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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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"I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired." – Fannie Lou Hamer

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THE ANCESTORS ARE WATCHING: Black Women Launch Nationwide Celebration of Literary Legacy

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April 12th National Banded Book Sit-In: 164 Years After Civil War Began with Gunpowder, We Stand with Black Power

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PHILADELPHIA, PA — March 25, 2025 — On April 12, 2025—exactly 164 years after the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter—Black women across America will gather on library steps and at bookstores in 22 cities for "The Ancestors Are Watching" — a nationwide celebration of Black literary legacy in the face of unprecedented book banning.

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This high-fashion, high-impact event serves as Day 3 of ROOTED 2025's FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT theme, focusing on the REDIRECT & REVIVE strategy. As the nation marks the anniversary of a war begun to preserve enslavement, Black women will demonstrate a different kind of power—economic force and cultural celebration.

"April 12, 1861: they fought with gunpowder to keep us in chains. April 12, 2025: we stand with Black power to break those chains for good," said Minista Jazz, founder of ROOTED. "The weapons have changed. Where they used bullets, we use books. Where they used violence, we use economic vision. We're showing up in our full glory, with our ancestors' photos in one hand and banned books in the other."

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REDIRECT & REVIVE: Economic Warfare Through Celebration

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"The Ancestors Are Watching" exemplifies ROOTED 2025's dual-impact approach:

REDIRECT: On Financial Empowerment Day, participants will purposefully redirect consumer dollars away from companies retreating from diversity commitments and toward Black-owned bookstores and businesses. This act of economic warfare doesn't destroy—it builds wealth in our communities.

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REVIVE: Through celebration rather than traditional protest, the movement revives the spirits of participants while honoring ancestral wisdom. The high-fashion, joyful gathering creates a space for cultural pride and community building.

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"We're not asking for a seat at their table anymore," added Jazz. "We're redirecting our dollars to build our own. This date isn't coincidental—it reminds us that economic independence is the battlefield where true freedom is won."

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A Nationwide Visual Statement

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At exactly 4:30 PM ET/1:30 PM PT on Saturday, April 12, participants at all locations will take a synchronized photo holding banned books alongside photos of their ancestors, creating a nationwide visual declaration that Black stories matter. The event features:

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  • High-fashion participants in vibrant attire inspired by both ancestral traditions and Afrofuturism

  • Framed photos of personal ancestors and historical Black figures

  • Banned books by authors like Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Angie Thomas

  • Dramatic readings from banned works

  • Sister circles of celebration and community building

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Major Gathering Locations Include:

  • Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Public Library, Grand Army Plaza

  • Atlanta, GA – Auburn Avenue Research Library

  • Chicago, IL – Harold Washington Library Center

  • Los Angeles, CA – Central Library Steps

  • Philadelphia, PA – Free Library of Philadelphia

  • Washington, DC – Howard University's Founders Library

  • Oakland, CA – African American Museum and Library at Oakland

  • Houston, TX – The African American Library at the Gregory School

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A full list of gathering locations and the recommended Black-owned bookshops for purchasing banned books can be found at ROOTED2025.com

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The Battle for America's Future: ROOTED 2025 vs. Project 2025

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"The Ancestors Are Watching" is a pivotal day within ROOTED 2025's historic 10-day Digital Sit-In (April 10-19, 2025), which will unite 100,000+ participants online while generating $25M in economic impact for Black women-owned businesses across 22 cities.

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As conservative groups advance "Project 2025" - a comprehensive agenda that threatens to roll back diversity initiatives and inclusion efforts nationwide - ROOTED 2025 emerges as the counterforce, building economic power and cultural celebration as antidotes to erasure.

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"They call it 'Project 2025' because they want to erase us. We call it 'ROOTED 2025' because we refuse to be uprooted," declared Minista Jazz. "Their bans and boardroom betrayals are just modern versions of the old suppression. But where they construct barriers, we build economies. Where they restrict knowledge, we redirect power. We're not just teaching the next generation how to survive erasure—we're showing them how to thrive beyond it. When they retreat from our humanity, we don't just withdraw our dollars—we REDIRECT our wealth to fortify the institutions that uplift us. Every book in our hands is both memory and prophecy. Every dollar we spend is both protest and investment."

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Join the Movement

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SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2025

  • East Coast: 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM ET

  • West Coast: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM PT

  • SYNCHRONIZED NATIONAL PHOTO: 4:30 PM ET/1:30 PM PT

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FASHION DIRECTIVE: Vibrant colors, Sunday finest, ancestral jewelry or fabrics

BRING: A framed photo of an ancestor or historical Black woman + a banned book by a Black author

SOCIAL MEDIA: #AncestorsAreWatching #BandedNotBanned #ROOTED2025 #BlackPowerNotGunpowder

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About ROOTED 2025:

ROOTED 2025 evolved from Sisterhood Sit-In, a Philadelphia-based movement founded by The Cook Sisters in 2020 to support Black women entrepreneurs. Building on four years of regional success, ROOTED 2025 scales this vision nationally, creating a powerful platform for Black women's economic empowerment through its REDIRECT & REVIVE strategy. Learn more at ROOTED2025.com.

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Media Contact:

mediaengagement@sisterhoodsitin.com
(323) 676-6833

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"When we redirect our resources and revive our spirits, we create a future our ancestors dreamed of and a present our children deserve."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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​My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

– Maya Angelou

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Black Women Launch Largest Digital Revival in History; 22-City Tour to Generate $25M+

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ROOTED 2025 Movement Kicks Off 30-Day Countdown to National Event Empowering Black Entrepreneurs

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Richmond, VA — March 12, 2025 — Today marks the 30-day countdown to ROOTED 2025, a groundbreaking national protest movement uniting over 100,000 participants in the largest digital sit-in celebrating Black women in history. From April 10-19, 2025, ROOTED 2025 will activate 22 cities nationwide through Freedom Routes—economic tours designed to generate more than $25 million in direct spending to Black women-owned businesses – and advocate for national recognition of Black Women's History Month, already officially recognized in Virginia.

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Founded by Minista Jazz, winner of Season One of Hair Battle Spectacular and a long-time social justice advocate and digital organizer, ROOTED 2025 reimagines the civil rights sit-in for the digital age. The movement combines a powerful online presence with on-the-ground economic action, creating a new model for activism that transforms digital engagement into tangible change.

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"If I'm not dead, I'm not done. When 100,000 sisters come together, we don't just make noise – we make markets," said Minista Jazz, founder of ROOTED. "This movement is a modern day protest. Where sisterhood is the link that binds us together in the face of DEI roll backs and economic setbacks. We're out here doing what we have always done; building our own table and inviting everyone who values Black women's contributions to join us."

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ROOTED 2025: A Dual-Impact Movement

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The 10-day movement features a unique dual-impact approach:

  • Digital Sit-In & 10-Night Digital Revival: Over 100,000 participants will engage in coordinated online activism and participate in a nightly virtual gathering focused on spiritual renewal, economic empowerment, and community building.

  • Freedom Routes Economic Tours: Physical business tours in 22 cities will drive direct investment into Black women-owned businesses, celebrating the rich history of Black entrepreneurship in America.

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Key Cities Include:


Richmond, VA | Philadelphia, PA | Atlanta, GA | New Orleans, LA | Oakland, CA
(A full list of cities and the Freedom Routes schedule can be found at ROOTED2025.com.)

"Our love is the protest. I grew up watching Black women make a way out of no way, turn scraps into feasts, transform pain into purpose," Minista Jazz added. "We've been economically creative since the beginning of time. Now we're doing it together, on our own terms, because I say so. And because 100,000 Black women say so too."

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The movement builds upon Virginia's historic recognition of April as Black Women's History Month, the first state in the nation to officially do so, and issues a national call to Congress to make April an official celebration of Black women's contributions. ROOTED 2025 builds upon the legacy of Black women's leadership in the civil rights movement, from the 22 founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority who marched for women's suffrage to Bayard Rustin's 22 days on a chain gang.

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A Blueprint for Economic Power

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ROOTED 2025 also includes:

  • 90% Merchandise Pledge: The majority of proceeds will go directly to featured Black women-owned businesses.

  • Real-Time Economic Impact Tracking: Transparent and measurable financial investment in Black businesses.

  • A National Call to Action: Advocating for April to be officially recognized as Black Women's History Month.

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Strategic Partnerships

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ROOTED 2025 features partnerships with established Black cultural institutions and entrepreneurs, amplifying both economic impact and the power of Black joy. The movement incorporates the healing power of laughter through collaboration with the Black Women Intl. Comedy Laff Fest.

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"In every city, there are Black Women whose comedic voices deserve to be heard," said Joanna Briley, founder of Black Women Intl. Comedy Laff Fest. "I am deeply honored to stand with [ROOTED 2025] in this revolution of joy, resilience, and representation, during our Black Women History Month Celebration."

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"Podcasting, like entrepreneurship, needs resources and a supportive ecosystem," added Talib Jasir, founder of Afros & Audio. "We're both about empowering Black creators to own their narratives."

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ROOTED was birthed in direct response to the dismantling of Black Lives Matter Plaza in D.C., on a day designated for Black women's rest and restoration. In a moment of erasure, ROOTED became the answer—a movement of economic power, joy, and visibility that cannot be ignored.

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"When they dismantled that plaza on Harriet Tubman's Day of Rest, something broke in me. And when things break, that's where the light gets in. That's when I knew we needed to build something they couldn't tear down with drills or political games," said Jazz.

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Join the Movement

  • April 10-19, 2025

  • Digital + 22 City Freedom Routes

  • 100,000+ Black Women & Allies Mobilized

  • Projected $25M+ in Direct Economic Impact

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Take Action:

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About ROOTED 2025:

ROOTED 2025 evolved from Sisterhood Sit-In, a Philadelphia-based movement founded by The Cook Sisters in 2020 to support Black women entrepreneurs. Building on four years of regional success, ROOTED 2025 scales this vision nationally, creating a powerful platform for Black women's economic empowerment. Learn more at ROOTED2025.com.

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Media Contact:

mediaengagement@sisterhoodsitin.com (323) - 676 - 6833

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"Sisterhood is the Future. When we move, the economy follows. When we rise, the system shifts. When we root ourselves in power, the world takes notice."

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