We, Ceremony is a response to the lack of representation and the negative portrayal of women of color in everyday life. With our collected stories, we celebrate the unique voices within our community, while challenging society to confront the issues rooted in systemic racism. 

Iliana Panameno Growing up as a Salvadoran-American womxn in the Back Bay area of Boston, Iliana understood at a young age that her identity was unique in every sense. “In a society where the Latinx narrative is often disregarded and my culture is used like the latest fashion trend, I wanted to commit my life’s work in advocating for equal access and opportunities for my community.” Through We, Ceremony, Iliana aims to deconstruct many of the negative images and single stories white men have created for womxn of color. “We need to reclaim what’s ours and our time is now.”Iliana holds a MSW from Boston University School of Social Work, where she focused on macro practice social work in organizing communities and systems of care for the advancement of poc. She works as a community organizer in the Greater Boston area.

Mu-Chieh Yun Born in Pingtung, Taiwan, Mu-Chieh Yun immigrated to the United States at seven years old with her family. At a young age, Mu recognized that with the constant teasing of her food, her almond-shaped eyes, and her non-standard American name, society has rendered her intelligible solely based on outward appearances. Unwilling to settle with a reduced identity, Mu felt compelled to rectify the narrative ascribed to her and other women who are more than meets the eye. In 2015, she co-founded We, Ceremony with her childhood friend, Iliana Panameño. Through collected stories, We, Ceremony offers WOC ownership to their narratives. Mu is an alumna of New York University where she studied art history and social & cultural analysis. She works at a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism and empowering women.

Aileen Lee, PsyD: Dr. Lee specializes in working with individuals with trauma, cultural adjustments, emotional struggles, and development issues. Her clinical training includes working with Asian American and Asian immigrant individuals and their families. “My personal and professional mission is to help others around me find their voice and speak their stories.” Dr. Lee works at Brandeis University’s counseling center, providing therapy and campus support to the International Students.

Bambina Edge, Peer Advocate of the Prevention Network Program at Boston GLASS, Justice Resource Institute, Inc.: At 26 years old, Boston native Bambina Edge is a Peer Advocate at Boston GLASS, Boston Gay & Lesbian Adolescent Social Services, which provides counseling, advocacy, and referrals for health care services and housing to LGBTQ teens and young adults, many of whom are youth of color. Additionally, Bambina is in the process of establishing herself as a makeup artist.

Elise R. Peterson, Writer, Visual Artist, and Educator: Elise’s writing has appeared in Adult, Elle, Nerve, and Spook among others. She is passionate about storytelling and reframing identity and sexuality as it relates to the marginalized. Her provocative personal narratives are approached with an inherent wit and candor. Comparably, her collage series, Black Folk, boldly challenges traditional fine art with the insertion of public figures that were particularly resonant of and vocal about their contemporary black experiences. Elise continues to explore notions of blackness and femininity in all of her creative work.

Nurys Camargo, Founder of Chica Project: Chica Project is a social enterprise dedicated to closing the opportunity divide for young Latinas by empowering them with the skills, confidence, and network necessary to thrive personally and professionally. When Nurys first began her professional career in MA, she witnessed an overwhelming need and opportunity to align a growing network of Latina leaders with first-generation Latinas living in the Commonwealth’s most underserved communities. She believed that demand could be met with mentoring and career/college coaching, which could then lead to an ever increasing and stable pipeline of social mobility for the Latino community.

Rana Abdelhamid, Founding President of the Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE): Wise is a self-defense, social entrepreneurship and leadership development organization for young Muslim and Jewish women. Rana Abdelhamid has organized around human rights issues with Amnesty International USA for the past eight years on campaigns related to women’s rights, torture and the Arab Spring. She currently serves on the National Resolutions Committee, has served on the National Youth Action Committee and served as the Youth Delegate to Amnesty’s 2015 International Council Meeting. Rana is a recipient of the UNAUSA Leo Nevas Human Rights Youth Award and the Running Start Rising Political Star Award. Rana also founded Hijabis of NY, an online blog with over 20,000 followers that highlights the stories of veiled women around the world.

Tabbytha Janeen, Fashion Designer & Painting Mentor at Artist for Humanity: Tabbytha is a practicing fashion designer who is simultaneously pursuing a career as a fashion creative director while working as a painting mentor at Artist for Humanity. Tabbytha provides a holistic approach to creating and preparing teens for careers as artists. She’s constantly creating new content for her blog and hopes to write a book in the near future that will share documented stories of finding her identity and acquiring positive self-esteem.