We are a collective of queer South Asian and Black community organizers interested in creating an inclusive container for folx to gather and engage in a justice-based ethos of reciprocity, compassion and care. To that end, we have reimagined the bookclub by creating noorishq: a pop-up community event that centers books by BIPOC authors and expands conversations to support folx on their path to healing & liberation. noorishq operates through gift economics, community grants and dana (donations).

Our first event centers the work of renowned author Fariha Róisín and her book “Who Is Wellness For? An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind”. We are offering a communal healing space via four virtual book club meetings that culminate in an in-person event on the ancestral lands of the Lenapehoking (Brooklyn, NY) on Saturday July 29th, 2023. In order to embody the praxis of communal care and accessibility, the event will be a free in-person day of wellness at a community event space in Brooklyn. Our schedule includes:
1) A facilitated discussion about the book with the author, Fariha Róisín
2) An outdoor holistic healing clinic featuring local practitioners
3) A closing yoga practice by Alchemystic Studio
and 
4) A way for folx to give back by donating to the local community fridge and library outside of the venue.  

This platform aims to uplift Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous and People Of Color local wellness practitioners who are affordable, accessible, and intentional in their practices as resources for folks to continue their wellness journey. We plan to pay the vendors for their time and services so that they may offer their services to the public for free. Financial accessibility is one way we can disrupt the harm caused by the wellness industrial complex.

Our collective is seeking funds to ensure all of our offerings stay free to the public. The funds will pay for the vendors (to offer services to the community for free), the venue, the food, the artist, the graphic designer, administrative costs, and the collaborators. This kind of work is necessary and rare as we continue to see corporations hijack and appropriate 'wellness' while leaving the majority of the folks who need it most behind. Please consider giving what you can to noorishq and we hope to provide you with a space that is accessible with inspiring conversations that lead to our collective healing. 

Visit www.noorishq.com for more details.