Welcome to the Cultural Wellness Center ...

MAJOR TAYLOR BICYCLING CLUB of MINNESOTA, established in 1999, is a nonprofit social/recreational club that promotes safe and fun cycling geared towards the African-American communities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, although all are welcome to join us. We achieve this through group riding events for cyclists of all ages and levels. The Club also seeks to educate the public about its namesake, legendary cyclist Major Taylor, who in 1899 became the first African-American world cycling champion.  For more information, leave a message for Louis Moore at 612-721-5745.

SEWA-AIFW originated from a desire to meet the unrecognized and unmet needs of the Asian-Indian community in Minnesota. SEWA means, “to serve” in Hindi, and was created to serve and promote ‘Total Family Wellness’ for Asian-Indians in Minnesota. SEWA began as a small group of volunteers and since its creation in 2004 has become registered as an official Minnesota Non-Profit Corporation, has established a Board of Trustees, had gained a dedicated and growing group of culturally trained volunteers, and has established programs designed to meet the needs of the Asian-Indian community in Minnesota. SEWA-AIFW is continuously involved in research, trainings and collaborations with other organizations to improve its programs and better serve the Asian-Indian community.  Call 651-291-8810.

AMLA INTERNATIONAL provides services that go beyond just translating: it makes cross cultural situations for its customers as relaxed and comfortable as possible by adhering to their cultural differences and their integration into the community they currently reside in. Our translating services not only provide non-native speakers confidence in a professional business setting, but also the comfort of cultural acceptance in Minnesota. Many of our translators are non-native English speakers, providing a connection between culture as well as language. AMLA INTERNATIONAL feels that a thorough understanding of the culture is just as important as its language in order to tightly bind the community together.  Our list of most commonly spoken languages include: Amharic, Arabic, Ashanti, Ayoussa, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Cambodian, Chinese, Creole, Croatian, Danish, Denka, Ewe, Farsi, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hmong, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Lorea, Lao, Latvian, Mina, Oromo, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Servian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, and Zulu. Call Paul Amla at 612-272-0304 or write amlaintl@msn.com.

IMHOTEP SCIENCE ACADEMY 

Imhotep Science Academy
The Academy (ISA) has existed since 1996. It is a unique independent African institution that focuses on teaching children of African descent about their heritage and culture through the practical, applicable use of science. ISA is built on the premise of experiential learning through the involvement of immersion activities, building a sense of interdependence, where students, parents, and the community is primarily responsible for shaping, building and maintaining the program, and providing an experience that is aimed at encouraging participation over the period of years - elementary, middle and secondary school. Currently, ISA is a Saturday program meeting throughout the academic school year.

 Imhotep Science Fair

The Imhotep Science Fair (ISF) started in 1996. This K-12

 African-centered, non-competitive, community science fair gives hundreds of students of African descent from around Minnesota the opportunity to explore problems in their community and suggest creative ways of addressing the problems using the scientific method. The ISF is held every third Saturday in March at a supporting community host institution.

Anura Si-Asar (612) 721-5747 

Email: sirriusa@msn.com. 

Web site: www.ImhotepScience.org.

COALITION OF AFRICAN WOMEN
The Coalition of African Women Rebuilding Our Communities educates women, girls and health and social services providers on health-related issues facing women of East Africa and women of African heritage. The Coalition was born out of a small group of women who wanted to transform the isolation, deep silence and suffering that immigrant women were experiencing as newcomers into applicable knowledge. Although the goal of the Coalition has evolved and expanded over time, its core has remained centered on educating health care and social service providers about issues related to immigrant women’s reproductive health. Its Founder, Brikti Hewitt, provides presentations, trainings, consultations, workshops and professional seminars that foster cultural sensitivity and humility among providers who care for patients whose cultures are different than their own.

Brikti Hewitt, Elder

612-721-575

Email: Brikte@ppcwc.org

INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR TRADITIONAL CHILD BEARING

Because women of African heritage are disproportionately affected by low-birth weight, premature births and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the Minnesota Chapter of the International Center for Traditional Child bearing (ICTC) uses the Cultural Wellness approach to birthing, called the Birthing Team. In this approach women of African heritage and their families are supported from conception through the postpartum period by a traditional birth attendant at the Cultural Wellness Center, Akhmiri Sekhr-Ra, who is a student of an ancient African knowledge system in the art of giving birth.

The goal of the Minnesota Chapter of ICTC is to bring families and health care providers together to collectively support healthy pregnancies, to reduce infant mortality, promote breastfeeding, and increase the number of black midwives and doulas. To organize the coming together of families, traditional and conventional health care providers, and those interested in becoming a doula or midwife, the Chapter holds a quarterly “Midwife Café.” During these “Café” sessions, participants are encouraged to share and create new knowledge surrounding the birthing process. The “Cafés” are held quarterly and last 2 -3 hours.

The Minnesota Chapter of ICTC is pleased to announce that it has received funding from the Women of African Descent Giving Circle of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota to provide doula training to five interested applicants. The applications for this training are available upon request.

Contact: Akhmiri-Sekhr-Ra, se-mesi

akhmiri@ppcwc.org