OUR ORIGIN STORY
❃
OUR ORIGIN STORY ❃
Get to know the heart and soul behind YASÉ, the mission that fuels our passion, and the revolutionary spirit that drives us forward. Discover how we're rewriting the narrative of sexual education and healing, one taboo at a time!
WE ARE YASÉ
Nine year old Tammaka would be proud to know that sneaking into my daddy’s shoe closet to get and watch a porn tape was not done in vain.
This move, though scary and super risky, is what I believe to be the catalyst for my inquiry into sex and sexuality. It was through watching pornography I discovered what masturbation was and begin to indulge in that myself at the age of nine. Though my family’s christian teachings told me masturbation or any type of sex outside of marriage to a man was a sin, I quickly found out that was not something I believed. Masturbation was very healing for me, yet also left me with tons of questions and confusion that would go unanswered until my 9th grade year of high school when I met a Peer Counselor named India White while shadowing her at a youth center providing resources for teen moms. (continue below)…
Tammaka Staley
MEET THE FACE BEHIND YASÉ
During this period, this was a pivotal moment in my life because Ms. India exposed me to different backgrounds from other Black girls my age and answered a lot of questions I had up until I met her. Her compassion and directness towards the girls in her peer group made me want to be a source of help and light for other students one day. This sparked my interest in being a sex educator and having candid conversations with youth about reproductive rights, sex, systems, identity politics, etc. I knew from then I would grow up to be someone else’s Ms. India and I did just that. Years passed of me talking to my friends and community members about sexual health, passing out condoms, and even landing my first job as a sex educator at Sowing Seeds into the Midlands in my hometown, Columbia, SC. After being in that role for two years the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I begin to get inspired even more by my passion for teens and teaching sex ed. I knew it was time to take my gifts and interest to the next level if i was going to make the impact on young people that India made on me. This birthed the start of YASÉ and the legacy I am currently building to create a world connected through consent, radical healing, and justice. I welcome you all into this space and encourage you to join me on the journey of empowering the next generation. We get free by speaking, unlearning, creating and healing together.
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ME IN…
18+ years of sex education & artivism
500 Workshop Participants
190 Trauma Informed Care Training Hours
4+ Year Herbalist
Our Values
I seek to revolutionize the way we approach sexual education and healing, always centering Black, Queer, and Trans voices in the conversation. I built YASÉ with the inspiration from cis and trans Black women and Queer, Black young people. It is my belief that when these groups are centred, ALL people get free. I am committed to breaking the patterns of shame, homophobia, colorism, and anti-Blackness for youth and adults using these three values as my driving guide.
HEALING JUSTICE
This value is important to me because it guides me on how to heal from an ancestral viewpoint and get to the root of issues. The injustices in sexual health across the U.S. are connected to several of the -isms and -phobias people experience today and can be traced back to slavery. Healing justice provides a tool kit and blueprint on how to reclaim ourselves, reteach ourselves, and heal ourselves to a place that feels most affirming to our individual lives. Healing justice is important to me because it gives spiritual context to physical interactions and explains what Western science cannot.
COLLECTIVE LEARNING
This value keeps communities grounded and in a constant state of improvement. This is why it is such an important pillar in my business. It benefits my audience because it allows them to be in community with others who are alike and different from them experiencing the same things and listen to their advice and stories. My community has shown me how they learn best this way because information sharing in a group setting is more digestible and accessible. This value allows the YASÉ absorb information languages by their peers so it is understood easier because it is more relatable. Being able to comprehend hard topics and it being relevant to their culture makes the hard topics feel less heavy.
Radical Pleasure
YASÉ wants our fam to know they get to access radical pleasure as a form of healing and joy. We value pleasure because it has created so much transformation communities in the present, and for our ancestors who are now in the spirit real. We value pleasure to experience it in ways many of them never got a chance to. Pleasure comes in many forms. Whether it is a full body massage, a full 8 hours of sleep, or reading a good book that sets your soul on fire, pleasure is what keeps our bodies and minds grounded in the presence. Radical pleasure challenges us to seek the things and people who make us feel alive despite the narratives capitalism and white supremacist delusion has projected unto us. YASÉ teaches and promotes radical pleasure in order to help you to answer this question, “what would happiness look like to you and your body if money, likeability, and lack of access were not factors"?” Let us journey together. Pleasure is YOUR birthright!
A deep dive into Tammaka …
2x Sexual Violence Survivor
2x Queen of the South Poetry Slam Champion
Taught English in an elementary school for two weeks in Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
Scorpio Sun, Libra Moon, Cancer Rising
Spoken Word
Love From Clients
“I think Ms. Tammaka’s sex ed class is beneficial because she gives tips and advice about sex that I understand. I also love how she uses poetry to help students learn healthy communication. I thought the class was fun and I want to learn more from her.”
MEKIAH, 16
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION CALL
⤵
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION CALL ⤵
LET’S SEE HOW WE CAN ALIGN TOGETHER
During our consultation calls, we dive deep to explore how our paths can align, crafting a journey towards liberation and holistic wellness together.
