a WTF moment @ the WOC tent

So, as you know I do a breastcasting Intensive at the WOC tent .
This year my second session on Friday was interrupted by someone needed immediate assistance. She told a festie doing her work shift.

When the woymn doing her work shift came to get me she said a overwrought Caucasian woymn was inquiring about the location of some missing children.

She stood at the entrance to the sanctuary and waited for me to arrive from the casting I was completing.
That being said I turned over my charge to my assistant and went to the door to find out how I could help her and her children.

Missing doesn't really happen at fest... just misplaced festies enjoying the freedom to move around and have fun unhampered so as a elder I wasn't overly as concerned as most festies would be that hear such a claim.

I spoke to the woymn in question who was very agitated and unhappy about not finding her eldest in the santuary as she said was her pattern historically at fest.She said she had been following her daughter and found her many times at the WOC tent.She gave me some sympathetcic information on her daughters.

The one she had the most problem with had turned 11 the day before and the youngest was 9. She told me her daughters were Chicanas and she was raising them 'white' and the eldest kept coming back to the WOC tent in spite of her mothers best intentions. The mother also told me she felt that we, ie, the woymn of color, were encouraging this behavior, ie her eldest identifying as a child of color which she is and she wanted this behavior to stop.

Now I could have taken a number of approaches to this woymn but I did identify as a mother first that her child had gone missing...to her other woes I knew I couldn't relate, identify nor condone so I choose the route of direction to other woymn that looked like her.

I knew immediately of the daughter she talked about because she told me personally the day before of her 11th birthday.She was and is a smart and beautiful child. Golden skin, thick brown hair and doe brown eyes and the awareness of self to become a strong woymn if encouraged.

I saw her many sequential days prior to her mothers arrival at the tent . She was either alone or with other girls from Gaia that wandered and had fun on the land leaving mothers silly apprehensions to themselves.

If this woymn wanted advice on hair care for a Latina I could have directed her .

If she had wanted choices of music to lullaby her youngest Latina child I could of told her about a lot of Hispanic woymn that made strides in that area.

If she had but asked about Saturdays Latina potluck I would have given her my two tickets I had purchased earlier so her children could attend if the mother before me had not the money to provide.

As a mother I could see she needed help but as a WOC I didn't know just how much.

She told me what I knew.

Her daughter spent a lot of time at the WOC tent. I myself saw her and her sister on several occasions and her eldest in particular.

She was sweet in spirit, quiet,shy but also seeking what she needed in the healing spaces of the land.

I saw her enter and speak to African decent woymn and Asian woymn and Pacific Islander woymn and settle comfortably to Latinas as if she had found a long lost tia...and perhaps she had.

If they spoke or not I don't know but the child knew how much time she could spend in our presence .

I remember my earlier times as a child, asked to go on errands for my grandma.To the store and back only. Pick up what I told you to get and get back home.Don't deviate...

But I stopped at stoops of my friends and gossiped.

I stopped by those I was told not to, just to relate.

I stopped mid mother rant ...and I could relate to this young dear one needing someone to connect to .

To this space a elder woymn of color showed her our interactions where she could find safety and peace...

I remembered back, to my inner child and I rememeber too...I had no ' Michfest land' to compare freedoms.

I fast forwarded to the young mother I was and I remembered some things I needed help with.I thought to myself...it would have been just so far I could have gone as a single woymn if I had to raise a male child.

For his sake I would have to bury my uncomfortableness with the male issue and place him around males that could support and and nurture him in a kind and secure productive spaces if any do exist outside of what we have created her in Michigan...male of my flesh...love of my heart.

There would be so far in a male experience that my love could carry.

I hoped fervently that this white woymn would take that path.Set aside her love of self to be selfless for her children.

Love the woymn they were truly going to become as Latinas ands support them.

I wanted to say and do more but I didn't have her experience nor or skin and background so I did the best that I could and hand carried herself to the WOC patio where other white woymn could help her and most importantly...her Latina girls.

I never saw her children again at the WOC tent.

I checked with the white woymn at the WOC patio and she never attended any support classes they gave.

I saw the white woymn one time,alone ,walking at a break neck speed pass the WOC tent Saturday morning when I was cooking for the Latina potluck.

Brows furrowed,blond curly hair standing on end and blue eyes searching frantically for her children...

As a mother I hope she finds them.

As a woymn of colorI hope those children find themselves .

Most of all...know that all of the woymn of color you met this year hope for your return again in the years to come little one...

We'll be waiting.

Peace