Last week I had the honor of hosting and moderating “Threads of Resilience,” the closing conversation for the Neococo Collective’s exhibition at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles. It was an evening dedicated to something I care about deeply: the immigrant and refugee women who turn hand embroidery and textile craft into income, identity, and belonging.

I walked into that room as a moderator, but I left as something closer to a witness.

Why this one was personal

I’m the daughter of Haitian immigrants who came to this country and built a new life from the ground up. I’m also a ceramics and textile artist myself. Between clay and crochet, my hands have taught me things my words never could.

So when I look at the work these women create, I don’t have to imagine what it represents. I’ve watched that kind of resilience up close, in my own family. I know how much dignity can live inside something you make with your own two hands, and how a craft can become a way of saying “I’m still here, and I’m building something.”

That’s the lens I brought to the stage.

The conversation

I was joined by Neococo founder Amrita Thadani, the artists whose work filled the exhibition, and partners from the International Rescue Committee. Together we unpacked how traditional craft becomes a pathway to a new life, and how organizations support that journey at every level.

What stayed with me most was hearing how holistically the International Rescue Committee walks alongside immigrants and refugees. It isn’t only about resettlement. It’s about the whole person.

Mentally and emotionally. Starting over in a new country carries a weight most of us never have to hold. The IRC meets people where they are, supporting mental health and healing as part of rebuilding a life.

Economically. Real stability comes from real opportunity. The work centers on pathways to income, employment, and independence so families can build something lasting.

Medically. For those who have survived the unthinkable, the Program for Torture Victims (PTV) provides critical medical care and a path toward recovery.

Craft sits quietly at the center of all of it. A needle and thread become a livelihood. A finished piece becomes proof of resilience. That, to me, is the real connection between art and impact.

What craft actually gives back

We talk about art as expression, and it is. But for the women of the Neococo Collective, it’s also infrastructure. It’s a source of income. It’s a reason to gather. It’s a way to carry the traditions of home into a new place without leaving them behind.

Every piece in that exhibition carried a story, and getting to help bring those stories into the room, to give these women the platform they deserve, is something I won’t forget.

How you can support this work

If any of this moves you, here is how to be part of it.

Support and collaborate with the Neococo Collective. Commission a piece, sponsor the work, or open a door. Every opportunity you create becomes real economic empowerment for a woman rebuilding her life. If you have a platform, a partnership, or a possibility to offer, they’re ready to meet it.

Bring the mission into your own community. If your organization or brand wants to champion immigrant and refugee women through art and craft, I’d love to help make that connection happen.

Invite me to host your next conversation. If you’re planning a panel, exhibition, or event on art, impact, immigration, or community, I’m available to host and moderate. Storytelling in the room is where I do my best work.

This is what community looks like when art and impact meet. Thank you to everyone who showed up, listened, and supported. Let’s keep creating something meaningful together.

If you’d like to collaborate, host me at a future event, or support the Neococo Collective, reach out anytime.