Yo Mama has a house!
YO MAMA’S HOUSE, INC. is rooted in my love of my Aunt Ethel’s butterscotch-colored house on Edgehill Drive in West Los Angeles. Love loomed large there. Love was found in her domain - the kitchen - in cast iron pots that held savory tastes from all-day southern cooking and on the Formica table burdened with the sweetness of jellies, cakes, and pies.
In her home, my eyes sought the familiars; stacks of cotton fabric, McCall patterns, tailor pins, and scissors, Avon books with cosmetic samples, church fans and calendars from mortuaries, and an initialed handkerchief my aunt had found the time to embroider. She’d offer a stacked plate of food to my starving spirit and refresh my soul with the hum of something new from the choir. Love was wedged between the stacks of Jet and Sepia Magazines. Between their pages, colored people’s lives were important. Love bloomed in her gardens, I fell in love with roses. I ate citrus fruits from the trees or drank fresh juices and lemonades out of jelly jars.
In Aunt Ethel’s house, home and love were the same things. And I was always safe, loved, and welcomed. I wanted this experience and space for Black mothers (no mamas are excluded). The seed for YO MAMA’S HOUSE, INC. was planted.
What’s the story behind purchasing it?
Beginning in 2010, YO MAMA’S HOUSE, INC. has been able to offer The Art of Mothering Workshops, funded by me at first and then later with the generous support of many people and organizations. These include Juxtaposition Arts, The Walker Arts Center, St. Jane House, Water Bar, Nexus Community Partners, and Transformative Black Led Movement Fund. We received the support of staff, materials, and space to work and exhibit art by our mothers, and financial support.
In 2019, The Center for Cultural Innovations’ AmbitioUS gave YO MAMA’S HOUSE, INC. $25,000! On January 8, 2021, we purchased a house in North Minneapolis, Minnesota!
What are your plans for the future?
Becoming 100% accessible.
Launching a new pilot programs:
Old School Day Time Jook Joint Dance Party.
In the Spirit of our Mothers
Hush Yo Mouth Social Club
Art of Mothering Workshops will informally be are offered as artist residencies and drop-in workshops.
YO MAMA’S HOUSE, INC. is offering limited accessibility at this time due to Covid. Be in touch with inquires.