Local business and community leaders have been reviewing the new book We Rise in Power: Amplifying Women of Color and Our Voices for Change. It was co-written by a Newtown resident and released on International Women's Day.
Co-authored by Michelle El Khoury and Lisa Pinnock in collaboration with a dozen female contributors from throughout North America, this anthology shares personal stories of challenge, resilience and triumph. The authors say the book brings together a group of diverse women who are advocates for social change, and that it offers pathways and strategies for transformative actions.
The book's intent is also stated as: "making 'representation' the norm rather than the after-thought."
Indeed, United Way of Bucks County representatives recently celebrated the book through a panel discussion held at Guru’s Fine Indian Cuisine in Newtown.
Regarding the co-authors: Newtown resident Michelle is a former pharmaceutical executive with more than 20 years of health care experience. She says her journey, coupled with her background and passion for yoga, led her to open Yogamazia as a yoga studio in Richboro. She now uses yoga as a doorway for discussions on race, gender and other social inequities to help empower the future generation of leaders. She states she is grateful to serve as a global ambassador for Yoga Gives Back. She is also a health and wellness educator with Integrative Health at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Lisa is a teacher and musician who is skilled in choral, piano, vocal instruction, music education, and singing, in addition to being an author. She graduated from the University of Toronto-Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and has experience with working in the education management industry. She often states it is so powerful to have trust in one's own intuition.
"Our greatest trials are what shape us in ways that aren't often seen at first glance," Lisa says. "Like an iceberg, what lies beneath the surface is worthy of our attention. Learning to trust our inner light -- our knowingness -- will always illuminate the path forward."
We Rise In Power is available for $19.95 where books are sold, or fortunately can be secured locally through Commonplace Reader in Yardley. The bookstore's owner, Liz Young, says this compilation is a great conversation or discussion starter. "It's important to view the world in different ways, and this book helps broaden our horizons. Because of the co-author's local connection, it also makes it an interesting book for us to carry," she adds.
