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Tori Wolfe-Sisson’s “Melanin-Centered” Yoga Class Relieves Stress

BIRMINGHAM TIMES — At first glance, Tori Wolfe-Sisson’s yoga class may seem like any other. The lights are dimmed to help participants relax. Attendees are donning leggings with tank tops or t-shirts and sitting cross legged atop their mats. But this is no ordinary yoga class. Wolfe-Sisson’s yoga classes are “melanin-centered,” meaning the classes focus on relieving minority stress. The classes also seek to make yoga more accessible to people of color and the LGBTQ community. Though Wolfe-Sisson’s classes are open to all, the classes are designed specifically for “black, brown, indigenous, trans and queer people,” said Wolfe-Sisson, who identifies by the pronouns they, them, and their.

Published

6 years ago

September 5, 2019

Oakland Post

Trap yoga instructor Tori Wolfe-Sisson (Photo by: Ameera Steward | The Birmingham Times)

By Javacia Harris Bowser

At first glance, Tori Wolfe-Sisson’s yoga class may seem like any other. The lights are dimmed to help participants relax. Attendees are donning leggings with tank tops or t-shirts and sitting cross legged atop their mats.

But this is no ordinary yoga class. Wolfe-Sisson’s yoga classes are “melanin-centered,” meaning the classes focus on relieving minority stress. The classes also seek to make yoga more accessible to people of color and the LGBTQ community. Though Wolfe-Sisson’s classes are open to all, the classes are designed specifically for “black, brown, indigenous, trans and queer people,” said Wolfe-Sisson, who identifies by the pronouns they, them, and their.

Wolfe-Sisson’s classes often focus on relieving tension in the hips and thighs, which is where they believe minorities carry the most stress.

“The type of micro and macroaggressions that we face on a daily basis, that we try to convince ourselves that we’re not holding, that’s what we’re releasing in that space,” Wolfe-Sisson, 29, said.

Even the location of the classes is intentional. Wolfe-Sisson’s classes are hosted at The Hub. A program of AIDS Alabama, The Hub is a community center created to be a safe space for young gay, bisexual, and transpeople of color. The Hub offers HIV/AIDS testing and education but also hosts a variety of events on any given night, from exercise classes to concerts to poetry readings.

“The Hub is like your auntie’s house or your grandma’s house,” Wolfe-Sisson said.

While yoga class is happening in one room, someone may be setting up for a party in another, with the scents of homecooked food and the sounds of D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Goapele, Maxwell and Jill Scott wafting through the air.

Wolfe-Sisson teaches a class called Mela-Zen Yoga at The Hub every Wednesday at 7 p.m. and on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. Wolfe-Sisson teaches Trap Yoga, a class that combines traditional yoga moves and poses with lo-fi hip-hop beats. Trap Yoga even features a DJ.

Phree Moon, 27, has been attending Wolfe-Sisson’s yoga classes, including Trap Yoga, since February 2019.

“The music helps you keep going through the poses,” Moon said of Trap Yoga. “You’re not judging yourself. You’re not judging anyone else. You’re just comfortable.”

Moon says that hearing those same beats elsewhere, even while driving, brings back the sense of calm she felt in class.

“I can bring that peace with me,” Moon said.

Wolfe-Sisson, a Las Vegas, Nevada native, has been practicing yoga since childhood and started sharing yoga with friends during their college days at Tuskegee University. Wolfe-Sisson became a certified yoga instructor earlier this year.

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Yoga In America

Despite these years of experience, Wolfe-Sisson said that when they attend other yoga classes, the instructor often assumes they’re a beginner because of the stereotype that black people don’t practice yoga.

“Yoga in America has a really racist culture,” Wolfe-Sisson said, adding that yoga students of color are often not treated the same as other students in class and that yoga teachers sometimes unnecessarily touch the hair of students of color or adjust their bodies without consent.

For these reasons and more, Wolfe-Sisson understands why many people of color don’t feel comfortable in yoga classes.

“The only fix that I can see is for there to be more of us at the front of the room,” Wolfe-Sission said.

The proceeds from Trap Yoga are used to provide scholarships for yoga teacher training to women of color.

Trap Yoga is a part of Wolfe-Sisson’s organization BLK Pearl, which they founded in 2016 with their wife Shanté Wolfe-Sisson, a DJ known as BLK Alchemy who often provides the music for Trap Yoga.

The mission of BLK Pearl, Wolfe-Sisson said, is to provide “wellness through visibility and economic development for black, brown, indigenous, transgender and queer women and gender neutral and gender non-conforming people.”

Moon, who has been practicing yoga since 2015, plans to start yoga teacher training in the fall with the help of a BLK Pearl scholarship.

“I’ve always wanted to become a yoga instructor,” Moon said, “but after meeting Tori and coming to their class it definitely gave me the mindset of ‘You can do anything.’”

At the end of many of their classes, Wolfe-Sisson, with permission, will help students relax by massaging their temples with essential oils and helping them stretch their neck and legs. Wolfe-Sisson often reads poetry from renowned black authors like Nikki Giovanni, too.

“The poetry that Tori reads to us is very empowering,” Moon said. “I embody it and I take it with me outside of my practice.”

Wolfe-Sisson believes that challenging the notion that people of color don’t practice yoga also requires a conversation with the black church.

“There’s a lot of demonization of yoga,” they said. But to anyone who believes spirituality shouldn’t be combined with movement as it is in yoga, Wolfe-Sisson asks, “What then is praise?”

Wolfe-Sisson knows that body insecurities can also keep people away from the mat. That’s why they’re a fan of yoga teacher and body positivity advocate Jessamyn Stanley.

“Seeing her can wrap your head around the things your body can do,” Wolfe-Sisson said.

One of the quintessential poses in yoga is called the lotus flower and, in this flower,

Wolfe-Sisson finds the perfect symbol for why African-American culture should be fused with yoga as it is in classes like theirs.

“A lotus flower blooms out of the muck,” Wolfe-Sisson said. “What have we been doing here for the past 200 years?”

Tori Wolfe-Sisson teaches Mela-Zen Yoga every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at The Hub, 2217 6th Ave S. Birmingham, AL 35233 and hosts Trap Yoga classes on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m., also at The Hub. To learn more visit blkpearl.org/tours.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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LIHEAP Funds Released After Weeks of Delay as States and the District Rush to Protect Households from the Cold

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The federal government has released $3.6 billion in home heating assistance after a delay that left states preparing for the start of winter without the program’s annual funding.

Published

2 weeks ago

December 1, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The federal government has released $3.6 billion in home heating assistance after a delay that left states preparing for the start of winter without the program’s annual funding. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, helps eligible households pay heating and cooling bills. The release follows a shutdown that stretched 43 days and pushed agencies across the country to warn families of possible disruptions.

State officials in Minnesota, Kansas, New York, and Pennsylvania had already issued alerts that the delay could slow the processing of applications or force families to wait until December for help. In Pennsylvania, more than 300,000 households depend on the program each year. Minnesota officials noted that older adults, young children, and people with disabilities face the highest risk as temperatures fall.

The delay also raised concerns among advocates who track household debt tied to rising utility costs. National Energy Assistance Directors Association Executive Director Mark Wolfe said the funds were “essential and long overdue” and added that high arrearages and increased energy prices have strained families seeking help.

Some states faced additional pressure when other services were affected by the shutdown. According to data reviewed by national energy advocates, roughly 68 percent of LIHEAP households also receive nutrition assistance, and the freeze in multiple programs increased the financial burden on low-income residents. Wolfe said families were placed in “an even more precarious situation than usual” as the shutdown stretched into November.

In Maryland, lawmakers urged the Trump administration to release funds after the state recorded its first cold-related death of the season. The Maryland Department of Health reported that a man in his 30s was found outdoors in Frederick County when temperatures dropped. Last winter, the state documented 75 cold-related deaths, the highest number in five years. Rep Kweisi Mfume joined more than 100 House members calling for immediate federal action and said LIHEAP “is not a luxury” for the 100,000 Maryland households that rely on it. He added that seniors and veterans would be placed at risk if the program remained stalled.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore used $10.1 million in state funds to keep benefits moving, but noted that states cannot routinely replace federal dollars. His administration said families that rely on medical equipment requiring electricity are particularly vulnerable.

The District of Columbia has already mapped out its FY26 LIHEAP structure in documents filed with the federal government. The District’s plan shows that heating assistance, cooling assistance, weatherization, and year-round crisis assistance operate from October 1 through September 30. The District allocates 50 percent of its LIHEAP funds to heating assistance, 10 percent to cooling, 13 percent to year-round crisis assistance, 15 percent to weatherization, and 10 percent to administrative costs. Two percent is used for services that help residents reduce energy needs, including education on reading utility bills and identifying energy waste.

The District’s plan lists a minimum LIHEAP benefit of $200 and a maximum of $1,800 for both heating and cooling assistance. Crisis benefits are provided separately and may reach up to $500 when needed to resolve an emergency. The plan states that a household is considered in crisis if it has been disconnected from energy service, if heating oil is at 5 percent or less of capacity, or if the household has at least $200 owed after the regular benefit is applied.

The District’s filing notes that LIHEAP staff conduct outreach through community meetings, senior housing sites, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, social media, posters, and mass mailings. The plan confirms that LIHEAP applicants can apply in person, by mail, by email, or through a mobile-friendly online application and that physically disabled residents may request in-home visits.

As agencies nationwide begin distributing the newly released funds, states continue working through large volumes of applications. Wolfe said LIHEAP administrators “have been notified that the award letters have gone out and the states can begin to draw down the funds.”

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Seven Steps to Help Your Child Build Meaningful Connections

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Swinging side by side with a friend on the playground. Sharing chalk over bright, colorful sidewalk drawings. Hiding behind a tree during a spirited game of hide-and-seek. These simple moments between children may seem small, but they matter more than we think

Published

2 weeks ago

December 1, 2025

Oakland Post

By Niyoka McCoy, Ed.D., Chief Learning Officer, Stride/K12

Swinging side by side with a friend on the playground. Sharing chalk over bright, colorful sidewalk drawings. Hiding behind a tree during a spirited game of hide-and-seek. These simple moments between children may seem small, but they matter more than we think: They lay the foundation for some of life’s most important skills.

Through everyday play, young children begin learning essential social and emotional skills like sharing, resolving conflicts, showing empathy, and managing their emotions. These social skills help shape emotional growth and set kids up for long-term success. Socialization in early childhood isn’t just a “nice-to-have”—it’s essential for development.

Yet today, many young children who haven’t yet started school aren’t getting enough consistent, meaningful interaction with peers. Research shows that there’s a decline in active free play and peer socialization when compared to previous generations.

There are many reasons for this. Children who are home with a parent during the day may spend most of their time with adults, limiting opportunities for peer play. Those in daycare or preschool may have restricted free play, and large classrooms can reduce supervision and social coaching. Some children live in rural areas, are homebound due to illness, have full schedules, or rely on screens to fill their playtime. And for some families, finding other families with young children to connect with isn’t easy.

While these challenges can feel significant, opportunities for connection still exist in every community. Families can take simple steps to help children build friendships, create a sense of belonging, and strengthen social skills. Here are some ideas to get started:

Storytime sessions at libraries or local bookstores
Community offerings such as parent-child workshops, art, music, gymnastics, swimming, or sports programs
Weekly events at children’s museums, which may include art projects, music workshops, or science experiments
Outdoor exploration, where kids can play with peers
Local parenting groups that organize playdates and group activities
Volunteer opportunities where children can participate, such as pet adoption events or packing meals at a food bank
Classes for kids at local businesses, including hardware, grocery, or craft stores

Some of these community activities are free or low-cost and give kids the chance to build friendships and practice social skills. Parents can also model positive social behavior by interacting with other parents and encouraging their children to play with their peers.

These may seem like small moments of connection, but they can have a powerful impact. Every time your child shares a toy, plays make-believe with peers, or races a friend down the slide, they’re not just playing—they’re learning the skills that build confidence, empathy, and lasting friendships. And it’s good for you, too. Creating intentional opportunities for play also helps you strengthen your own network of parents who can support one another as your children grow together.

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Seven Steps to Help Your Child Build Meaningful Connections

Published

2 weeks ago

December 1, 2025

Oakland Post

By Niyoka McCoy, Ed.D., Chief Learning Officer, Stride/K12

Storytime sessions at libraries or local bookstores
Community offerings such as parent-child workshops, art, music, gymnastics, swimming, or sports programs
Weekly events at children’s museums, which may include art projects, music workshops, or science experiments
Outdoor exploration, where kids can play with peers
Local parenting groups that organize playdates and group activities
Volunteer opportunities where children can participate, such as pet adoption events or packing meals at a food bank
Classes for kids at local businesses, including hardware, grocery, or craft stores