I Be Black Girl (IBBG), a reproductive justice nonprofit, opened its first brick-and-mortar in North Omaha. Called the Anarcha Center, the location officially opened during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday.
The Anarcha Center will serve as a physical space for IBBG to serve, educate and empower black women, girls and femmes in Nebraska.
“This is such a milestone for us,” said IBBG Communication Strategist Aaliyah Wells-Samci. “North Omaha is our community. These are our people. And so having a physical space on the iconic 24th Street with all of the other amazing black-owned businesses is honestly just an honor to us.”
The center, located at 2306 N. 24th St., will host a series of celebration events on June 13, 14 and 16. The itinerary includes an open house, yoga in the center’s courtyard and a community stroll.
The Anarcha Center is named after Anarcha Westcott, a 17-year-old enslaved girl who was surgically experimented on by physician James Marion Sims in the 1800s.
“We want to honor the pain, but also the history of this space,” Wells-Samci said at the opening. “[Wescott] and a few other enslaved women are who birthed the modern day gynecological movement. So everything that we have today, we can thank them for.”
The space will primarily host the organization’s birth justice initiative, event programming and the Doula Passage Program.
Ashlei Spivey founded I Be Black Girl in 2017, and the organization has continued to grow since. IBBG received the J.M. Kaplan Fund’s 2023 Innovation Prize for its work in the U.S. The grant focuses on environmental conservation, social justice, human rights, the arts and heritage conservation.
“Their approach is bold and intersectional, saving lives and empowering Black families and birth workers to create real transformative change,” said J.M. Kaplan Innovation Prize Program Director Justin Goldbach. “This center will give space to bring birth workers, pregnant people and the community together, and is a powerful symbol of what this organization is building here in Omaha, and what they're starting in terms of a trend across the country.”
The organization was one of 3,200 applicants nationwide and 10 recipients.
“Having a space like this is really a breath of fresh air,” said Shelea Cotto, event attendee and women’s health nurse practitioner at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “I can't speak enough about the disparities that women, pregnant women, black women, the black community, experience in healthcare.”
Andrea Pearson, founder and CEO of the multidisciplinary consulting firm Joy Brings Light, hosted the ribbon cutting ceremony. Joy Brings Light helps community organizations advocate for and connect with communities. Pearson specializes in fine arts, opera, human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion.
“Space-making is extremely important for communities to feel like they have a place, a place where they can come in [and] simply be who they are,” Pearson said. “My hope for this space is real, consistent activation, so that black women and femmes realize that they have a place where they are loved, where they are cared for, and that is intentionally created for us to thrive.”