‘Pinayistas’ hold summit to recharge, learn, heal

Pinayista 2021 Summit Panel Discussion. MELISSA DE MATA

SAN FRANCISCO – With more than 55 speakers and 365 in-person and virtual attendees, the fourth annual Pinayista Summit featured panel discussions, lightning talks, vendor booths breakout or “sisterhood sessions” and workshops.

Topics  during the Oct.1-3 summit included Pinay Creators Using Our Voice for Change; Raising Ancestors: Centering Parenting in the Hustle; The Business of Spirituality & Healing; Decolonization, Radical Presence and Self-Compassion During Pandemics; and Rest 101: Rest as a Portal to Creative Intuition.

Pinayista Founder-Director-Events Planner Gina Mariko Rosales said the summit’s focus this year was on “healing, wellness and joy” because of the impact of the pandemic on people’s lives.

Gina Mariko Rosales. CONTRIBUTED

The summit’s first ever hybrid program was held in-person at Ciel Creative Space, a Pinay co-founded and run brick and mortar in Berkeley, and virtually on the online events platform Gatherly.

“Doing a hybrid event was definitely new,” Rosales says. Added to the complexity of putting together the three-day hybrid summit was enforcing pandemic health and safety protocols that included checking vaccination cards and contact tracing.

Except for food that was only available in-person, all in-person parts of the summit was simultaneously streamed and replicated virtually, including a virtual Mercado Hall for people to shop.

Among the highlights of this year’s summit was professor, author, and scholar, Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez’ closing lightning talk on redefining imposter syndrome.

Magalit Rodriguez sponsored the 2021 Emerging Pinayista Scholarship Program, which scholarship recognizes 25 Pinays aspiring to start their own business, creative hustle, or community and who require financial support to attend the summit in-person or virtually.

Dr. Robyn Magalit Rodriguez. CONTRIBUTED

Pinays in all industries could apply, but at least half of all scholarship slots were given to Pinays in the fields of mental health, healing, wellness, higher education, and food/chefs in honor of the late academic and historian, Dr. Dawn Bohulano Mabalon.

Another highlight was a sound bath by the Pinay music duo AstraLogik. “[It] was just a healing, amazing, moment,” said Rosales. “We had people lying on the ground on banigs (woven mats); people crying and saying that they felt like their ancestors were sending them messages during that sound bath. That was really moving.”

Sound Bath by AstraLogik. MELISSA DE MATA

An after party was held at 7th West in Oakland with music provided by LA based DJ’s, Ladies of Sound. It was not only a celebration of this year’s summit, but also of making it through these challenging times and the joy of being together, according to Rosales.

“People just really needed to dance! We’ve just missed each other so much!” she said. “That was just such an amazing moment in time to be with each other and share joy again in-person.”

Pinayista Summit is open to all self-identifying Pinays, transgender Pinays, and gender nonconforming Pinxys who want to “learn how to bring their ideas to life, decolonize restorative justice, heal from the ‘scarcity mindset’ instilled by stolen self-narratives, as well as bring their expertise to help others in the community.”

www.pinayista.org