The BlackBrown Boston organization is preparing to host its second annual brunch, “A Letter To Myself, Vol. II,” on Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The gathering is described as “a soulful intentional brunch for women to close out the year with reflection, connection, and renewed motivation.”

The event will be held at La SALA Boston at 2379 Washington St.; attendees are asked to dress in shades of red, yellow, orange, brown or neutrals. However, they are also welcome to come as they are.

BlackBrown Boston founder Vania Arroyo says that instead of creating vision boards, women will write “antique-style” love letters to themselves to inspire them to take on the goals they have set for themselves to achieve in the new year. Attendees will then seal the letters with wax and open them one year later, on Nov. 22, “as a timeless reminder of growth and self-love.”

The day will include a curated brunch experience and a fireside chat featuring panelists Brittany Badgett, Pamela Leins and LaJune King that will be moderated by Desiree Decoo, therapist and founder of H.O.P.E., Healing on Purpose Everyday.

Arroyo talked about the importance of hosting such events in the community for Black women and women of color, especially after attending other healing and selflove programs after the COVID-19 pandemic. Arroyo said she noticed that what these events lacked was a mental health expert. She made sure to have one at her events.

“We brought in a therapist into the equation, and I noticed that it made a huge difference. We had two therapists, actually, in the first [brunch]. It just made a world of difference having somebody there that can help us actually navigate our feelings and help us understand why we were feeling certain things and walk us through what to do next.” She said. “That’s really [what this event] was born out of for me, a need of having mental health experts in these type of spaces.”

While the first year of the love letter event offered brunch and a panel discussion, she has upped the ante for this year’s brunch with a live harpist, a bloom bar and a Polaroid station to capture the memories of the event.

Arroyo talked about why it is important for Black and brown women to have safe spaces, such as her event, to talk about their mental health and wellness.

“We’re expected to always be strong and to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, and that’s just not always the case. Sometimes we need a space where we can be just vulnerable and weak, if that’s what we’re feeling at that moment, and be surrounded by women who understand,” she said.

Arroyo encourages others who have never been to her event to experience it for themselves.

“I understand the times that we’re all in right now; everybody is just in a different place. Some people are a little bit more uncomfortable than others with where they are in life. It’s a safe space for women to come and show up just as you are,” she said. “You can be as vulnerable as you want to be, or you don’t have to even speak at all. If you want to just come, sit, be in the presence of other women and just hear the conversation and how other women interact, that’s okay, too.”

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