A Cup of Tea with Shades: Sis Got Shaderoom
A Cup of Tea with Shades: Sis Got Shaderoom
by Luke Moore
The first Shaderoom of the semester is always a monumental event for Shades and its members. However, what made this Shaderoom even more special was the celebration of the Shaderoom Series's first birthday! That's right, this time one year ago, Shades had its very first Shaderoom. We would like to honor Remi Dior, former President and Treasurer of Shades for their dedication and cherished work for QTPOC students here at the University of Louisville on this anniversary of the event of their creation. 
To delve more into the specifics of January's Shaderoom: Shades created vision/dream boards for the Spring Semester and 2020 at large! We were joined by Arielle Clark of Sis Got Tea who generously provided Shades with handcrafted home brewed teas for us to enjoy and also engaged us in meaningful dialogue about our goals and dreams for 2020. Our vision boards took on many different forms as some members decided to use magazine cut outs, use colorful paper to embolden their designs, or went free-form with markers and foam letters. While all of the boards were personal to their creators, many shared similar themes of positive affirmations and reminding people of the power of intention. 
While we enjoyed our lovely Creme Brulee and White Passion tea from Sis Got Tea, Arielle also gave Shades a lesson on the different kinds of tea, on the effectiveness of certain sweeteners, and flavor palates of the teas she has carefully and expertly crafted. Shades members left with a renewed focus on their aspirations for 2020 and also on the wonderful world of tea! The conversations had were very meaningful and moving for Shades and its members. We talked about our experiences as QTPOC individuals, our hopes and wishes for 2020 relating to our communities and the different identities we all hold, and also talked about what our boards meant for us. This was an event to remember! Shades is so thankful again to Arielle Clark and Sis Got Tea, Remi Dior, our members who joined us, and to the strong spirit and creativity QTPOC students wield.
To learn more about Sis Got Tea follow the link: https://www.instagram.com/sisgotteaky/