Upcoming Events
Kota's Wellness Day for Women
Women's Wellness Day at Kota!
The Kota Alliance invites you to enjoy a day of wellness where you can come and join us to explore a variety of holistic and wellness treatments. We invite all who identify as a woman to join us at our community space The Kota Nest, in the heart of the Sugar Hill neighborhood for a day of grounding, centering, and care.
We understand that we live in a world, a nation, a city and a community in a season of flux - in this time we invite you to a protected space and time to care for yourselves in community with fellow Harlem folks.
In partnership with Harlem Wellness and Ayni Healing Collective we are offering a day of well-being . Try something new. Take care of you!
Ticket: $25 whole day entry
Location & Accessibility.
The Kota Alliance is located in the Sugar Hill neighborhood between the A/B/C/D 145th Station and C 155th Station, along the M3 bus line. Parking is very limited, with few street spots; the nearest paid lots are at 414 W 155th St and 457 W 150th St. Please note that our historic building currently lacks wheelchair accessibility (we are actively fundraising to change this). There are steps up from street level, as well as additional steps in the house. We are happy to answer any queries you may have.
Swig & Shop Pop-Up: Honoring Black Women-Owned Brands!
Join us for a one-day, women-only Juneteenth Pop-Up Shop at The Kota Nest, celebrating the creativity, entrepreneurship, and impact of Black women-owned businesses. This curated event brings together a selection of independent brands offering everything from skincare and swimwear to vintage fashion, candles, and more.
Enjoy a vibrant afternoon of community connection, discovery, and conversation. Light bites and a specialty cocktail will be served to elevate the shopping experience, alongside a curated playlist to set the tone.
What to Expect:
A curated selection of products from Black women-owned brands
Artisan cocktails, mocktails, and light refreshments
A relaxed, welcoming environment to connect with community
Opportunities to support small businesses and celebrate Juneteenth in a meaningful way
Location: The Kota Nest, 43 St. Nicholas Place, Harlem, NY
Time: 12pm - 5pm
Tickets:
$25 – Includes event access, light bites and 2 drinks
Age Requirement: 21+
This event is hosted by The Kota Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing gender equity through advocacy, arts & culture, and holistic wellness. Proceeds help support our mission and programming in Harlem and beyond.
Interested in becoming a vendor at the event?
Showcase your Black or women-owned brand at our curated pop-up shop! This exclusive event blends shopping, cocktails, and community to connect you with new customers and elevate your brand. Apply now to be a vendor!
Vendor fee: $70
Community Potluck: Juneteenth & Summer Solstice
Welcome to the Community Potluck: Juneteenth & Summer Solstice event! Join us at Kota Alliance for a celebration of freedom and the longest day of the year. Let's come together to share delicious food, good company and honor these important occasions.
🍲 What’s on the menu?
We’ll provide a main dish and non-alcoholic refreshments, and you’re invited to bring a snack, side dish, dessert, or drink to share - only if you’re able! There is no pressure here, just community. You can also always donate funds towards the meals through the donate button on any week (this is an entirely optional invitation).
✨ Come as you are.
This is a multigenerational space for women and gender-nonconforming people to connect, reflect, and nourish both body and spirit. Come as you are in whatever is most comfortable to you. There are no expectations for how you show up - just that however you join is in respect and appreciation to the fellow attendees.
📍 Location & AccessibilityThe Kota Alliance is located in the Sugar Hill neighborhood between the A/B/C/D 145th Station and C 155th Station, along the M3 bus line. Parking is very limited, with few street spots; the nearest paid lots are at 414 W 155th St and 457 W 150th St. Please note that our historic building currently lacks wheelchair accessibility (we are actively fundraising to change this). There are steps up from street level, as well as additional steps in the house. We are happy to answer any queries you may have.
See you there!
Spring Equinox Community Celebration & Potluck Dinner
🌸 Celebrate the Start of Spring at Our March Community Potluck! 🌸
Join us at the Kota Alliance in the historic neighborhood of Sugar Hill in West Harlem for our first Community Potluck Dinner of 2025! As the seasons shift, let’s come together for an evening of food, connection, and renewal. All women and gender-nonconforming people are welcome to attend this free offering. Our potluck space is a multigenerational space for community-building and connection.
🌿 This month, we honor the Spring Equinox, embracing themes of connection and new beginnings. Our gathering will open with grounding practices for rest and relaxation and close with a special community ritual led by DeenaLynn Dockery-Collins and Teresa Mateus.
🍲 What’s on the menu?
We’ll provide a main dish and non-alcoholic refreshments, and you’re invited to bring a snack, side dish, dessert, or drink to share - only if you’re able! There is no pressure here, just community. You can also always donate funds towards the meals through the donate button on any week (this is an entirely optional invitation).
✨ Come as you are.
This is a multigenerational space for women and gender-nonconforming people to connect, reflect, and nourish both body and spirit. Come as you are in whatever is most comfortable to you. There are no expectations for how you show up - just that however you join is in respect and appreciation to the fellow attendees.
📍 Location & Accessibility
The Kota Alliance is located in the Sugar Hill neighborhood between the A/B/C/D 145th Station and C 155th Station, along the M3 bus line. Parking is very limited, with few street spots; the nearest paid lots are at 414 W 155th St and 457 W 150th St. Please note that our historic building currently lacks wheelchair accessibility (we are actively fundraising to change this). There are steps up from street level, as well as additional steps in the house. We are happy to answer any queries you may have.
💛 Let’s welcome spring in community - see you there! 💛
The Andrew Blane Memorial Fund: Human Rights Defender award 2025
The annual award for a Human Rights Defender from the Andrew Blane Memorial Fund is given this year to Marianna Romero of Venezuela.
With all the bad things happening in the world, Venezuela's human rights situation has taken a back seat for the world's attention. Yet the situation continues to be challenging, and one person who is fighting back is Marianna Romero. We are happy to support her with the annual Andrew Blane Memorial Fund Award for Human Rights Defenders. Please join us to celebrate Marianna's efforts, and join in a discussion with her on Zoom. The event will be bilingual.
Ayni Healing Collective - Monthly Celebration and Potluck Dinner
Join us at the Kota Alliance community space (43 St. Nicholas Place) in the historic neighborhood of Sugar Hill in West Harlem for our monthly celebrations!
Current theme relates to the different seasons where we lift up the richness of our communities, centering wisdoms and voices from BIPOC community and the Harlem area.
We will be joined by healers and creatives in the community to support the themes of the month and share in collective practices for healing as well as rituals from our various cultural traditions.
Please feel free to bring a side dish, non-alcoholic beverage or dessert if you would like to share with the community.
We will continue the Potluck events next year quarterly. More info on the dates coming up!
Dates of the previous Potluck dinners:
October 16th
November 20th
Monthly Community Celebration and Potluck Dinner
The Ayni Healing Collective at Kota Alliance invites you to our Community Potluck Dinners for 2024 (Winter - Spring: March, April, May, June).
We join together each third Wednesday a month around a certain celebratory theme - this month we will honour the legacy of Juneteenth.
We will share in a potluck dinner (we will bring the main dish and non-alcoholic refreshments), so feel free to bring a snack, chips, a non-alcoholic drink, side or desert (if you are able).
Our potluck space is a multigenerational space for community-building and connection that also centers young adults, especially folks in transition from homelessness, and our local BIPOC and QTBIPOC community members.
Join us for time together where we will open with practices for rest and relaxation and close each evening with a community ritual celebrating the theme of the month and ourselves.
EQUITY COMMITMENT: The Ayni Healing Collective is an inclusive and affirming space that honors all of our beautiful differences and respects all genders, sexualities, abilities and ethnicities. Come as you are in your full self and bring your own commitment to be respectful and honoring of each other's differences.
AGENDA: Loose and moveable based on the rhythm and flow of each gathering...
6:00 PM: Meet us at the Kota Alliance building (43 St. Nicholas Place, NY, NY) and connect with fellow community members while we share snacks and non-alcoholic beverages together and get settled in the space.
6:30 PM: Rotating facilitation by local BIPOC/QTBIPOC healers of practices for rest and relaxation to ground us in the space and equip us with tools for relaxation we can take out into the world. Following we will share in conversation or host a guest who will give us an offering related to our monthly theme.
7:00 PM: Our shared potluck meal-time will begin after some words of gratitude and reflections on our monthly theme for celebration.
7:45PM: Closing Ritual (outside in our patio space when the weather allows) that connects us to practices and rituals from a variety of ancestral lineages of wisdom and spiritual traditions. May include music, drumming or some other sound-based practice. Stay after to help us clean the community space if you have the time and capacity.
Community Lunch Celebrating New Moms
Join us at Kota Nest as we extend the Mother's Day celebration!
Calling all new moms in our community to join us for a post-Mother's Day lunch featuring Diandra Sital, a local caterer and chef.
The event is dedicated to supporting new moms' and coming together as a community.
Let's gather together to create a supportive space where we can openly discuss our needs, share resources, and provide ongoing support for one another.
This event is free of charge, but be sure to register to secure your spot.
Link to Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-lunch-celebrating-new-moms-tickets-888604629367?aff=oddtdtcreator