Mission, Vision, & Values
Gather RI is a feminist cultural center that creates space for community and coalition building.
The center draws from the legacy of feminist collectives, across time and place, that have organized and gathered to combat sexism and gender-based oppression. We seek to bring together people across differences, while centering the lives of women and gender expansive people. In creating space to gather we seek to provide opportunities for conversation and community that enlivens individuals and strengthens the collective.
Mission
Gather RI creates collective momentum through inclusive and intentional connections for and by women and gender expansive people.
Vision
Gather RI envisions a world where communities are rooted in gender equity and where people across identities have meaningful spaces to gather. We will educate by amplifying the work and lives of inspiring women and gender expansive individuals in Rhode Island and beyond; and build purposeful connections between community members while offering them a safe and accessible feminist haven in which to meet.
Core Values
Gathering – When women and gender expansive people gather to create community, we forge spaces of collective strength, joy, growth, and resilience that infuse our individual lives and the world around us.
Collective Feminism – Gather RI understands that feminism includes a multiplicity of interpretations and perspectives. It is an intersectional and diverse array of movements, individuals, and organizations that challenge sexism and gender-based oppression. We are invested in a collective feminism that is rooted in gathering as a way to nurture connection and dialogue.
Haven – We provide respite through spaces and programs that are purposely built to foster community, joy, and inspiration for women and gender expansive people.
Connection – Individuals and organizations are stronger when they support each other (instead of competing) and consciously expanding and strengthening our circles of connection is essential for creating thriving communities.
Inclusion – Representation, accessibility, and intersectionality are consciously and continually built into our programs, space, and community.
History – We honor the stories of women and gender expansive people as part of a living legacy. Through portraiture, biography, and programming, we shine light on the lives that have shaped our communities across time and place because knowing where we come from helps us imagine what comes next, together.
Inspiration
Gather RI was inspired by the voices of women and gender expansive people who expressed three interlocking challenges:
Individual – Women and gender expansive people face systemic barriers to achieving their civic and professional goals.
Communal – The achievements of women and gender expansive people are routinely erased from history so others cannot be inspired or sustained by their examples. This erasure is known as The Matilda Effect.
Local – In Rhode Island, women and gender expansive people are often siloed and disconnected from the support and wisdom of their peers and potential mentors.