manual public!
We will track our hours. If we do not reach these hours, we will adjust our stipends appropriately. Any additional funds will be reallocated to other aspects of the project.
We will make sure to keep you up to date on all of our major actions!
Cost Estimate: $18,000 ($6,000 per team member)
(10hours x 30weeks (7.5 months) x $20/hr x 3women = $18,000)
2. Liberation Table Beta Tester Materials Stipend
Once the Manual is complete, we will need people to try out a real-life Liberation Table utilizing the Manual, so that we can make it even better. We expect that the first round of these Liberation Tables will take place in August and the second round in October. In order to help our beta tester hosts offset some of the costs of the Table materials, we will provide each Liberation Table beta test host with a $200 stipend.
Cost Estimate: $2,000 ($200 per host)
(10hosts x $200 = $2,000)
Estimated Total: $20,000
THANK YOU for your support.
Please SHARE with your friends and family!
We can’t wait to start this journey with you!
Sincerely,
The Liberation Table Team
An Introduction to the Liberation Table from Hillary
Over the past several months, I have been working on a project called the Liberation Table. The creation of the Liberation Table is the result of my personal journey from ignorance about my people and our history to knowledge, power, and continued self-liberation. The content within the Liberation Table Manual was heavily influenced by and in many instances directly borrowed from the Keti Koti Table and Manual created by Mercedes Zandwijken and the celebration of Kwanzaa created by Dr. Maulana Karenga, in addition to the Jewish Haggadah and Passover Seder. My exposure to Jewish culture, tradition, and education—including the Passover Seder, Hebrew school, and summer camps—played a significant role in shaping my belief in the strength that comes from a people truly knowing their story.
What is the Liberation Table?
The Liberation Table is an opportunity for Black people of African descent to gather together with family and friends and to reflect upon our history of innovation, oppression, and strength over a traditional African-American meal (or other traditional meal with African roots). This ceremony would take place on the first Sunday of the month of February to celebrate the beginning of Black History Month. The Liberation Table Manual is a guide for how to practice the Liberation Table; it includes prayers to our ancestors, stories from the continent of Africa and from descendants of enslaved Africans in the United States and the Caribbean, singing, chanting, movement, and of course a delicious home-cooked meal. In his book, The Mis-Education of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson says: “Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history.” The Liberation Table helps us to keep this history alive for our community. We envision a country and a world in which Black children and people of the African Diaspora have pride in their histories and know their power and worth.
Meet Our Team!
Hillary Bridges is a proud descendant of Africans forcibly brought to the United States and enslaved in Georgia and South Carolina. She is the founder of Students for Educational Justice in New Haven, Connecticut and one of the co-founders of the African Education Program in Kafue, Zambia. She was a John B. Ervin Scholar at Washington University in St. Louis, a Danish Government Scholar at the University of Copenhagen, and spent several years of her life outside of the U.S. in Chile, Denmark, and France.Benie N’sumbu is a Congolese-American who immigrated to the U.S. at a young age with her family. She is currently a college student studying sociology. She believes that the Liberation Table will allow Black people to connect with our ancestors and heal some of the generational trauma caused by slavery and colonialism.
We are Black women, we are the Diaspora!
How you can help!
If you have the means, we would be so very thankful to receive a donation from you. Starting in July, our team will be taking the current draft of our Liberation Table Manual to the next level. In order to do that, we need some funding.
Here is what the funding will go towards:
1. Liberation Table Team Stipends
Our Liberation Table team expects to spend approximately 10 hours each per week on this project over the next 7.5 months (July to February).
Below is our plan:
July- Finalize our first draft of the Liberation Table Manual
August- Initiate first round of Liberation Table beta tests
September- Edit the Manual based on feedback from beta testers
October- Initiate second round of Liberation Table beta tests
November- Edit the Manual based on feedback from beta testers
December- Make The Liberation Table Manual public!
We will track our hours. If we do not reach these hours, we will adjust our stipends appropriately. Any additional funds will be reallocated to other aspects of the project.
We will make sure to keep you up to date on all of our major actions!
Cost Estimate: $18,000 ($6,000 per team member)
(10hours x 30weeks (7.5 months) x $20/hr x 3women = $18,000)
2. Liberation Table Beta Tester Materials Stipend
Once the Manual is complete, we will need people to try out a real-life Liberation Table utilizing the Manual, so that we can make it even better. We expect that the first round of these Liberation Tables will take place in August and the second round in October. In order to help our beta tester hosts offset some of the costs of the Table materials, we will provide each Liberation Table beta test host with a $200 stipend.
Cost Estimate: $2,000 ($200 per host)
(10hosts x $200 = $2,000)
Estimated Total: $20,000
THANK YOU for your support.
Please SHARE with your friends and family!
We can’t wait to start this journey with you!
Sincerely,
The Liberation Table Team
Co-organizers (2)
Hillary Bridges
Organizer
New Haven, CT
Benie Nsumbu
Co-organizer