Stronghold: Restoring People Transforming Systems

This Fall we are offering four stand-alone daylong trainings. All of our trainings deepen into the intersection of restorative justice and racial justice and emphasize building cultures of dignity and belonging through embodied, collective practice.

As a part of our commitment to safety and access during the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, our fall 2022 trainings will be held virtually.

We look so forward to practicing with you.

This Fall we are offering four stand-alone daylong trainings. All of our trainings deepen into the intersection of restorative justice and racial justice and emphasize building cultures of dignity and belonging through embodied, collective practice. As a part of our commitment to safety and access during the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, our fall 2022 trainings will be held virtually. We look so forward to practicing with you. #WeAreStronghold #ThisIsStronghold #RestorativeJustice #TransformativeJustice #RacialJustice #Community #Practice

Looking for a great Thursday night dance party… a little pre-weekend groove? + STRONGHOLD have you covered!

Join us for our Annual Fundraiser & Birthday Party! Drinks and food by Nido’s Backyard! Jams by ! Merch and amazing auction items by local businesses, artists, and supporters!

Come GET DOWN & GIVE OUT!
Date: Thursday, June 2
Time: 5:30 - 9:30pm
Location: Nido’s Backyard (104 Oak St. Oakland)
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/get-down-give-out-tickets-330692077907

GET YOUR TICKETS and MEET US ON THE DANCE FLOOR! STRONGHOLD’s Annual Fundraiser & Birthday Party will be a true JOY.  Help us celebrate 3 incredible years of work and look ahead to many more! 

Come GET DOWN & GIVE OUT! 

Snack, drink, dance and party with us and at the beautiful and delicious Nido’s Backyard! 

Date: Thursday, June 2

Time: 5:30 - 9:30pm

Location: Nido’s Backyard (104 Oak St. Oakland)

Tickets: click the link in the bio

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TICKETS are now available for STRONGHOLD’s Annual Fundraiser & Birthday Party! Join us in celebrating 3 incredible years of transformative justice, racial justice and community building!

Come GET DOWN & GIVE OUT!
Snack, drink, dance and party with us at the beautiful and delicious Nido’s Backyard!

Date: Thursday, June 2
Time: 5:30 - 9:30pm
Location: Nido’s Backyard (104 Oak St. Oakland)
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/330692077907

artwork by

happy new year, beloved STRONGHOLD community! we hope you are finding softness and ease in this first week of 2021. we are thrilled to share our spring offerings with you.

community practice is the heart of STRONGHOLD's work. our 2021 practice opportunities will continue to deepen into the intersection of restorative justice and racial justice. all of our trainings emphasize building cultures of dignity and belonging through embodied, collective practice.

please visit the link in our bio to learn more, apply and/or register for one or more of our trainings. DM us with any questions! we can't wait to practice with you.

with love,
STRONGHOLD

celebrate with us + sustain us | our year in review Dear STRONGHOLD community, We are thinking of you in this unpredictable and overwhelming time and are grateful to be in community with you. We hope you are finding ease, nourishment, and time for reflection as this tidal wave of a year comes to an end. We understand that 2020 has brought  unique an...

Big News!! We are thrilled to share with you a conversation we had with about STRONGHOLD’s journey and commitments. Thank you to our community for sharing in this work with us and for making STRONGHOLD what it is. We are grateful.

with love,
karena + Claire

registration is open for our COLLECTIVE END TO WHITE SUPREMACY series.

we are calling on white folks who are longing to do the brave work of reckoning with the ways that white supremacy lives in and through us. together we will bring each other along in this tender, confronting and critical work towards a new embodiment of whiteness that disrupts white supremacy.

we ground white affinity work in education, practice and accountability. we aim to cultivate a space of rigorous learning without reproducing patterns of intellectualizing and disembodiment. we focus on self-inquiry, lived experience and personal responsibility in transforming the conditions of white supremacy “from the inside out.”

our approach is influenced by , , and other racial and restorative justice practitioners.

trainings will be held each monday from 5:00-7:00pm PST via zoom starting october 12-november 30.

please visit the registration form for more information and next steps: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeZ_6P0EG6VO9L8_Pkpq5A-19F45bmsYvDSblgmUFz9PVbj_Q/viewform

we invite you to share this offering widely with your communities.

with love,
STRONGHOLD

justice

Exciting news to share! The award winning documentary The Prison Within will be streaming on Amazon, iTunes, and other other streaming platforms starting TOMORROW, 8/25!

Founder and Co-Director Karena H. Montag is honored to have served as an advisor in this film.

from the website (http://theprisonwithin.org/):

Prisoners incarcerated for murder inside San Quentin Prison transcend the barriers of the punitive prison system by working with victims of violent crime to unearth the root cause of their own violence. Each character undergoes a radical transformation revealing how every human being, on both sides of the wall, can break out of their own personal prisons to stop the cycle of violence.

The Prison Within exposes the devastating impact untreated trauma has on individuals and communities through the powerful stories of survivors of violent crimes and prisoners incarcerated for murder in San Quentin prison. The prisoners and survivors come together and participate in the Victim Offender Education Group (VOEG)—an innovative restorative justice program enabling prisoners to discover how the trauma they’ve experienced contributed to their criminality and to understand the impact their crimes have on their victims. Together, the prisoners and survivors confront and expose the pain, shame, and rage caused by the extreme trauma they’ve experienced throughout their lives.

Image reposted from

This is the time to celebrate JOY whenever it arrives. We are ecstatic to see THE PRISON WITHIN receiving the recognition it deserves. STRONGHOLD Co-director, Karena, is proud to have served as an advisor on this incredible film.

Get ready for the upcoming RELEASE on the 25th!!

Preview: ‘The Prison Within,’ A Documentary Exploring Restorative Justice The film follows a group of prisoners and survivors coming to terms with trauma at San Quentin Prison. It's a powerful argument for change.

we invite you to practice in community with STRONGHOLD each third wednesday of the month from 5-7 PST. the next offering will take place on August 19th. learn more about each training and register using the links below:

Registration link for WITH LOVE FOR US (BIPOC): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/with-love-for-us-a-bipoc-gathering-for-community-care-tickets-111250092020?aff=erelexpmlt

Registration link for COLLECTIVE PRACTICE (white folks): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collective-practice-to-end-white-supremacy-a-gathering-for-white-folks-tickets-111247371884?aff=erelexpmlt. (note that this training is a prerequisite for any white folks interested in a multi-week training.)

we welcome you to share this invitation widely with your communities.

with love,
STRONGHOLD

We are THRILLED for The Prison Within & JOYFUL to have contributed to this important work.

American Black Film Festival Sets ‘Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn’, ‘Farewell’ And More For Virtual Edition The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) has set its lineup for the 2020 virtual edition of the fest which runs August 21-30. In addition, IMDb will simulcast The Best of the ABFF Awards Ceremony on…