Building Community
Where are things at for Sisters? Let’s recap:
We bought a building.
We are fighting policies and narratives that are harmful to our unhoused neighbors.
We work every day to stay grounded in our values.
We’re working to create a future rooted in an understanding of our history.
…but what about building community? How do we continue to strengthen ties and relationships without a physical space to ground that work in?
We’ll be talking about this a lot more with many of you in the weeks and months ahead, but here’s a little preview of what’s to come:
We’re planning a groundbreaking event / block party to celebrate the purchase of our new home – stay tuned for details!
We’ll be gathering community input as part of the design process for our new building.
We’ll be talking with people one-on-one and in small groups about what it will take, financially, to bring our new home to life.
We’ll be working with our allies in Old Town and beyond to:
Offer Know Your Rights Trainings relating to the new camping ban.
Provide guided tours and fresh produce at the Portland Farmers Market.
Gather community input for our upcoming housing survey.
Finally, we’ll be working over the months ahead to redefine what community means and how we can expand our notion of who is welcome and included in our new home.
We are serious about strengthening our bonds. We know that we need to bring people together in whatever ways we can right now. Fostering division is one of the oldest tools for those who wield the most power to keep power from those that they wield it over.
Sisters has always been committed to creating cross-cultural spaces where we work to erase those divisions through common purpose. While our cafe may be closed, we will continue to honor that commitment in every way we can.
We need your support to make this all possible. Tomorrow is the last day of our Gather & Grow Fundraising Campaign. Now is the time to show your support and keep Sisters strong and resilient in the months ahead.