This September, around a hundred people participated in a conference on Race, Gender, Power, and Class at Walker Creek Ranch in Petaluma, California, facilitated by core members of Be Present, Inc. This very committed core group had spent 18 months preparing for the conference.

To quote from the Be Present website :

“Be Present is building a social change movement in a world where racism, classism, and homophobia still exist and historical barriers have divided us. Our work is designed to answer the question: What does it take to create and sustain positive change in this world? Be Present uses a model of transformation, the Be Present Empowerment Model (BPEM), which was created by Lillie P. Allen to provide individual empowerment and collective leadership skills first, to African-American women, and now to women from all walks of life, as well as men and boys.”

At the invitation of my friend Olivia, I attended the conference and met some truly amazing individuals of all ages. Here are some of my favorite shots from that weekend, including photos from Creativity Night (there were a lot of talented actors, singers, dancers, and artists of many kinds at this conference), photos of Walker Creek Ranch, and photos from inside a weird little nature museum.