Meet Niyankor Ajuaj | Communications Coordinator | Soul 2 Soul Sisters

We had the good fortune of connecting with Niyankor Ajuaj and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Niyankor, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I am inspired by the Earth. She is truly my favorite artist and muse. I love her vibrant colors, all of her cycles – day/night, winter/spring/summer/fall – and the richness of each of them. I love her scent, her mountains, her sunsets, her trees… I love the way she feels beneath my feet. I love the ways that she makes me present. I am also inspired by Black Women, particularly my siSTAR friends. I am inspired by their softness, the ways in which they are committed to learning and loving their self in a world that seeks to ravage every fabric of our being daily. I love watching them take care of their families, healing together, and just being audacious and going after their desires. I love watching them get back up again and again despite the loss and heartbreak and grief. I am also inspired by my mother and the ways that she has softened throughout the years, the ways that I have been able to see her, learn her fully and all the ways in which we have grown together. Lastly, I am inspired by my partnership and the love we have been able to cultivate together. Our love is divine – it nurtures and transforms us and those around us each and everyday.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Currently, I am the Communications Coordinator for Soul 2 Soul Sisters – a fiercely faith-based, racial justice nonprofit organization transforming Colorado and beyond through Black Women-led programs focusing on Black Women’s healing and health, reparations, Black voter engagement and ending anti-Black racism. I love the work that I do for Soul 2 Soul Sisters because it merges my passion for storytelling and social justice. Through my work, I get to amplify, promote, and creatively engage folks around Soul 2 Soul Sisters’ healing and liberative work.

I was introduced to Soul 2 Soul Sisters in 2018 by a dear siSTAR friend who began working at the organization and instantly fell in love. I loved the fact that it was for us by us and found myself religiously following the organization the minute she began talking about it. I attended our first ever SistaSoul Search Retreat, and began to attend the monthly Self-Love Saturday gatherings. My dear siSTAR friend asked me to do a poem for an abortion story series the organization was working on in spring of 2019 and really the rest is history… I began working as a contractor for the organization and eventually I was offered a full time position as the Communications Coordinator.

I really do not have words for the impact this organization has had not only on my professional life but personal. There is something soul-nourishing about working with and for Black Women. This work is deeply spiritual, it is healing, poetic, and divine. I feel seen here and that within itself feeds my work. I love the fact that I can bring my whole self to this work and be nurtured and affirmed in it. I love all the ways in which I have grown in my role, the way my politic has grown, the way my praxis has grown, and most importantly, my love, passion, and awe for Black Women/Womanhood. I am eternally grateful for Soul 2 Soul Sisters ❤️

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my ancestors, particularly the matriarchs, and my mother who laid the foundation for me to be able to truly be their wildest, biggest and freest dream. I would also like to dedicate this to all my siSTARs, my partner, and Soul 2 Soul Sisters. Thank you for seeing me, nurturing me and journeying alongside me. I am truly honored to be loved by y’all ❤️

Website: https://soul2soulsisters.org

Instagram: @soul2soulsisters

Facebook: Soul 2 Soul Sisters

Image Credits
Eboni Coleman – EB Pix