Culture Holidays/Girlfriendism Travel Partners in Santorini Featuring attendees from the 2022 Girlfriendism Retreat in Santorini, Greece. By. GIRLFRIENDISMTM
The Girlfriendism TM Retreat team announced Wednesday that all 31 women of the U.S. Virgin Islands who embarked on a collective journey to Athens and Santorini, Greece in honor of National Girlfriend Day have safely returned home while leaving a lasting impression of women’s empowerment and U.S. Virgin Islands pride in Greece.
GirlfriendismTM — a brand that provides services for women in varying industries including fashion, fitness, business, wellness, travel, and philanthropy — hosted a successful second annual retreat with an intergenerational group of women ranging from ages 22 to 76 with diverse backgrounds in business from the U.S. Virgin Islands and beyond, according to the release.
The organization said one of the many highlights from this endeavor was a cultural and business exchange for women of color hosted in partnership with the United African Women’s Organization of Greece (U.A.W.O.) whose mission is to create awareness of various issues concerning the African women and their children living in Greece; support and fight for the rights of second generation Africans in Greece; explore and incorporate the rich African woman heritage into the rich Greek heritage; and to work hand in hand with various social, NGOs and other organizations that stand for justice, anti-racism efforts and an equitable society for all.
The collaborative event launched the retreat activities and highlighted both cultures as retreat attendees were adorned in V.I. Caribbean madras and the African women of Greece who represented various countries from Sierra Leone to France to Albania and beyond, wore their traditional African attire as well, the release further stated.
In addition to introductions, business information exchange and collective conversations on women’s empowerment, attendees also engaged in traditional African drumming and dance, authentic Greek hors d'oeuvres, cultural gift exchanges and presentations on diversity, equity and inclusion by the U.S. Embassy Athens, Head of Diversity and Inclusion Council Director, Spencer Dortona.
According to Girlfriendism Retreat sponsor, Xaulanda Simmonds of The XauSky Group LLC, "While we may be worlds apart and from different socioeconomic backgrounds, the ancestral DNA of shared African and Caribbean culture, love for our communities, and pride in how far we have come as a people was palpable during the Cultural Exchange with U.A.W.O. Further, thanks to Girlfriendism, the opportunity for women of color who are entrepreneurs, business owners and social activists to connect and build long-lasting relationships will create a global multiplier effect for generations to come."
Likewise, the Founder of the United African Women’s Organization of Greece (U.A.W.O.) Loretta Macauley shared, "We met, exchanged experiences individually and collectively and thus we came closer to each other. We touched, we laughed, we danced, we exchanged gifts. We tied the knot. We got strength from them and they from us. We took a break from our daily struggles and we are glad that all this will lead to a beautiful future cooperation."
The GirlfriendismTM Retreat is an annual event that is hosted in honor of National Girlfriend's Day on August 1st with alternating locations between the U.S. Virgin Islands and a global destination. This year’s international experience was made possible by the 31 women who sponsored their attendance, U.A.W.O., The XauSky Group LLC and My Girlfriend’s Closet/Girlfriendism. Donations were also made by the U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (USVIEDA) and contributions to the cultural exchange were made by Designs by Regal.
For more information on the annual GirlfriendismTM Retreat and/or Girlfriendism services, visit www.girlfriendism.com or contact the G-Family at [email protected]. For more information on the work of U.A.W.O., please visit www.africanwomens.gr.
