about us
“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”
- bell hooks
our mission
At The Center builds power with criminalized survivors of gender based violence & sex workers to reimagine models of safety, justice & healing beyond dominant systems. Through embodied practices & intentional connection with our Selves, our communities & the land, we support survivors & sex workers in developing the skills, resources & relationships necessary to cultivate ecosystems of transformative leadership & collective healing.
our name is our praxis
We believe care should be at the center of everything - of community, of justice, of healing, of how we build & sustain new worlds.
We believe criminalized survivors and sex workers, who know the deepest harms of these systems, hold the clearest vision for how to transform them. Their wisdom, their leadership, their wellbeing belong at the center of the fight against violence - not as an afterthought, but as the guiding force.
We practice centering as both a somatic skill and a promise of remembrance. A return to our bodies, to one another, to the land, to the interconnectedness that has always been ours. We are deeply rooted in Indigenous wisdom traditions that remind us that at the center of all things is that which is sacred - that which is always whole, that which is worth nurturing.
We refuse to accept the margins as our place. We find our journey reflected in our beloved ancestor Toni Morrison’s words:
"I stood at the border, stood at the edge and claimed it as central. I claimed it as central, and let the rest of the world move over to where I was."
We are doing just that. Reclaiming the center. Redefining power. And building a world that no longer asks us to fight to survive at the edges.
our approach
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our founder
Samara Sevush (she/they) is an ecosomatic practitioner, healing-centered consultant, community herbalist, writer, and liberation seeker with over a decade of experience supporting communities at the intersections of interpersonal and systemic violence—centering sex workers, criminalized survivors, and those most often excluded from dominant systems of care.
Like far too many survivors, Samara was criminalized in the midst of experiencing child sexual abuse, charged as an adult for surviving. These lived experiences not only shaped their path, but rooted them deeply in the belief that healing and justice must be (re)defined by those most impacted.
Their work is grounded in the wisdom of the body and the resilience of the spirit, cultivating spaces where healing fuels revolution and where our interconnection is not just remembered, but practiced.
Samara founded At The Center after experiencing—and witnessing in community—the harm that so often occurs in mainstream gender-based violence movements, especially toward sex workers, criminalized and otherwise marginalized survivors. What emerged was not just an initiative, but a vision rooted in the persistent belief that healing and justice can look radically different when led by those who’ve been most impacted.
Her approach integrates somatics with healing justice and liberation frameworks equipping individuals and communities to not only survive our current circumstances, but to grow toward the world we all deserve: one where dignity, safety, and belonging are honored as our universal & nonnegotiable birthright.
our story
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Contact us
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