Featured Guest and ‘Culture Keeper’ Rachel Briggs

Friday night's celebration at Transracial Journeys Family Camp 2023 will include a featured guest, Rachel Briggs. As the mother of five adopted children (9-17 years old) and a member of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers, she considers herself a ‘culture keeper. ’ We will learn more about how Rachel adheres to the African tradition of oral storytelling to pass on wisdom, history, and cultural information to nurture a sense of community.

 

More About Rachel

Rachel Briggs is an elementary school science teacher at The Croft School in Providence, Rhode Island. She is a mixture of city and country, old school and contemporary. Her urban roots are deeply planted in Rhode Island; growing up with her mother, father, and 16 siblings. She graduated from Mount Pleasant High School as part of the Health Magnet program and went on to complete her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.

She earned a certificate in child advocacy from the RI Parent Information Network. Rachel also completed The Rhode Island Leadership Education in Neurodevelopment and Other Related Disabilities (RI LEND) training program which is designed to provide graduate level, interdisciplinary training to individuals from diverse professional disciplines and cultural backgrounds.

In addition to science, she is passionate about the welfare of children. In 2015, she adopted her five children, now ranging in age from 9 to 17. They are a constant source of inspiration for her professional endeavors. Rachel sits on the Race and Equity Parent Leaders of New England (PLNE) subcommittee, the Kinship Advisory Council, the Hasbro Children’s Hospital Parent Advisory Council and The Office of the Child Advocate Advisory Committee. She is dedicated to building the self-esteem and empowerment of children and hopes that her advocacy and community engagement will serve as a catalyst for positive change in the systems focusing on children.

Rachel is a member of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers, a non-profit based out of Providence, Rhode Island dedicated to promoting the awareness, appreciation, and application of Black storytelling. She considers herself a ‘culture keeper’ and adheres to the African tradition of oral storytelling to pass on wisdom, history, and cultural information to nurture a sense of community. Rachel is an emerging writer and spoken word poet. She is ‘solar powered’ and loves cookouts, gardening, camping and hiking. She is also known for dancing to live bands, and eating dessert before dinner! https://www.thecroftschool.org/rachelbriggs

Rachel Briggs

More About Transracial Journeys

Transracial Journeys envisions greater understanding of and support for transracially adopted persons and their families in all stages of life and sectors of society.

MISSION STATEMENT
With the best interests of transracially adopted persons at the center, Transracial Journeys provides practical tools and post adoption support for parents of a different race than the Black and Brown children entrusted to them and fosters supportive relationships for transracially adopted persons of all ages.

OUR GOALS:

  • Prioritizing representation for  transracially adopted persons
  • Sharpening parental skills addressing the core issues of adoption and racism
  • Developing healthy racial identities for all members of the family
  • Encouraging greater cultural competence for parents
  • Promoting social justice and racial equity
  • Building a loving community

To learn more about our flagship event, Transracial Journeys Family Camp, go to our Family Camp page and check out our schedule of events. If you would like to be notified as future camp details become available, please make sure to sign-up for our monthly newsletter by using the subscribe feature on the bottom of this page..