Criminal justice, heal education, Good morning, afternoon, evening. However, and whenever you are watching, you guys shouldn't know me by now, But if you guys don't, my name is Holly's Sisa. I'm the lovely host of this program we call Morning Mimosa or We've Got Human Life, just this healing and educator for the black and minority communities, and better yet, we actually remixed that to specifically say we empower the
black and minority communities through wellness, justice and wisdom. Guys, today we have somebody that embodies pretty much a lot of those characteristics, and I am super duper excited to have her on the show. Who I've been trying to get somebody from this organization to come on Morning with Moses for a long time, So it's absolutely awesome that she works for this organization. But she's also a martyr
in her own individuality. Right. But before we bring on this queen, guys, let's get out one commercial from our lovely partners here at Danelle's Crafts and Harley Hindrich.
Good Morning, afternoon or evening.
It is Harley.
I am the owner of the Nales Crafts where we can make crochet items from our family to yours.
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So you can get a handmade item for Canail's Crabs, and I'm gonna tell you about them. The first way and the easiest way, is to just pick from our available now inventory. We have items like this awesome floppy hat and other items that are available as is ready for sale immediately. However, you might want something a little bit more custom like this beautiful red dress. No problem, we got you. You would just fill out an order form also located on our Instagram page and we will
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Dollars off your total, So shout out to.
Holly for that.
Continued to partnership and support. If you want to place an order with Gnail Crabs, we are open year round.
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Now Dame once again. Guys, that is Nanel's Crafts and Harley Hendrix. Please please please make sure that you guys are buying from her. Guys, you guys have been promoting her business for twice some time and I love, love, love love getting based from her. But guys, I've already, you know, praised another queen. Let's welcome another one, as DJ called would say, to the show. But guys, let's make sure we welcome her the proper way. You guys
know how we do it. Oh my goodness, thank you, thank you, thank you so much for coming on the show today. It is such an honor to have you on. Guys. I just I want her to say her name, but I also want to say it because it's just it's so it's so beautiful neoncore. You see how that rolls off the tongue. Neoncore. Just it's just sexty. I love it. Welcome, Welcome to Morning with Moses Queen. Thank you so much for being on the show today.
Oh so happy, Thank you so much for having me, Holly, Yes, my name is Neoncore.
Also the Crochets.
I need that red dress.
Oh my okay, Harley does her thing.
Right, Oh my gosh. And she said that she'd be off in July because it's her birthday. My birthday is also in July, so I'm like, okay, let's go already a connection.
Yeah, absolutely love it. Well. As you guys know, we care about the person that is our guest for the show. So we're gonna go ahead and we're gonna ask her, so just do a little introduction about herself and who she is.
Ooh okay, this is always an interesting question.
My name is Neil burge Wage.
I am the daughter of Cecilia, a book, daughter of Nanuel. And I say my mother's names, my grandmother's names, because those are who I came from, those are we are very much so like a matriarchal family, and so I gotta get reverence their first and foremost. I am a storyteller. I am a radical communicator. I like to say, as far as like my job goes, I'm a cancer.
Piscey's moon, Virgo, rising.
Nature, girly through and through, and I'm just really honored to be here today and really excited to unpack this conversation feeling kind of nervous.
So yeah, like, let me let me grand myself.
You're gonna You're gonna do amazing. One of the things that we value here in Morning and Moos is making sure people feel like family. So if you ever get nervous, just let me know. I'm here for you. I'm here for you. So we're gonna start off with our first question. So we're going to start off with the power of our story. So you have worked closely with our our
Story initiative. Why was it so vital for black women and gender expansive individuals to archive their own truth rather than letting them out, letting outside resources write them.
Oh, it is such a juicy question.
When it comes to our story and specifically black women and black films to be able to be at the frontline of that. I think it's because there's a lot of nuance to our experiences. There is oftentimes, like at least from my experience just listening to and I say, like, when I talk about like storytelling, I mean like throughout different mediums, whether that is through communications or like through
the arts, film, anything of that sort. I feel like storytelling is very much so like an Umberella, and there's like different ways to tell stories. But specifically when it comes to the ways in which I experienced in the past our stories being told, they weren't being told by us.
They weren't or they were being exploited, and so it's like, yeah, like you have black women who are saying these stories, but the person essentially like producing the story or like directing the story or whatever, is using it for their own gain. And I think that there's something very beautiful when we're able to collaborate as Black women, as black fans to be able to not only like create the platform to tell the story, but then also like share the story in a way that unpacks that nuance and
then also hosts dignity. So yeah, that's what I would say as far as.
That, thank you so much for your response to that. So from the research that I've done in the here Black Women's Series, you use poetry to explore complex topics like reproductive justice. How does art help us communicate things that standard conversations sometimes can't reach.
MM, Well, first and foremost they hear Black Women's Series, such an amazing, such an amazing project I want to shout out my good sis free for just the idea and the creative direction.
So it's a three part series.
The first one was a short documentary which interview three black women about their experiences navigating through abortion and reproductive justice. And then my part was like poetry talking about like the reclamation of the black women's body. And then the third one was a call to action when it comes to how do we hold lawmakers accountable? So that was just like an amazing, amazing, amazing project I would say for to hear black women.
Like the poem the Black Women's Body poem.
Specifically, the way.
That I was approaching that project was.
How again, like how do how do I how do we like really like center dignity and how do we also use art to transform and open up conversations around hard issues. As an artist, I do believe that art is one of, uh one of the ways and like a very important tool to be able to talk about like very hard conversations when it comes to issues because working in just like the nonprofit space, like social justice space, sometimes language is like.
What are these big words that we're using, Like what does this mean? Da da da da da?
And so it's like, how do we like translate that to something real, like something that you could like actually feel in your body and you could be able to like open up and be.
Like, hey, you know, like I don't know what.
Reproductive justice means, but.
I do know that I want to reclaim my body, you know, Like I do know that I want to have like autonomy over my body, over my choices and whatnot, and so like what does that look like?
But yeah, so I feel like for me.
I've always thought like that art was like that middle language that can like translate and allow people to because art makes you feel, you know, as someone who creates it, as someone who experiences it, it does.
Open you up in a way, and it's like I don't really like let me explore this more.
Do I want to learn about this? Do I not want to learn about this?
But it like makes you feel something, and so yeah, like it's a different language within itself. And I really felt honored to be able to even be considered for that for that project, and I thought it was like a beautiful way, especially like the way like the series happened.
That was absolutely awesome And I'm glad that you were able to be a part of something so amazing, because it just seems like you're just doing just amazing things with art and being able to translate that with justice. I'm like, that's I'm not saying, that's not an easy thing to do. So I'm glad that you're able to navigate through that. So my next question has to do with healing through creativity. So you're yes for me. So
your work spans poetry, dance, and digital media. Do you find that different art forms that allow you to tap into different parts of your own healing journey?
The short answer is yes, Yeah. I think.
When it comes to writing, writing for me feels very much so meditative. I think of my journal as my therapist. I think that's the best way to describe that. When
it comes to movement, it's it's somatic. I'm somebody who struggles with being in my body, and so it's very important for me to do things that make me be in my body, whether that is dancing, whether it is like performative are like, whether it's exercise, like I need to be in my body because I'm somebody who will literally like be like bye, like I disassociate a lot, and so that for me is very healing to be able to just be grounded.
And then when it comes to just.
Like digital media and like multimedia and like exploring in that form, that's like my creative healing for real, for real.
So yeah, I feel like they tap, Like it's just like caps different aspects of healing for me and of grounding, And I think it's beautiful because I'm able to have to be present in order to figure out like what kind of expression I'm looking for. There's this person I there's like a TED talk that I watched and it was talking about like the eight Oh, I'm sorry. It
was talking about like the different dimensions of rest. I don't know if you're familiar with the NAP ministry and like Trish er Hershey and the amazing work that she does, but this person was just talking about like there are different ways in which you need to rest, and the ways in which I think about healing is very much so from like a rest perspective until it's like you need to Like there's like I don't want to butcher it, y'all should look it up, but it's like like how
do you rest spiritually? Like how do you rest socially? Like how do you rest physically, mentally, emotionally, and then I'm going to forget the other three So I'm not even gonna say it, but I feel like that's kind of how I approach my creative work too. It's like, what are the different dimensions that I'm trying to tap into as I'm creating. And not only that, but also it's like I'm experiencing because art heals me too.
I thank you so much for sharing that. So we're going to go into the fourth question. We have three more questions to go, and this one pertains to the spirit of rest. Now. Yeah, so, as you guys heard in the beginning, she is she works for the soldierscl Sisters here in Colorado because I know I have my podcast is national so that I have to reach or I mentioned that. So it is an organization here in Colorado that she works for, and they often emphasize that
rest is a spiritual practice. As a multi media artist and professional, how do you personally protect your peace and make room for rest? Mm hmm.
That is such a good question and funny that like that was the next question I'm talking about.
Ooh, I struggle with this, I do.
I think right now, the ways in which I'm prioritizing rest is by it's gonna sound crazy, but by saying yes, by like saying yes to supper is. I think what protects protects.
Me is whimsy.
Like I'm a very whimsical person, and I think that sometimes in the work, especially like movement work, being in movement spaces, trying to advocate for community being met with like so much rigidness, it's very hard to be whimsical to like hold on to the joy, to like like no, like the world is really a great place and.
It's not doom and gloom.
And so I feel like I've been saying yes to surprises and that's been helping me rest more because it's like, oh so like an example that I can give one of my friends was and this somebody maybe friend is a stretch and my friends, my real friends, they're gonna be like, this is your problem.
You be thinking everybody is a friend.
But it was a cool surprise because I was recently asked to I'm trying to like say my words in a way that won't get me in trouble. Somebody asked me if I can come to a film premiere that was sold out.
We didn't have no tickets.
They were like come and I said, yes, let's go.
Let's pull up.
And I pulled and it was an event.
And I don't know if you know about Boots Riley, but Boots Riley was there and I got to meet Boots Riley.
It was like so cool.
He wrote sorry to bother You and then the show I Am a Virgo. He has a new movie coming out called I Love Boosters. Yet we watched I Love Boosters and it was like a special premiere.
But I feel like that's how I'm protected my resk by.
Like feeding my spirit, like feeding my creativity, like feeding my whimsy, feeding like all the things that make me great.
I absolutely love that, and I don't I don't blame it. We only live once, right, so you know you're not doing anything criminal. No, I absolutely love that. So we're gonna move over to the question number five, which is the the ancestral connection. Hm hm, So I am also I was born to Kongali's parents, so I I know a little bit. But the question pertaining to that is, you have been involved in traditional African dance and drumming,
drumming assemblies. How does connecting with those ancestral rhythms feed into the work of the modern day liberation.
Ooh, the immediate answer is sankofa. You know, like we gotta go back and get it. And for me, I have had the privilege of.
Just being.
Sitting literally at the feet of many amazing elders in community. Shout out to Seneca, shout out to go to Peiju, who have they They're the ones that literally like, no, you know, like you gotta you gotta be rooted in
terms of like your ancestry and your spirituality. It's interesting to me because I actually grew up a Jehovah's witness and so like for me, and not only that, but like migrated here when I was really young, and so I didn't really have a connection to I would say, like my ancestors my just like family outside of my mom and my sisters. And so I feel like that work has been very important in allowing me to like reclaim who I am and who I know to be.
And it's it continues to just like unpack every single day. But I will say when it comes to just like the dancing and the drumming, I want to be accountable and say, just in case.
You know, I haven't been to dance in a while.
I'll hold myself accountable, okay, but I feel like it's just so much deeper. I don't know, the work is so much deeper than just like exploring the dance and exploring the drums and again just like that unearthing and opening inside which has led me to.
So many things.
Who well, I thank you for sharing that. We are on questionabistics, which is going to go into defining restoration. When we talk about community restoration, we are often talking about more than just finances. What does a truly restored community in Denver look like to you?
That's a tough question.
It is.
It looks like, yeah, it looks like collaboration.
I think that it requires everybody to quote unquote have a seat at the table.
I feel like.
Everyone has different needs and that's what I've learned more than anything in doing this work. And some people's needs are immediate, you know, like it's like, no, I literally need food right now, or I need housing right now,
or I need this thing right now. Like some things are very urgent, while other things are not so much urgent, And so it's like, how do we hold space for those conversations and how do we allow people to feel safe to name their urgent needs because a lot of people don't because they feel like people don't care or don't know, or like there's just like people are disconnected. And I think that there are different priorities when it comes to.
The city of Denver.
Overall, everything's just like so spread out, and sometimes I wish it would like come together to be able to like hold all those complexities because there are people who are making decisions for people who aren't in the room, and I don't think that's okay, Okay, do we get the people in the room and what does it require? But I think that sometimes like being in community. I've been saying this a lot lately, is like it can be inconvenient, and so like are you willing to inconvenienced?
And so ask the real question like are you willing to go, you know, like pick up that person that you feel like needs to be in the room.
Are you willing to listen? Are we willing to wait? Are we willing to hurry up?
So it's a very complicated question.
That's interesting that you mentioned that because my last question for you is pertaining to the creative call to action. So for the listeners who want to support social change but don't feel like activists, how can they use their own unique creative gifts to help the movement.
I love this question.
Because it is unique, and I almost think that in movement spaces and like social justice and like social change spaces, the narrative is that you have to be at the front lines and you have to like go and you have to protest, and you have to put your body on the plane, and you have to do all this stuff. And it's like, that's not true. That is literally not true.
I for me think that the uniqueness comes from like who you are and what you are willing to bring, whether that is through your art and that could look like whatever, you know, like music, dancing, It could whether or not you want to like you know, like go feed your community, like that's literally you're doing social change
work there. Whether you want to read, knowledge is power, you know, like read, you could read, you know, like you could research, you could you could do so many things, you know, like and it does it's not just about like being on the front lines and like putting your body in a line, like there are so many things.
I think it's more so like for me, like I think like social justice and like social change and like movement is a value, and so it's like, how do you break down that value and like what are you willing to like contribute from that?
And you guys heard that here and that's why I made sure that that was the last question. A lot lot a lot of people don't know where to start when it's to actors, and they're like, oh, they just like you said, they think they have to protest, they have to march, don't. I don't go to protest or march, but I do my detective work from home, you know, when I'm trying to solve these cases. So you can definitely do things at your capacity for sure. So I thank you so much for giving your opinion on that
last one, because that is very much valid. Guys, we have a special treat from this queen today. He's going to read us a poem.
Guys.
I love poetry. I oh, I mean I used to get published in poetry books when I was a kid. I love poetry. So I need y'all just whatever you're doing, just mute, mute something. Let's take the time and listen to this amazing poem that we're about to take a listen to today.
You are so so generous.
Thank you.
Yeah, this is a poem that I wrote. I visited South Sudan, that's where I'm from my family, and it was the end of twenty twenty three, I think, no, twenty twenty four, I don't know, but I went to South Sudan and this was at the intersection of what was happening with Palestine, and so this poem is called Home. I haven't slept since I've returned home. Away from home. I slept and rested in my room, a chair near
the nile, my sister's lap, my mother's buzzum. Even as Daddy drove on unpaved roads, I slept and rested, did and right now I want nothing more than to ki key with my cousin Lily about dogs and traveling. I haven't slept since I've returned home. Away from home. I slept and rested and love and safety in communion, the irony of being in danger, yet that being the safest I've ever been.
That's home.
Absolutely beautiful, Thank you, absolutely beautiful, guys. I have nothing else after a beautiful home like that. We're gonna go ahead and thank our wonderful, wonderful guests Neoncore for coming on Morning with Moses. Guys, we're definitely going to bring her back. She has been nothing but a beautiful insight. So once again, thank you Queen for being on Morning with Moses today. Guys, we're going to get out of
We're going to get out of here. We're finally having a decent day here in Colorado as far as wether and wise, so we're going to go get out here and injoy ourselves. Guys, this is Mourning with Moses. We're revalue human life, justice, healing and educating for the Black and minority communities, or as we have remixed it, empowering the black and minority communities to justice, wellness and wisdom until next time. We'll see you guys later