Talk2Me Nation, a community-led healing justice organization based in Washington, DC, is bringing a delegation of Radical Release fathers and our core organizing team to Columbia, South Carolina, to participate in A Sun for My Sun fashion show.

About Radical Release

Talk2Me Nation's signature program, Radical Release, is a healing justice intervention designed for Black families impacted by incarceration, gun violence, and related traumas. Through a three part journey, including a private retreat, community integrations, and a public art show, we create sacred space for families to heal through therapeutic art making, reconnect in community, and radically imagine alternative futures. This year, our program has served 7 Black fathers and their families. Together, we will culminate this journey with A Sun for My Sun, a public fashion show honoring children lost to gun and domestic violence.

The Final Component: A DC Delegation to A Sun for My Sun

As Radical Release's DC cohort moves toward its culmination, our fathers are taking the next step in their healing journey by traveling to Columbia, South Carolina to participate in A Sun for My Sun, a fashion show fundraiser presented by our partner, Lolita Frazier of Strut Talk Runway Therapy. The show honors mothers and fathers who have lost a son or daughter to gun violence, giving grieving parents a platform to walk, tell their story, and transform loss into a powerful public act of remembrance and healing, all in service of raising funds for continued healing work. Learn more about A Sun for My Sun here.

Over the course of the weekend, our fathers will move through a Strut Talk workshop with the mothers being honored. Our delegation and Talk2Me Nation will also be formally recognized by Lolita and Strut Talk Therapy team during the show.

This trip is more than travel. It is the final phase of Radical Release 2.0 DC, bringing our fathers’ healing journey to a powerful public culmination while strengthening a partnership that has helped shape Radical Release from its earliest stages. Together, we are addressing the deeper conditions that contribute to harm in our communities—grief, trauma, incarceration, family separation, economic hardship, and isolation. This weekend also sets the stage for Strut Talk Runway Therapy to come to Washington, DC as part of Radical Release 2027, continuing our shared work of healing, remembrance, and addressing what lies beneath community violence.

Trip Details

Show: A Sun for My Sun, presented by Strut Talk Runway Therapy (GET YOUR TICKETS HERE)
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Show Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026
Travel Window: Friday, September 25 through Monday, September 28, 2026
Delegation Size: 10 (Radical Release fathers and Talk2Me Nation organizing team)
Activities: Strut Talk workshop for participating fathers, pre-show meet and greet in D.C a week before the show, A Sun for my Sun fashion show

Trip Budget

Expense	Cost
Participant Stipends	$2,000
Accommodations	$1,750
Transportation	$1,500
Pre-show Meet & Greet	$1,500
Food	$1,500
VIP Seating for DC Delegation at Show	$1,200
Videographer Fee & Impact Video	$1,000
Strut Workshop	$800
Administration	$500
Childcare	$250
Merch	$250
Miscellaneous	$250
Total	$12,500

Our Ask

We invite sponsors and funders to cover one or more expenses of this trip, making it possible for our fathers to travel, participate, and be honored, carrying this experience home into their own healing journey and the future of Radical Release DC.

Radical Release 2.0 DC: The Final Phase

Help our DC delegation travel to Columbia, SC