Peace Sisters,

I would like to introduce myself. I am an Afro-Dominican woman born and raised in the Bronx. I am a poet, writer, workshop facilitator, and labor coach. I graduated from the State University of New York at New Paltz, with a bachelor’s degree in Black Studies and Television/Radio Productions.

The focus of my multidimensional work is the empowerment of women and people of the African Diaspora, my keynote presentation being on the Afro-Latina Identity. I also teach writing workshops that aim to encourage healing through releasing emotions in words. In October 2009, I completed and self-published my literary work called ‘Hija De Mi Madre’ (My Mother’s Daughter), which is a combination of memoirs, poems and research material that not only explain the effects of race on identity from an academic standpoint but also shares my life as a living example. In July 2011, I published my second book, a collection of poetry in Spanish.

In 2011, I launched the multimedia project, These Waters Run Deep, which blends passion for life with words, visual arts, music and dance to celebrate the joy of creation, while uncovering and evaluating the sorrow and death in our communities. The heart of this project is to raise awareness on maternal and infant health for women of color, highlighting the disparities in the healthcare system in the United States. It is a 13 workshop-cycle that culminates with a gallery show and reception for the completion of the cycle and the signature of the project, 13 painted belly casts.

Below is the link to the presentation at my alma mater, the State University of New York at New Paltz, during their First World Diaspora Conference in October 2008. I am also including a bit on African hair at a panel discussion last year at the 4th Annual National Dominican Studen Conference at Cornell University and have attached my curriculum vitae.

In Sisterhood,
Carmen Mojica
thesewatersrundeep.com

Link to presentation: http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/activism_non_profit/watch/v19...
Link to my bit on African hair at a panel discussion at Cornell University on "good" hair and "bad" hair: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Taf1HuWAtrM