The Braxton Institute fosters physical, emotional, and spiritual sanctuary for those building a more just, joyful and sustainable world.
““Knowing we may not always have eyes to see or ears to hear the many faces of oppression, we honor the voices and insights of women and people of color as primary sources of expertise in the work of justice and healing- locally, nationally, and globally. ”
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COVID-19 Response
TREE OF LIFE: HEALING THE HEALER IN A TIME OF DUAL PANDEMICS
The dual pandemics of Racism and Covid-19 triply impact Black health care providers who bear the stress of caregiving while they themselves suffer from racism, sexism and homophobia. Our Board of Directors is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a CARSS Rapid Response Grant for “Tree of Life: Black Faith Matters in a Time of Dual Pandemics” from the Center for African-American Religion, Sexual Politics, and Social Justice at Columbia University. Our project was one of sixteen recipients in this grant program made possible by the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation.
The mission of The Braxton Institute centers helpers and healers with historically minoritized identities. “Tree of Life: Black Faith Matters in a Time of Dual Pandemics” will enable health care providers of color, racial justice activists, spiritual care givers and faith leaders to engage with one another to articulate emergent struggles, hopes, resources, and questions for Black Faith as a wellspring for their sustainability in this critical time. This process will identify new critical questions and creative evolutions of Black Faith important for the fields of Africana Studies and Religion, with specific application to the work of clinicians of color and spiritual caregivers in the face of Covid 19 and the current uprisings for Black Lives.
Our “Tree of Life: Black Faith Matters in a Time of Dual Pandemics” project will be conducted in collaboration with colleagues from Colgate Rochester Divinity School, Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and the John W. Kluge Center Library of Congress Office of Scholarly Programs and trusted institutional partners including the William & Mary Africana Studies Program, The Middle Passage Project and the Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation. This project builds on the successes of the W&M-EVMS Narrative Medicine for Excellence Project, the W&M Middle Passage Project 1619 Health Equities Initiative, the “Tree of Life: Spirituality and Well-Being in the African American Experience” research conducted at the Library of Congress by the Project Director, and the Womanist and LGBTQ-led Braxton Institute Dialogues on Resisting and Thriving. “Tree of Life: Black Faith Matters” has three goals, achieved through specific objectives:
GOAL ONE: Design and offer a Womanist and LGBTQ-led program of on-line seminars and “Restorative Care Circles” for Black health care providers and spiritual caregivers in dialogue with each other.
GOAL TWO: To initiate related scholarly research and teaching on Black Faith, Spirituality and Health, bringing together the fields of Black Studies and the Study of Religion.
GOAL THREE: Make the outcomes and learnings from Tree of Life: Black Faith Matters available to a wider public by documentation and on-line publications.
TREE OF LIFE BLACK FAITH MATTERS SEMINARs
January 26, 2021: “God of Our Silent Tears”: Breaking Through Silence to Name our Suffering
Dr. Derrick McQueen—Associate Director, Columbia University Center on African American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice, University Professor & Pastor
Dr. Nigel Hatton—University Professor, Human Rights Activist and Narrative Medicine Specialist
Dr. Faith Fletcher—University of Alabama at Birmingham Bioethicist
PAST EVENT
February 23, 2021: Identifying the Sources of Our Spiritual Wellbeing in the Face of Trauma and Disruption. Focus: Black Faith Matters for Our Children
Prof. Omiyemi Artisia Green – Mother, Scholar, Playwright, Ifa Priestb.
Dr. Warrenetta Mann, Psy.D. – Psychologist, Mother, Educational Specialist
Rehema Kutua, M.D. – Pediatrician, Medical School Professor and Chief Wellness Consultant for “Tree of Life: Black Faith Matters”
PAST EVENT
March 30, 2021: Prayer and Ritual: Deepening Understanding of Our Diverse African American Identities and Spiritualities
6:30-8:30pm ET
Rev. Michelle Freeman—Senior Pastor, First Congregational Church UCC of Riverside, CA
Venerable Ayesha Ali—Heartwidth Sangha, Buddhist Dharma teacher
Sheikh Issa Chisty—Sufi Spiritual leader
Richael Faithful—Black folk healer and shamanic practitioner from southern conjure
Dr. Chenzira Kehina-- Ordained Chief High Priestess of Per Ankh M Smai Tawi Ministries (Kemetic)
PAST EVENT
April 2021: — Emergent questions for Black Faith--Longer Symposium/TBA
(We are still seeking support for this event.)
TREE OF LIFE CIRCLES OF CARE
NOW IN FORMATION
Circles of Care feature the integrated practice of spiritual disciplines for leadership and for the cultivation of moral resilience in an uncertain world. All of the disciplines mentioned below will be integrated to some degree in each session. Participation is by invitation. Those who have attended Tree of Life seminars may be given preference. Contact sage@braxtoninstitute.org.
TBA, Contemplative Practices: Personal Testimony
Hatton, M.D. & Braxton, Ph.D. by invitation
May 25th, 2021, Contemplative Practices: Meditation and Prayer
Kutua, Ph.D. & Braxton, Ph.D. by invitation
June 29th, 2021, Lessons from Traditional Healing Practices
Faithful, J.D. & Braxton, Ph.D. by invitation
6:30-8pm EST
All events are free.
“Tree of Life: Black Faith Matters in a Time of Dual Pandemics,” is an initiative of the Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy sponsored by Columbia University Center on African American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice with funding from the Henry Luce Foundation and additional support from The William & Mary Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation and the Stabile Drueding Charitable Gift Fund.