Mending Divides is a transformative project, collaboratively created by the AAPPA Group and Tsitsi Michelle Zawaira (CEO, Masiv LLC), that seeks to address cultural divides among Black, African-descent, and African Women who are leaders within our communities, at both the grassroots and policy levels. The project aims to amplify our voices and strengthen our influence on global challenges affecting our communities. The purpose of this project is to bring solidarity into our communities and to better advocate for ourselves and each other.

At the core of the initiative are workshop sessions, facilitated by Lori, that focus on deep, reflective discussions centered on identity. Participants explore critical questions such as: "Who am I to you, and why does it matter?" "Where are you from, and where are your people from?" "What are you?" These conversations shed light on how African diaspora Women see themselves and their peers, highlighting the complex identities they embody across multiple cultures.

The workshops provide a space for confronting uncomfortable truths about stigma, biases, and stereotypes—both externalized and internalized, conscious and unconscious—that shape perceptions of African diaspora Women. Participants investigate how societal vocabulary often defines them and their peers, and how that vocabulary varies across communities, while simultaneously celebrating the languages that reflect their true selves. 

The overarching vision of Mending Divides is to heal and mend cultural divides, building nurturing bridges among African diaspora Women. However, the outcome of each workshop is shaped by the participants themselves, empowering them to take ownership of their identities, collective stories, and needs.

Each workshop is opened by a speaker who shares their narrative in a way that is most meaningful to them. Our most notable speakers have been the Honorable Ambassador Dr. June Soomer, former Chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, and Tsitsi Michelle Zawaira (Unbowed Spirit), author of "Unzip My Skin."