Mission Statement
The SWANA Rose Culture + Community Center is a gathering space for those with lineages tied to Southwest Asia and North Africa, focused on reclamation, remembering and resistance, through education, arts and intersectional solidarity.
Statement of Intent
The SWANA Rose Culture + Community Center wants to create a space that is fully alive; laughter is plentiful, skills are shared, grief is held and our unique experiences are honored. Just a few of the projects we have in mind include language classes, cultural exchanges, art exhibits, film screenings, a small market in the back selling SWANA goods and art, along with the center being utilized as a co-working space.
We are living on occupied, gentrified land and will continue supporting Indigenous and Black sovereignty through collaboration, resource sharing and relationship building. We want to offer accessible physical space to our neighbors and other underrepresented groups for organizing and cultural events. The center will continue to house the Center for the Study and Preservation of Palestine along with the monthly SWANA Artists soirees, Queer SWANA Meetup and the SWANA Stitching Circle.
Guiding Principles
The SWANA Rose Culture + Community Center works to build a network rooted in belonging, mutuality and solidarity grounded in collective trust.
We are not racing toward liberation alone. We are learning to walk each other home in love.
Our group is built upon a secular pluralism that uplifts joy, reciprocity, global Indigenous sovereignty, internationalism and collective liberation. We commit to deepen our relationships to each-other, the land and our ancestors through intergenerational education, knowledge sharing and cultural preservation.
We aim to cultivate diasporic evolution and fuel our desire for a better world.
Through a non-hierarchical model that respects the spectrum of relation to here and there, we strive to create a space that is inclusive to all regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship, migration status, class, ability, health status and age.
We stand firmly against fascism, zionism, colonialism, nationalism, imperialism, and all other forms of bigotry, exploitation and oppression.