The Auroras: An Astronomy Club for Black Girls & Women
Exploring the cosmos and reclaiming ancestral sky knowledge
Who Are The Auroras?
Born from the vision of 14-year-old stargazing enthusiast Asale Mfomboutmoun, The Auroras Club is the South Carolina Midlands’ first astronomy club for Black girls (13-17) and women. The Auroras is also the first on-site initiative of The reLeaf Collective.
I love the night sky, and I want to share that love with others in the community. The night sky was important to our early ancestors, and our modern world has lots of artificial light that distracts us from nature. This affects our health greatly, causing things like obesity, diabetes, and even cancer. The night sky can be used for nature therapy and creating mind-body connection. It decreases stress and inflammation, calms our hormones and immune system, and can improve our cognition.
I'm excited to introduce community members to the stars and the planets, to help them gain the health benefits, both physical and mental, by just looking up and appreciating what is above us.
Asale Mfomboutmoun