Women's Empowerment

Start women’s history month off with a tour of the women in the arts museum! Admissions is free on the 1st Sunday of the month. After we can get coffee at Tatte at City Center around the corner.

March 1, 2026 located in Damascus at a private home, address will be given after registration. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*SOLD OUT\*\*\*\*\*\*\* 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Snacks provided $30.00 per person Gals… before we jump into the next busy season, we’re gathering for something a little different. Join us for a local Suitcase Gals pop-up Full Moon Cacao Gathering, an hour to pause, reset, and reconnect. Just like travel can expand us, this evening is about reflection, intention, and personal growth. Because the best journeys don’t only happen on airplanes — they begin within. We’ll sip ceremonial cacao, enjoy meaningful conversation, and set intentions under the energy of the full moon. This is less about travel plans and more about community, connection, and stepping into your next chapter with clarity. Whether you’ve joined a Suitcase Gals trip before or you’re simply curious to connect locally, you are so welcome. Spots are limited for this intimate gathering. [REGISTER](https://traveljoy.com/bookings/PjCyGKmEJ2PQpV1azXfTcgQC) Come as you are. Leave inspired for wherever life (or your suitcase) takes you next.

**Let's get together and see an exhibition on the history of Black Burlesque to cap off Black History Month!** I recently learned about this exhibition, so I hope it's not too late for us to attend as a group. Ticket Cost: $6.25 **Tickets are available for purchase on Eventbrite.** **I'll provide the address and location in a private event message that is visible to everyone who RSVPs.**

On the first Sunday of each month, we invite all Sangha members to come early to help clean the Temple before the weekly service. No contribution is too small, and every task helps to beautify and maintain our home away from home! No RSVP is necessary, and assignments are listed at the Temple entrance. We hope to see you there!

**Notice the new time. We are now 2-5pm.** Bring your own board games! The MoCo Pride Center has a few games as well. Newcomers welcome! You don't need to know anything, we will teach you how to play! We do not serve food. Note that you can bring drinks and food, but plan to leave the place tidy. Some of us may also get food together afterwards. Info about the MoCo Pride Center: [https://www.mocopridefamily.org/pride-center-home](https://www.mocopridefamily.org/pride-center-home) The Center is close to the **Bethesda Metro Station**. It is on the 2nd floor of the **Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center**. Look for the **blue awning** that says Geste Beer at the cross of Old Georgetown Road -- the front entrance is directly to the left of this awning. The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center has an attached garage, which is accessible on Edgemoor. Go past the Center, then turn right at the stop sign across from the Metro stop. The garage is your first right. Payment is mobile using the ParkMobile app.

This will be a run or walk at your own pace on the Capital Crescent Trail. Since it's out-and-back you won't have to worry about getting lost! **Terrain:** This is a paved trail and will probably be a busy so watch out for bikers. **What to wear/bring**: comfortable clothes & walking shoes, sunscreen and water. **Where to meet:** In front of Chopt Creative Salad (near trailhead) Here's the description on https://www.cctrail.org/access: "To find the CCT toward Georgetown, go to the Bethesda Ave./Woodmont Ave. intersection and look for the Ourisman Honda dealership west of the intersection and on the south side of Bethesda Avenue. The CCT is between the public parking lot at the corner (Lot 31) and the Ourisman dealership." I will update Meetup comments if necessary. **Dogs:** Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash and be friendly & good with other dogs. **Donation:** A suggested donation of $1 to help offset Meetup dues (Meetup charges dues to organizers). **Keep it Vegan:** This event is open to all (vegan and veg-curious). Please only consume vegan food/drinks while with the group. By participating you agree to participating at your own risk. If your plans change, please update your RSVP promptly. See you then! Stephanie PS-Carpooling & Metroing is encouraged to reduce carbon footprint of events. Please post in comments if interested.

**This event has been updated and will be hosted at Central Library in Arlington VA on Sunday! Please message with any questions!** Join us as we host our next screening of Alma’s Rainbow (1994) by Ayoka Chenzira! This film is 85 minutes and an optional short discussion with the group will follow. Synopsis: A rediscovered treasure of independent cinema, this incisive comedic drama follows Rainbow Gold (Victoria Gabrielle Platt), a teenager coming of age in Brooklyn, as she looks to two vastly different models of womanhood: her straitlaced mother, Alma (Kim Weston-Moran), who runs a hair salon in the parlor of their home and disapproves of her daughter’s newfound interest in boys; and her free-spirited, larger-than-life aunt Ruby (Mizan Kirby), who has just returned from Paris after a ten-year absence and whose presence shakes up the household. Bursting with the bold Day-Glo colors of nineties fashion, this dazzling feature from feminist filmmaker and animator Ayoka Chenzira grapples with questions of Black women’s sexuality, agency, and self-image from a multigenerational perspective. (Criterion) Closest Metro will be Virginia Square (7 min walk)

In a world increasingly marked by division and conflict, finding common ground has never been more crucial – and seemingly more difficult. At the same time, if we’re willing to go outside of ourselves, there are a growing number of grassroots efforts – thousands in the US alone! – all exploring various means of depolarization. In this context, might there be a role for spirituality to help guide us towards these aims, towards greater empathy and understanding for one another? More and more it seems like we can each pick and choose the bubbles we want to live in, with many of those bubbles drifting further away from others. And while there can be comfort to be found in this, are we maybe also missing out on an even better world we could be living in? What would an approach to our lives and our communities look like that speaks to our fundamental commonalities instead of our differences? How might we find and strengthen a common ground that unites while respecting our unique perspectives and contributions? What has the unique power to connect each and every one of us, to help us find that common ground, to better understand and express our essential oneness as human beings? Come join a different kind of conversation – one that welcomes every perspective in a search for the truths that unite us all – as we discuss the spiritual perspective offered by the Bahá’í Teachings on the role of spirituality in navigating polarized communities and bridging divides. Join us for a lively discussion as we explore how spirituality can help foster a society strengthened by unity and based on understanding amongst its citizens. *“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.”* – Bahá’í Teachings \*\*\* This event is free and open to all regardless of background or belief. Donations will not be accepted.

Discover the path to stress management, life's tranquility, and self-improvement through Heartfulness Meditation. Embrace relaxation, meditation, and emotional detoxification practices to unlock your best self. Join our free sessions every Sunday at 8 AM and Wednesday at 7 / 7:30 PM at various centers in MD and VA. Experience the profound benefits of these simple yet powerful practices. Commit to a few months of meditation and witness the transformative impact firsthand. We eagerly await your presence at these enlightening sessions.

We meet at lunch each week and each meeting follows a fairly organized agenda. First all participants pass their business cards around. Then each member and guest is invited to give a one-minute overview of their company and what is a perfect referral for the week. We always have a 10 minute presentation from one of the members about their business in more detail. And finally we pass referrals. You're welcome to visit. Nobody is ever put on the spot. Bring plenty of cards!

Columbus libraries: [https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3262835](https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3262835) Location: [Knotty Pine Brewing](https://www.knottypinebrewing.net/) [Menu, scroll to the bottom](https://www.knottypinebrewing.net/menus-1) Book summary: Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. This, her mother has told her, is the only way to get a "louding voice" -- the ability to speak for herself and decide her own future. But instead, Adunni's father sells her to be the third wife of a local man who is eager for her to bear him a son and heir. When Adunni runs away to the city, hoping to make a better life, she finds that the only other option before her is servitude to a wealthy family. As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and a powerless slave, Adunni is told, by words and deeds, that she is nothing. But while misfortunes might muffle her voice for a time, they cannot mute it. And when she realizes that she must stand up not only for herself, but for other girls, for the ones who came before her and were lost, and for the next girls, who will inevitably follow, she finds the resolve to speak, however she can--in a whisper, in song, in broken English--until she is heard

Hike approx 4.0 miles at approx. 18 minute mile pace. Meet in front of the Nature Center.

Evolve exists to connect women entrepreneurs connect with one another, serve one another, and help one another overcome challenges in marketing, sales, networking, and professional development. [Add to Calendar](evolvecolumbus.eventcalendarapp.com) What to Expect: \~ Welcome team to greet you, introduce you to others, and make sure you feel a part of the group from your very first meeting \~ Welcome & Introductions: 15 second introductions \~ 15 Minute Speaker Spotlight: Member speaker who shares a bit of her story, how she got to doing what she does, and a tangible tip she uses to gain success in her business. No hard selling...no expectations. Simply giving the group an opportunity to get to know her and her journey. \~ 20 Minute Break Out Sessions: Small groups is where we connect best. Extroverted and Introverted alike get the opportunity to share on a deeper level and learn from one another. \~ Take Aways: Hear what the other groups talked about and share resources to grow yourself and your business \~ Grow Time!: Do you need a specific connection to a person, company, or industry? Share it with us! We love to open our networks to one another and grow together! Guests are always welcome. Please contact Mentor Director Donna Schomer at Donna@EvolveWomensNetwork.com for more information. We'd love to meet you!

Let's meet at the Nature Center for an approximate 4-mile hike, followed by an optional lunch at Nomad or Liberty Tavern (both are on Polaris Parkway) - we can decide which tavern during the hike!