A Biden-Harris White House

Kim Christensen, the founder of Seismic Sisters.

There’s a different energy around the country and it’s seeped into our living rooms. In less than a week in office, President Joe Biden has rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, reversed the Muslim ban, re-engaged the World Health Organization, and mandated masks, among other things. Even the information around Covid-19 and the vaccine - also lovingly touted as the ‘Fauci Ouchie’ online - seems to be coming in at a sensible speed and without any veils of misguidance. This Biden-Harris White House is off to an exciting start.

With Vice President Kamala Harris at the helm, we can say that we saw the last time that a woman was never vice president. And yet, four years after the Women’s March, the need to respond to women’s daily challenges and to turn our priorities into action still holds true. It is said that the Women’s March wasn’t just built to resist – it was built to persist and transform. In the dawn of a new era, the call to action is louder than ever.

On January 20th, we held a virtual inauguration party - our way to commemorate the California way - with women, art, hopefulness, and a readiness to roll up our sleeves. Here’s how we celebrated, with special messages by American Democratic Party political strategist Christine Pelosi and Melanie Ramil of Emerge California.

Kim Christensen, Seismic Sisters Editor

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Seismic Sisters presents a 'virtual' #InaugurationDay2021 Party to celebrate the new U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris! Enjoy music, comedy, dance, performances and inspiring messages from political leaders and activists. 

New year, same pandemic

by Sydney Williams

Welcome to 2021 - New year, same pandemic. Here's the latest in a COVID-19 update with news about the vaccine.

With COVID-19 continuing to ravage the country and California unemployment rates still high, this past holiday season was like no other. No Black Friday campouts. No massive after-Christmas sales or in-person returns at stores. No sought-after family gatherings to ring in the new year. People have spent more time indoors, isolated, and online than ever before. As we see neighborhood restaurants and shops closing their doors across the country, we know that brick-and-mortar businesses have taken a serious hit. The internet proved itself essential to even the most ‘old school’ of us, swooping in to save the day. E-commerce made the equivalent to five whole years of growth in just six months last year, keeping refrigerators stocked, closets full, and holiday gifts aplenty. Technology is both a tool and a burden, but in light of recent events, our economy surely owes it some gratitude. 2021 has just begun and we have kicked off the year mostly indoors in California - except for those essential workers who are taking care of the country, feeding and tending to people, and keeping key infrastructure humming. 

As of January 15th, 93% of counties in California were classified as being at a “widespread risk” level. Moreover, a regional ‘Stay-at-Home’ order has been put in place in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, and Southern California. For the order to be eligible to end, ICU bed availability must be equal to or below 15% in a four week projection. To say the very least, we have all been searching for that light at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel.

It feels like we have been stuck indoors and outside the wholesome embrace of our loved ones for far too long. Luckily, VACCINATIONS ARE ON THE HORIZON! The distribution of COVID-19 vaccines have been split into three phases. Phase 1A, which exclusively vaccinated healthcare providers and persons who are 75 years and older, is near completion. Therefore, phase 1B is moving into the spotlight. In this phase, the next to be vaccinated will be individuals who are 65 to 74 years old, have higher risk for severe disease or death, are unable to work remotely (select occupations), live in highly impacted geographic areas, or are most likely to be a cause of community spread of the virus. The final stage of phase 1 will be phase 1C. This yet-to-come phase will offer vaccinations to individuals 16 to 64 years old and further extend to people in occupations which require them to commute to work. Check here for more details and to see how soon you can be eligible for the vaccine.

DID YOU KNOW: 

• The United Nations designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date marks the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps in 1945.

Paint the Void

by Tumay Aslay

Artist @christinaxu_ Photo by Lisa Vortman

In these unprecedented times, we turn to beauty and creativity to ground ourselves. Paint the Void, a fiscally sponsored not-for-profit organization, has set out to fill the void with community centered art in the Bay Area. Paint the Void helps keep artists engaged and paid as guardians of hope and beauty in a time of fear and uncertainty. Since April 2020, they have facilitated and supported the creation of over 100 murals in San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland by funding over 95 artists. These grants for artists to paint murals on boarded-up businesses is their activist response to the community effects of COVID-19.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Paint the Void is committed to continue its momentum in full force. Their goal is to turn the Bay Area into a public art powerhouse by distributing grants to artists in need of funding. Their support is moving mountains, as they are currently working on 30 murals in San Francisco in partnership with Mayor London Breed and YBCA to support artists and promote public health through art. 

Check out Paint the Void and learn how you can support the artist community in these challenging times.

Follow them on IG @paintthevoidproject

Holistic healing with hyperbarics

by Polina Smith

Holistic Hyperbarics is an Oakland-based, female-founded business, purposely walking away from traditional medical care settings and providing another option in a patient-first restorative spa environment. 

Their co-founder, Alex Williams, has a career that has been distinguished by merging medical practices and a nurturing environment, creating space for optimal healing. Her interest and experience in body work and healing techniques came from her work as an EMT, in-home birth doula, and post-surgery masseuse.

In her days as a triathlete, Williams learned of athletes who used hyperbarics to recover more quickly from workouts and training sessions. This method of recovery helped her heal from a wrestling injury of a badly torn shoulder.

With that, Holistic Hyperbarics was born in 2017, offering clients hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a spa-like healing setting in Oakland, California.

Photo: Alex Williams, Co-Founder of Holistic Hyperbarics

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a treatment that involves breathing 100% oxygen in a pressurized chamber, which in the U.S. must be prescribed by a physician. Being in the pressurization of the chamber allows the body to absorb more oxygen, hyper oxygenating the blood plasma in a way that other treatments cannot. As the hyper oxygenated blood pumps through the body, it may help reduce inflammation and promote healing of tissues.

HBOT has been used successfully in medical settings for treating decompression sickness, serious infections, and wounds that haven’t healed. It may also help improve recovery for a wide range of conditions, from athletic injuries and Lyme disease to diabetic wounds and head trauma, although every situation is unique and no outcome is certain. Again, HBOT treatment must be prescribed by a physician.

Holistic Hyperbarics combines the use of medical-grade technology with a spa’s comfort, care, and hospitality to offer potential for more rapid recovery in a soothing environment. With her emphasis on whole person healing, trailblazer and entrepreneur Alex Williams is re-envisioning health care in northern California.

The views, practices, information and opinions expressed in this article are those of the individuals involved in the article and do not necessarily represent those of Seismic Sisters. The information provided does not constitute medical advice. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and no recommendations or claims, either real or implied, are being made.

Power. Courage. Talent.

by Polina Smith

Today, we feature the incredibly powerful, courageous and talented Sammay Dizon, a Bay Area dancer, healer, interdisciplinary artist, singer-songwriter, cultural producer and educator. 

Bay Area dancer and interdisciplinary artist Sammay Dizon. Photo by by Earl Buenaobra

SAMMAY is of Kapampangan, Ilokano, and Bikol descent born and bred in Carson, California, also known as Tongva Territory. She is now reclaiming space in San Francisco, with honor and gratitude to the Ohlone. She holds a BA in Media Studies and Sociology and minor in Dance & Performance Studies, as well as Global Poverty & Practice, from University of California Berkeley. 

Sammay is a kinetic storyteller. She engages her body as a vessel for spiritual intercession and to envision a future in which our indigenous traditions co-exist with(in) our urban landscapes. She creates space, even in a rigid and exclusionary society, for an artful expression of peace and acceptance. We have heard that a picture says a thousand words, yet Sammay continues to search for ways to say so much more. 

We were honored to have Sammay participate in our virtual Presidential Inauguration Party, offering a beautiful and poignant dance performance at the ocean. See our Limitless section or click here to partake in the celebration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris entering office and our hope being restored. 

When Queens build a Kingdom

by Sydney Williams

For our first edition of The Jolt this year, we’re spotlighting the seismic shockwaves that a particularly influential sister and social activist has been sending through our greater California community. Born in San Francisco and raised in Riverside, this woman is a powerhouse in the realm of ethical event planning, fundraising, social networking and serving as the Vice President of Kingdom Day Parade for eight years. The Kingdom Day Parade is the largest Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in the country. This annual event brings flocks of activists and commemorators to the streets of LA once a year. This year was the first in a 37 year long tradition in which the live event was held virtually. Despite challenges that she and her team had to overcome in 2020, the celebration continued. Meet our Shockwaves spotlight of the month, ​Sabra Diogioes-Waddy​. 

Photo of Sabra Diogioes-Waddy by Kerry James.

How did you first get involved with the Kingdom Day Parade?

My daughter Wendy Gladney-Williams is to thank for my participation in the Kingdom Day Parade. A few years after coming in to assist her as COO of her event production company, Wendy decided it was time she moved into the consulting field; something she had long wanted to do. I then made the pivot and opened Splendid Affairs, Inc. Event Mgmt. and began servicing some of my former clientele, while developing business under my own company.  Wendy was asked by Dr. Adrian Dove, President and CEO of the Kingdom Day Parade, to return to the Event Management business to oversee the production of the 2012 Kingdom Day Parade. I joined her and we began working together again, this was my first year involved with the project. The following year, in order to return to her Consulting calendar, Wendy kindly recommended that I move to be her replacement as she left the parade planning committee. Dr. Dove, now my dear friend and colleague, approved my addition to the Kingdom Day Parade team. We then hit the ground running.

Tell us about the KDP 2021 theme: Healing America. What was the inspiration behind it?

The “Healing America” theme came from the sharp mind of the one and only, Dr. Adrian Dove. We as a nation have experienced so much pain, sickness, death of loved ones, loss of jobs, and isolation in the last year. On top of all that pain and suffering, we endure systemic racial inequality and injustice issues resurfaced by protests in response to the death of George Floyd and so many others. The division it caused across the nation left us fighting amongst ourselves. So, we asked, “What would Dr. King do in this situation?” He would encourage peaceful protest, which is really what this parade is all about. Peacefully celebrating a great life while addressing social justice issues within our community. When voices are heard, problems are acknowledged and addressed, then we can begin the process of healing.

2018 Annual Kingdom Day Parade. Photo by Kristina Dixon & Sabir Majeed.

We all have a role in activism. What space do you occupy with your activism? 

I believe that my role in activism is to use my talents, abilities and resources to speak up and assist wherever possible. A lesson from the late John Lewis (in simple terms), if you see something that isn’t right, speak up and do something to help bring about change. 

I am blessed to be active and able to voice my feelings on certain social justice issues through projects in and around my company, Splendid Affairs, Inc. A great percentage of my clients are nonprofit organizations which focus their efforts on improving the lives of those in their communities through their advocacy and awareness programs. In my position, I get to be involved with assisting these organizations in developing and enhancing their mission, goals, and visions. 

Another of my daughters, Sarah R. Harris and I work together, as she creates the beautiful images and graphics attached to my events. She is Publisher of Suite Life SoCal, a concierge magazine for socially and culturally engaged Southern Californians. My other daughter works for the Nike Corp as their Talent Relations Manager and is heavily involved in marketing. We have a great time collaborating when we can and meeting the challenges of events, but also knowing that we are doing good for the community. It’s a beautiful thing…The boys (my sons) get in the mix as well...but this one’s for the girls. 

Sabra Diogioes-Waddy and daughters. Photo by Kerry James.

What was your inspiration for entrepreneurship?

My mother has always been my inspiration. She was an entrepreneur, but also sometimes held down a full-time job to make ends meet, which meant my sister and I would run our family restaurant or cafe. She was tough on us growing up, but I truly respect the powerhouse of a black woman she was. She was someone that everybody loved, and the few people that didn’t certainly respected her. I learned patience and how to be a hard driver and worker from my mother and feel blessed to have learned these lessons so early in life. I believe that if she were here to see what I have made of myself today that she would be proud of my activism and professional growth, among other things.

Limitless

Life doesn't always fit in pretty little boxes, and neither does our content. Find events, a Minute of Mainstream, Sponsor Spotlights and new Seismic Sisters videos here.

Sponsor
Spotlight

Today’s ‘Sponsor Spotlight’ is on the dynamic public speaking coach Lynn Kirkham and her ‘Yes, You Can Speak’ workshops. In small groups - and now online - Lynn and her team offer tested techniques for breaking through nervousness and learning how to shine on stage or communicate more clearly at work and in personal relationships.

A Minute of Mainstream

• Washington Post - The media had a role to play in the rise of Trump. It’s time to hold ourselves accountable.

•  The Daily Show with Trevor Noah - Saluting the Heroes of the Insurrection | The Daily Social Distancing Show

• The 19th - ‘It’s never too late’: The entrepreneurial spirit of older women.

Featured Virtual Event

 Seismic Sisters presents a 'virtual' #InaugurationDay2021 Party to celebrate the new U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris! Enjoy music, comedy, dance, performances and inspiring messages from political leaders and activists. 

Featuring: comedian Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, Angela LaFlamme and the MegaFlame band, the poet ASHA, dance by Sammay Dizon, artists Rhodessa Jones and Sharon Virtue. Special guest speakers:  Christine Pelosi - author, attorney, women's rights advocate and Melanie V. Ramil, California Emerge Executive Director. Enjoy!