CIRCLE Café of Belonging

CIRCLE Organization is excited to present this year’s ... 

CIRCLE Café of Belonging 

CIRCLE’s stories for building empathy & community 

This shared experience will bring community members together for an interactive, contemplative, collective gathering. We encourage attendees to join us for a day of learning from our incredible speakers: Dr. Ramona Beltrán, Regina Jackson and Norma Johnson, and each other. There will be local artisans and vendors selling their art, books, and other various goods throughout the day as well! 

GET YOUR TICKET FOR THE DAY - 

Your ticket includes access to:

• Morning & afternoon speaker table-talks; 
• A shared lunch provided by local restaurant Crêpes n' Crêpes;
• Networking with fellow community members;  
• Opportunities to support local socially-driven businesses;
• A collective close & celebration!! 

As a form of restitution, we invite our white attendees to add an additional donation from $20-50. 
CIRCLE Partners remember to use your specific PROMO Code when purchasing tickets to ensure your discount. 

Please email programs@circlestamp.org with any questions or support needed in order to participate and/or if you are interested in being a vendor on the day.

CHECK OUT OUR SPEAKERS - 

Dr. Ramona Beltrán (she/her/hers/ella | Yaqui/Mexica), Associate Professor at the University of Denver. Dr. Beltrán, MSW, PhD is a Xicana of Yaqui and Mexica descent and dancer/activist/scholar. As an Associate Professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, her scholarship is committed to interrupting legacies of historical trauma that affect Indigenous and Latinx communities with a commitment to addressing issues facing LGBTQ and Two Spirit communities. She focuses on disrupting the problem-focused approach to understanding Indigenous/Latinx health that dominates mainstream research. She does this through centering culture in knowledge production with and for Indigenous/Latinx communities.

Regina Jackson (she/her/hers), Co-Founder of Race To Dinner. Regina was born in Chicago in 1950 Regina remembers an America where everything was in Black and white. Burned into her memory are; the beatings and horrific treatment of civil rights workers throughout the south, the Goodman, Chaney & Schwerner murders, the murder of Viola Liuzzo, the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the murders of President John Kennedy and his brother Robert. The violence perpetrated on innocent people going about their lives, by white people. It is these memories that drive Regina to push for real change in America. Which is why she co-founded Race 2 Dinner.

Norma Johnson (she/her/hers), Founder of All in Spirit. Norma is a spiritual healer, speaker, writer-poet-playwright, performance artist and facilitator that brings a creative background into her distinctive presentation form of social justice education and activism. Norma collaborates with a dynamic range of organizations, institutions, faith communities, arts, civic groups, and educational forums such as the highly regarded Annual White Privilege Conference. Her deeply moving poems are featured in racial justice courses taught by educators across the country. Her storytelling inspires awareness and insight and the power we have to bring paths of healing to our future. www.allinspirit.com

CHECK OUT OUR VENDORS 

Luna Cultura, Art, Science and Culture for Thriving Communities, LLC (vendor), is a bilingual and bi-cultural company that provides training, consulting and research services in the field of Art and Maker Education, to develop skills, leadership and healing, from an intergenerational approach of cultural identity and good living. Our starting point is recognizing the creative ability of all people, for the collective knowledge to achieve socio-environmental justice. We are a friendly and brave space to share and create meaningful learning experiences.

YAMZ: World of Color (vendor), Denver-based Artist Brayan Montes-Terrazas is better known by his alias YAMZ. Under YAMZ, Brayan’s unwavering identity-driven art stresses the importance of putting marginalized voices at the forefront of our conversations and the stories we tell. He is driven by the essential need to tell the stories of his identity as an undocumented, queer person of color. Using art and design as the vessel to show others that they are not alone in the fight toward equity justice and sound mental health. While he continues to develop the YAMZ: World of Color as both an art-based brand and community-driven organization, he maintains the principle that when we uplift marginalized identities through art we can heal, provide business solutions and bring each other up because representation matters and we must strive to build equity in the art and design fields.

Dulceria Marisa (vendor), led by a passionate Latina entrepreneur, her small business specializes in creating beautiful and delicious breakable hearts, chocolate and candy-dipped sweets that are perfect for any occasion. Whether you're looking to surprise your significant other, treat your kids, or impress your coworkers, our handmade treats are sure to bring a smile to anyone's face. So why settle for ordinary chocolates and candies when you can have something truly special from Dulceria Marisa? 

Ana Marina Studio (vendor), is a jewelry Artisan currently based in Denver CO. She was born and raised in Mexico City and migrated to Los Angeles California when she was fifteen years old. Ana Marina’s early journey as an immigrant living in the U.S. posed the opportunity for self-exploration and discovery that allowed her to shape her identity as a Mexican woman who uses her passion for art, history and community to elevate her cultural heritage through her work and artisan jewelry. 

Abuelita's Tiendita (vendor), came to life thanks to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Co-founder and namesake, Abuelita, was worried about losing her housekeeping job during the pandemic. So she started a side hustle of selling face masks, bought from Mexico, at an emerging outdoor market. During that time, Abuelita realized lots of artisans in Mexico were struggling due to the lack of tourism and they were unable to sell their handmade goods which helped support their livelihood. At this point, Abuelita had already recruited a couple of family members to help her with her outdoor market stand. That’s when we came up with the idea of importing Artisan handmade goods so we could help the artisans stay in business during this tough time and also to share our Mexican culture through their folk art.

Lunch provided by Crêpes n' Crêpes      

FAQs -  

What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?

There is a parking lot available directly on campus, easily accessible to the school entrance.  

How can I contact the organizer with any questions?

We are here to help, please email us directly at programs@circlestamp.org

Does CIRCLE Conference offer continuing education?

We are fortunate to have a strong partnership with the CU system specifically University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) This allows us to offer CEU's (at no cost) and you may also request one credit course for a fee.

I'm a college student, is CIRCLE Café for me?

YES! We have tickets at a reduced cost for college students. If any additional assistance is needed, please contact us. We have limited scholarship available. Student I.D. required at check-in.

Are there any financial support offered?

Yes! Please contact us. We provide our partner schools and organizations discounts, as well as student discounts.

Learn more about CIRCLE and what we offer on our website and follow us on Instagram!

Circlestamp.org | @circlestampdenver

Thank you to our sponsors for supporting this event!