Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Seneca Bing. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Seneca, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on has been writing my children’s book and journal to honor my angel baby Aliyah. When my daughter passed away unexpectedly in 2005, that was one of the most devastating things for me and my entire family. In 2020, I turned pain into purpose and decided to find healing through writing. As a former school counselor, it was important to help children to better understand how to manage their emotions with support.

Aliyah’s Missing Teddy Bear! & The Positive Perspectives Activity Book is a way of helping children and their parents to understand emotions and process grief. I also went one step further to create a journal for adults to use while navigating their own grief journey. I am truly grateful for the support that I’ve received and will continue to spread Aliyah’s message of hope to inspire others to turn their pain into purpose.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Seneca D. Bing is a Licensed Professional School Counselor, Certified Grief Educator, Author, and Advocate for families who have experienced infant loss. She has worked in education for over 17 years, helping students and families to find value in their true strength and resilience while navigating tough circumstances. In 2015 Seneca’s life absolutely changed when her beloved 10-month-old daughter Aliyah suddenly passed away. The impact of this loss drove Seneca to turn her pain into purpose. In 2020 she became the founder of RiseTogether, LLC with a mission to provide resources, encouragement, and support to families all over the world. RISE seeks to Reach families with children’s books and journals, Inspire with words of affirmation and encouragement, Sow into your healing journey, and Empower by sharing inspiration and hope through a love of reading. Seneca has self-published The Aliyah Book Series which includes a Picture Book, Activity Book, Coloring Book, and Finding the Light Within Journal for adults.
Seneca is also the Chapter Leader of Share Hope Central Ohio Pregnanacy and Infant Loss Supports where their purpose is to Care, Console, and Connect with bereaved families from pregnancy to age two. Their chapter provides care packages for families, Soulflow Saturday Holistic Healing Circles, and connections to resources.
As a member of Queen’s Village Columbus, Seneca continues this work by joining forces with a collective of black women created to empower black mothers to navigate the healthcare system and reduce infant mortality.
Seneca is most proud of the work that she is doing to keep her daughter’s name alive by supporting other angel baby families or as she calls them little butterflies.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I am a mother who has experienced infant loss. Black infants are 2.7x more likely to die before their first birthday than white infants (2020). There is a 13.6 mortality rate for Black infants. I am on a mission to continue to raise awareness about infant mortality because it is happening to black women at an alarming rate, no matter their social economic status. Resilience is being able to do this work to support other families. Resilience is continuing to heal as I share my story to raise awareness and foster hope.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I would have known more about the self-publishing journey. There are so many things to understand about this industry, it has been very helpful to connect with others who are on this journey to learn from and grow with.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.risetogetheronline.com
• Instagram: SenecaBing
• Facebook: SenecaDBing