I was sitting in the bright Oaxacan sun with Kitzia, the founder and director of Cooperativa 1050, when she leaned over and asked me if I would braid her hair.
We had been traveling around the countryside, learning from potters, playing with natural dyes, and celebrating the art of flower candles.
I have admired Kitzia for years. She honors the knowledge of potters who have had no formal education. She grasps the ecosystem of justice, where the parts depend on a healthy community.
She invites qualitative questions that blur the lines between givers and receivers. There was no question that Thistle Farms and Cooperativa 1050 shared the dream of being a global movement for women’s freedom.
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We had laughed, cried, and even been frustrated together—but when she invited me to braid her hair that I realized we were becoming friends.
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When you make a new friend, it is one of the greatest joys in this hard and sometimes lonely work. It means someone will walk alongside you when the road is rough, ask how your children are faring in this world, and celebrate your victories and share your posts!
As we strive for economic, political, and professional success in the name of justice, it is the best news to find friends—people who are willing to be in proximity to suffering and who won’t defund you when you fall behind on a building project. These are folks you can trust with the underlying vulnerability of leading as a woman.
Thank you, Kitzia, for asking me to braid your hair.
Thank you for reminding me that we can be vulnerable with one another in the midst of always trying to show the world how strong we are.
Thank you for teaching me that through pottery we remember who we are—historically and fundamentally.