Claim Our Space, LLC

10/08/2023

As we shared earlier this week, Claim Our Space, LLC is now operating as Convening Toward Liberation! We are currently seeking applicants for our Inclusive Events Director role! Please share this opportunity with any folks you think would be excellent for this role!

Apply to join our team!

Convening Toward Liberation is seeking candidates for our Inclusive Events Director position. This person will play a key role in successfully coordinating and executing in-person, hybrid, and virtual events for social and racial justice- centered organizations. This role will serve as the project manager for all Convening Toward Liberation events and provide direction to both the Convening Toward Liberation planning team members and our clients’ team members in successfully planning our events.
Read the full position description and apply on our website (link in bio). Applications can be submitted through 5:00pm CT on Wednesday, August 23, 2023!

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07/08/2023

Claim Our Space, LLC is excited to share that we combined forces with Events by Lady K at the beginning of 2023 to become Convening Toward Liberation! We invite you to follow our adventures on our new page!

Convening Toward Liberation, launched in January 2023, is the new entity that brings together the established energies of Claim Our Space, LLC (founded by Katie Battis-Troyer) and Events by Lady K (founded by Ryan Kroening).

Convening Toward Liberation (CTL) aims to build on the combined 20+ years of experience we’ve had building our separate entities, and continue to plan inclusive events for our clients around the world!

We've had a jam-packed first 6 months - collaborating with 15 clients to gather more than 2,000 attendees virtually and in-person around the United States and across the world!

We can’t wait for the events to come this fall and winter!

Please join us on the journey by following us here, signing up for our newsletter, and reach out if you’d like to collaborate on your next event at the link in our bio!

Thank you to for our brand design!

[Image Description: a magenta circle with a smaller black circle that contains stars, a crescent moon in gradient yellows & oranges, a graphic fuchsia flower with green stem & leaf with blue waves. The words "Meet Convening Toward Liberation" are in white text at the bottom.]

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08/09/2022

We are thrilled to be hiring for our Inclusive Events Director role! Applications are being accepted through September 29th. Learn more by visiting https://claimourspace.com/our-team.

23/08/2022

August is Black Business Month! 🗣

Many businesses- especially POC and Black woman owned businesses were abruptly faced with the loss of business when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Since then, 💡 “the number of Black-owned businesses in the U.S. is currently around 30% above pre-pandemic levels.”

Claim Our Space is not only proud to celebrate the growth of our business since 2020, but the growth of our partners, clients, and colleagues who are also Black female entrepreneurs! Today we uplift The Activate Network, Certified Access, and Fearless Commerce Community

👏 Each of these organizations create opportunities for Black women and women of color business owners to build power and community, to learn collectively, and to celebrate their growth and success. Claim Our Space is proud to have produced events for each of these organizations’ and to have participated in each of their programming including our Founder and CEO Katie Battis-Troyer being featured in Volume III of Fearless Commerce.

The number of Black-owned businesses is currently more than 30% above pre-pandemic levels. A Brooklyn street nicknamed "Black Girl Magic Row," exemplifies women helping one another succeed.

17/08/2022

🎊 We recently produced a private event for Black Men Teach Twin Cities on August 4th - 5th! Currently less than one-half of a percent (yes, that’s right 0.5%) of Minnesota’s educators identify as Black men.

📣This event celebrated the “Half Percenters” by offering engagement and learning opportunities, community building and plenty of activities (dominoes, yard games, One Has To Go, and Madden among others) that demonstrated the power of joy as a tool of resistance.

Black Men Teach creates the environment and conditions where Black male teachers can thrive, because our children’s schooling experience will never be complete without them.

Stay tuned for pictures from the event!

Learn more about Black Men Teach
https://blackmenteachtc.org/mission-and-vision/

OUR MISSION is to recruit, prepare, place and retain Black male teachers in elementary schools. OUR VISION is that all students have the opportunity to attend schools staffed with racially and cul…

16/08/2022

Happy Black August! ✊

Black August commemorates the fallen freedom fighters of the Black Liberation Movement, to call for the release of political prisoners in the United States, to condemn the oppressive conditions of U.S. prisons, and to emphasize the continued importance of the Black Liberation struggle.

Our mission at Claim Our Space is to support organizations that are actively fighting injustice within the U.S. prison system. We want to uplift some folks doing this work!

📌Black Visions- https://lnkd.in/edKB37V6
📌MNJRC- https://www.mnjrc.org/

Learn more about Black Visions and the history of Black August

🔗https://lnkd.in/eKW4e6sw

“Black August” is honored every year to commemorate the fallen freedom fighters of the Black Liberation Movement, to call for the release of political prisoners in the United States, to condemn the oppressive conditions of U.S. prisons, and to emphasize the continued importance of the Black Libe...

03/08/2022

Sponsors Needed!! Just like that, July is coming to a close, and families are thinking about back-to-school items. The cost this year is much higher due to inflation. Taking care of these expenses is extremely difficult for low-income families. You can help ensure young scholars are well-equipped to start the school year on a positive note by sponsoring a family or making a donation to our Summer Back-to-School Drive. Individual and corporate sponsors are welcome! For details, visit www.youthprise.org/backtoschooldrive.

28/07/2022

We’ve had a fruitful month of community-centered events! On July 19th, we helped produce, "Re-Righting History" the Celebration of a Legislative Victory for Minnesota Youth presented by our client Youthprise

We heard from Walter Cortina, Hayat Muse, and Lincoln Bacal, who are among the young people who catalyzed and led the movement, starting with a petition and an eventual legal filing that successfully reversed the state's decision to deny pandemic unemployment assistance to high school students. Those efforts resulted in more than $35M paid to Minnesota's high school students and paved the way for the new legislation.

Learn more about the event
https://lnkd.in/gUNdr3Vn

26/07/2022

We aim to uplift the individuals and groups who are actively fighting for justice within our community. We celebrate their vulnerability in the movements that wouldn’t exist without them! ✊

📣Disabled activists have always been here, in defiance of oppressive policy and stigma- sustaining the revolution. To continue supporting the Disability Justice Movement, we seek to amplify the work of more groups like our wonderful client, United Hmong with Disabilities! It was an honor producing the very first United Hmong with Disabilities Conference: Reflecting on the past, sharing today’s experiences, and building for tomorrow in January.

Learn more about the tools and resources they offer and support them today!
🔗 https://www.unitedhmongwithdisabilities.org/donation.html

​Mission: Serving our community and people with disabilities as we live and work together About: "... Putting Inclusion, Community, and Empowerment Into Practice. Our job? Let nothing stop you....

21/07/2022

📣Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, there is still much work to be done for the Disability Rights Movement. There is an extensive and beautiful history of protests and actions held prior to the passing of ADA.

✊Today, Disability Rights activists have become more vocal about their intersectional identities- especially BIPOC folks that are experience being marginalized for their q***rness and disability.

Diversify your social media feeds by following disabled q***r folks to help support their stories and voices!
🔗https://wid.org/12-disabled-lgbtqia-activists-advocates-who-you-need-to-know/

By Charlotte Stasio There is a great deal of intersectionality between being LGBTQIA+ and disabled, with experiences like hiding an important part of your identity for your safety, discrimination, and social isolation often shared across these identities. In addition, cultural,…

19/07/2022

We are so happy to have helped produce this year’s Powering Inclusion Summit Breakfast: State of Racially Inclusive Economic Growth & Employer Action, presented by Center For Economic Inclusion 👏

Held on June 21, 2022 at the Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis, this summit took place to reveal the second report on the state of the region’s inclusive economic growth and findings from the 2022 Racial Equity Dividends Index.

Partners of CEI have helped them build new, racially equitable and inclusive systems and workplaces, using data-informed, market-responsive solutions that place the experiences and assets of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian workers and business owners in the center.

Learn more about the event!

🔗https://www.centerforeconomicinclusion.org/registration-june-21-2022

12/07/2022

🎉We are excited to be back in person with our clients’ communities! Our most recent two-day event (June 29th-June 30th) Midwest Asset Building Conference: Imagining the Next Economy Disrupting the Racial Wealth Divide was a success!

This year’s conference was held in Saint Paul near Bdote in Wicahpi Oyate, the Star Nation of the Dakota people, in Mni Sota Makoce. The Midwest Asset Building Conference brought together practitioners, policy advocates, and researchers to strengthen our collective work to disrupt the racial wealth divide and help families build prosperity in the Midwest.

🔗Learn more at https://www.midwestassetbuilding.org

Pictured:

🔹St. Paul’s Mayor, Melvin Carter
🔹Culture Coach, Speaker, Podcast Host, Lissa Jones
🔹Professor, University of Michigan- School of Social Work, Willie Elliot
🔹Composer, Musician, Singer and Producer, Kashimana Ahua
🔹Bestselling Author, Financial Trauma Researcher, Founder of BlackFem, Chloe B. Mckenzie

📷 Photography by Min Enterprises.

07/07/2022

💡“Native American birthing people in Minnesota are four times more likely and Black birthing people in Minnesota are 2.3 times more likely to die of pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes than white birthing people, and over 60% of these deaths are preventable.”

🗣Now, more than ever, local organizations protecting access to reproductive health need your support! As a Minnesota-based business, Claim Our Space uplifts the vital work of our local clients who are leading in our own backyard. organizations like Women's Foundation of Minnesota across the country will have to fight harder to ensure child-birthing people from neighboring states have access to safe abortions.

Learn more at https://www.wfmn.org/our-impact/well-being

We ensure women, girls, and gender-expansive people are well in every area of their being, with maternal health, reproductive justice, and healing.

06/07/2022

🗣“A lack of access to safe abortions will only reinforce racial disparities and systemic inequities already in place—like limited access to education, income, safe housing, comorbidities, language barriers, and employment arrangements that provide limited access to health insurance and health care.”

The unjust overturning of Roe v. Wade will undoubtedly harm BIPOC & LGBTQ2S+ communities. During moments where our communities’ rights are undermined and violated, Claim Our Space seeks to amplify the voices of these communities. Black, Indigenous, Asian, and Latin communities have historically advocated and organized to protect our communities due to the continuous violation of civil rights.

🔗Read more about the disproportionate impact of Roe v. Wade ruling will have on marginalized groups and remember, this ruling also harms trans & non-binary folks!

The effects of overturning Roe v. Wade would reinforce racial disparities and inequities among marginalized communities. Here's why.

24/06/2022

🎉Pride Month Spotlight! Today we express our gratitude for the revolutionary work of Colectivo Babilla ✨ Claim Our Space is honored to have worked with this phenomenal team.

Established in 2019, Colectivo Babilla is a collective of Q***r/Cuir transfeminist anti-racist language workers who come from experiences of migration and diaspora.

💡Colectivo Babilla works to support cultural, artistic, community organizing and political spaces in prioritizing and practicing language justice through a lens of gender inclusivity, decolonizing our tongues and self- determination. We seek to build with groups and communities who, like us, are in a process of unlearning and healing. A lot of this is done through our work of interpreting, translating, facilitating workshops and developing curriculum.

Quotes borrowed from 🔗https://www.transequityconsulting.com/blog/babillacollective

Collaborate with them! {[email protected]}

21/06/2022

Celebrate Juneteenth everyday, Happy Juneteenth! Let's support Black liberation today and beyond what is the formally observed day of Juneteenth! As a newly federally recognized holiday, most Americans are still unfamiliar with the importance of what is termed as Freedom Day in the Black community.

Black Liberation and the end of anti-Blackness globally requires a collective fight for freedom. Please take time everyday to explore and identify ways you will contribute to the ongoing fight for Black Liberation. Here are a few recommendations to consider that we see as meaningful contributions:

16/06/2022

📣🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Today we want to shout out one of our clients, Family Tree Clinic

Although they have been around for 50+ years, Family Tree Clinic remains to be one of the few organizations serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community through accessible sexual health education in the nation. Prioritizing affordability and accessibility, Family Tree Clinic offers a wide range of services- including reproductive health, trans hormone care, trans health services, prep, LGBTQ2S+ health, and more!

✊ Combat performative activism and rainbow capitalism through consumer power, and consider supporting Family Tree Clinic! Sexual health education is a facet of reproductive rights and LGBTQ2S+ rights, which is currently at risk in the U.S.! Research local efforts within your community and follow the transparent course of actions that are directly helping LGBTQ2S+ folks. You can support Family Tree Clinic by visiting

🔗https://www.familytreeclinic.org

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FAMILY TREE CLINIC’S NEW INCOMING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Family Tree is thrilled to announce that Annie Van Avery is our Executive Director as of May 16, 2022. MORE INFO

14/06/2022

🤔 “Does a rainbow logo do more good than harm?”

You have probably heard about the term “rainbow capitalism” and how it represents everything Pride is not. This week we want to shed light on organizations dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ2S+ community. We will feature clients and vendors with whom Claim Our Space is working to both amplify their important work and to create opportunities for our followers to direct their purchasing power towards the causes that continue to serve the community.

This is not to say that the symbolism of the rainbow flag doesn’t inspire/give hope to LGBTQ2S+ people around the globe. Challenging the institutions that co-opt the movements created to combat discrimination within institutionalized spaces is vital.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Read more about rainbow capitalism, and stay tuned for our client/vendor features!

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It’s time for companies to reconsider how they approach marketing and branding during Pride month. Many members of the LGBTQ+ community are tired of “rainbow capitalism,” “pink washing,” and other forms of performative corporate allyship. In this piece, author Lily Zheng suggests that comp...

09/06/2022

“Through oral histories and the work of ballroom scholars, voguers trace their dance form’s origins to pageants organized by incarcerated trans and q***r people at New York City’s Rikers Island prison in the late 1970s.”

Thanks to the origins of Ballroom Culture, Voguing has become an international phenomenon that has encouraged LGBTQ2s+ people to freely express themselves.

Read more about the history of Ballroom culture and its impact on modern vogue.

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Ballroom and voguing, its best-known performance genre, were created as a source of entertainment, but also as a means of envisioning freedom while in a state of bo***ge

07/06/2022

As an event planning business that centers marginalized voices, we want to share a light guide of tips on how we can all do better to make lgbtq2s+ folks feel safe and heard in various spaces! Joy is a form of resistance amidst the harm being done to the lgbtq2s+ community right now. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

🗣Disclaimer: This list of points is specific to our experiences in curating events and creating space. We want to emphasize that every person who is a part of the lgbtq2s+ community has unique realities that don’t largely represent the community. These ideas are inspired by q***r educators, artists, organizers, etc who have shared their experiences for the purpose of affirming others with similar experiences.

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02/06/2022

Why is it important to ask for someone’s pronouns? ⚧📣

Like sexuality, gender is fluid and lies on a spectrum. So much evolving language empowers q***r and gender nonconforming people to experience gender euphoria.

💡Fun fact: “The Oxford English Dictionary traces singular ‘they’ back to 1375, where it appears in the medieval romance William and the Werewolf.” (https://public.oed.com)

But beyond the western English understanding of “they”, there are many definitions in other cultures that represent non-binary or gender nonconforming folks!

Read more about the standard glossary of gender identity terms.

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How do I make sure I use the right pronouns for someone? And what if I mess up? Language can change quickly. Here's a guide to talking gender in its beautiful complexity.

31/05/2022

Pride month is arriving! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

We honor our elder, ancestor, and trancestor leaders from the LGBTQ2S+ community for the groundwork for civil rights they have laid since the Stonewall uprising in 1969. Today, LGBTQ+ rights are still being threatened through harmful legislation such as the latest “Don’t Say Gay” and anti-trans legislation that has been in proposition in recent years.

🗣And we must not forget the pivotal figures that inspired, mobilized, and transformed q***r activism and organizing leading up to and following the Stonewall riots. Q***r and trans folks have existed for centuries, holding essential roles across various indigenous and ancient cultures. The rights of LGBTQ2S+ folks should not be debated as political- human rights are not a political matter.

We remain dedicated to uplifting LGBTQ2S+ voices as a group we proudly serve through event planning and curation! We honor and leverage the experiences of our own team members at Claim Our Space, who are also a part of the community, to create meaningful, safe, and authentic experiences.
Support your local movements! Especially organizations protecting LGBTQ2S+ youth.

{ID: Titled “Happy Pride Month”, above image of Stormé DeLarverie, Marsha P. Johnson, and Sylvia Rivera. Alt text included.}

25/05/2022

It’s time to meet more of the team! 🎊

We are so excited to introduce our newest team member, Youa!

Thank you, Youa, for joining the Claim Our Space team and being a part of our journey. 👏🏾

{Image Description: Portrait of Youa with brand colors, each slide containing answers to her questions, alt text included.}

23/05/2022

The recent news around Roe v. Wade has raised concern around reproductive health rights and LGBTQ rights. With the threat of the "Don't Say Gay" bill in Florida, which would prevent teachers from discussing LGBTQ+ identities in classrooms up to the third grade, trans youth will be significantly impacted.

Having hosted events with clients and guests that are members of these communities, we want to recognize the interconnectedness of these and all human rights violations! It is crucial to note that reproductive health issues affect folks of all genders.

The “Don’t Say Gay” bill is just the tip of the iceberg.

18/05/2022

Call for Vendors! 📣

We are looking for Communications consultants with a portfolio that shows experience in copywriting for promotional and event assets, scriptwriting, and general marketing and communications centered on historically underrepresented communities' stories.

💡 Prefer a background working with mission-centered organizations and initiatives in public, private, and philanthropic sectors.

This would be a contractor position with future clients on a case-by-case basis. Please share! 🗣️

💌 Submit your resume to [email protected] by May 31st!

{ID: Graphic with brand colors, titled “Seeking Vendors”. Alt text included.}

Claim Our Space works with nonprofit, philanthropic, and government organizations to curate experiences that are community-centered and inclusive of guests’ needs both in event content and logistics. Claim Our Space collaborates with clients to leverage events to deepen relationships in the commun...

12/05/2022

📣 In continuation of our Inclusive Hot Take, we'd like to share another article written from the perspective of social work and the usage of "AAPI" in that field.

Both Asian Americans/Asians and Pacific Islanders have vibrant cultures that should be recognized and celebrated separately to not paint over the significance of each one. These political identities represent powerful movements and have unified Asian Americans and Asian refugees and immigrants- especially in times of anti-Asian hate. But it is crucial to recognize the negative impacts of generalizing diverse groups of people.

Through event planning ,we always strive to center the voices and experiences of marginalized communities that deal with erasure.

Read more about the harmful effects of the mainstream usage of "AAPI."

Pacific Islanders did not ask to be part of “AAPI” and have actively resisted to maintain separation. Why, then, does “AAPI” still get used?

10/05/2022

It's Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month! 🎉

💭 In honor of the diverse cultures that comprise Asian American identities and Pacific Islanders, we want to share some thoughts on the origins of the label "AAPI/API."

The U.S has recognized Asian American and Pacific Islander month since the 1990s. The classification "Asian American," was established in the 1960s to build pan-Asian solidarity in protest of the Vietnam war.

💡 "Cambodian refugees like Suong, and Southeast Asians in particular, are among those who've been overlooked: 19 percent of Cambodians live in poverty in the US, compared to 12 percent of Asian people and 15 percent of all people."

We believe in the powerful intentions of unifying marginalized groups through movements. Still, it is also unfortunate to see the commodification of this identity which causes the erasure of Pacific Islander cultures and issues. Do you wonder why there are a select few works that center indigenous Pacific Islanders on Netflix's curated collections for AAPI Heritage Month? This is just one of many examples of the erasure of Pacific Islander stories.

Read more about the harmful effects of the mainstream usage of "AAPI". Stay tuned for more articles on this topic!

The label aspires to unify a wide range of communities with common cause and shared experiences. But many feel it flattens and erases entire cultures.

05/05/2022

“According to The Associated Press, Black and Hispanic women get abortions at higher rates than their peers. Women of color also experience higher poverty rates and could have a harder time traveling out of state for an abortion, the AP said.”

In 2022 we are still fighting for our rights. The overturning of Roe v. Wade will impact all people who can bear children and the marginalized communities we uplift through our work! We encourage our community to deepen your understanding of the broader repercussions this change will create specifically in our Black and Hispanic/Latin communities. Reproductive justice IS social and racial justice.

Read more to learn more about how you can fight against this injustice.

https://www.thecut.com/article/donate-abortion-fund-roe-v-wade-how-to-help.html

If you’re terrified about losing Roe v. Wade, it’s the best thing you can do.

03/05/2022

It’s time to meet more of the team! 🎊

We are so excited to introduce Betsy, our Inclusive Events Manager.

Thank you, Betsy, for your work and helping Claim Our Space continue practicing our core values! 👏🏾

{Image Description: Portrait of Betsy with brand colors, each slide containing their answers to questions.}

18/04/2022

Mark your calendars 🎊 We are happy to help produce the 2022 Women's Foundation of Minnesota: Equity Summit!

Coming back on May 6th, stay tuned for new updates on this year's speakers and follow Women's Foundation of Minnesota📢

As a corporate partner, you contribute to our vision: a world of equal opportunity where women and girls lead safe, prosperous lives.