Who We Are
Standing in Our Power (SiOP) was founded in 2011 by Taij Kumarie Moteelall with the vision of transforming leadership paradigms, especially for women of color on the frontlines of social movements. Over the last seven years, SiOP has been rebirthed, time and again, through collective and iterative processes.
Nineteen dynamic facilitators/coaches, healers, entrepreneurs, artists, and activists have joined forces to evolve and expand this vision. They co-created a transformative leadership development and capacity building model, impacted the lives and leadership of hundreds of leaders, and built a national network of trans and cisgender women of color, and gender non-conforming people of color— leading change in social movements and social entrepreneurship.
Values
Integrity
Accountability
Interdependence
Compassion
Wellness
Joy
Innovation
Integrity
How we show up in the world, the degree to which we bring our whole selves to our work and daily lives. To live in integrity, we do what we say and say what we do. Not to sound too cliché, but on a very fundamental level, we are practicing what we preach. Another dimension of integrity is adhering to one’s values or professional standards through one’s thoughts, words and actions.
Accountability
Taking full responsibility for our intentions, actions, decisions, and the impact those have in the world. To be accountable, we must also report, explain and be answerable for resulting consequences of what we say and do, as well as for what we fail to say and do. Accountability ideally rests on mutual reciprocity and support which enables one to meet one’s goals successfully through trusting, creative, soulful and innovative collaborations.
Interdependence
Our relationship with others in our family, community, organizations/businesses, and movements. To be interdependent is to live in deep awareness that what impacts one impact the other, and in fact impacts all. Our actions and intentions have direct impact on others and the whole. We are not the rugged individuals that an American capitalist view of society will have us believe. All of our fates are intertwined. When we can connect, build relationships of trust and have each other’s backs, we are a thriving interdependent community capable of changing the world.
Compassion
Having conscious awareness of both your own distress and the distress of others which has built up over many years and having a deep desire to alleviate it with healthy, loving thoughts, words and actions. One’s willingness to heal oneself builds capacity to help others. It’s about interconnectedness and love.
Wellness
Intentionally becoming aware of and making empowered decisions to be healthy and live a purposeful and fulfilling life. Proactively taking care of one’s self, family and community to ensure optimal physical, mental, and social well-being. Engaging in a process of deep healing from illness (mental and physical) rather than reactively treating symptoms.
Joy
Cultivating and centering great pleasure and happiness in our lives, and deep in our hearts. Recognizing that true joy comes from within when we are whole, balanced and connected to spirit.
Innovation
Recognizing when a part of society is stuck and providing new ways to get it unstuck. Moving beyond the limitations of the traditional for-profit and non-profit structures by leveraging social entrepreneurship and seeking a new way forward that strikes a healthy balance between personal/organizational financial sustainability, positive social transformation and caring for the environment.
Vision
We envision a world where all who identify as women and girls of color co-create a new story of holistic transformation, sustainability, and wellness for all across the gender spectrum.
Mission
Standing in Our Power (SiOP) is an intergenerational network of social justice movement leaders and social entrepreneurs who identify as trans and cisgender women of color, and gender non-conforming people of color. Through our transformative leadership development and capacity building model, we radically redefine the status quo to ignite personal, structural and cultural liberation.
