May
18
9:30 AM09:30

#REPARATIONS4LAKELANDNOW Community Convening - Part II

9:30 to 11 amRestorative Practices, by invitation (sign up)

Introduction to Braxton Institute Model for Collective Healing from Collective Trauma

Sitting Meditation/Walking Meditation/Tools for stress-reduction/Narrative Humility (Joanne Braxton, Keith Webster)

1:00-3:30Organizing for Repair, by invitation (sign up)

Location: TBA

4:00-6:00 pm — TOWN HALL

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Black Genealogy and Reparative Justice: Honoring the Ancestors, Restoring Our Families
Feb
28
6:00 PM18:00

Black Genealogy and Reparative Justice: Honoring the Ancestors, Restoring Our Families

You are invited to attend “Black Genealogy and Reparative Justice: Honoring the Ancestors, Restoring Our Families,”  the first of this year’s ongoing Braxton Institute Dialogues on Resisting and Thriving. Black History Month is a season for remembering, and bringing back together parts of ourselves and our stories that may have been scattered or lost.

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Essential Practices from The Perspective of 2 Black Women Physicians
Jun
30
6:00 PM18:00

Essential Practices from The Perspective of 2 Black Women Physicians

Join us for a conversation about physician well-being in the time of COVID19 with Dr. Rehema Kutua, M.D. and Dr. Qadira Huff, M.D, two black women physicians who are endeavoring to serve and to thrive during these difficult times. This second webinar in the 2020 Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy Community Dialogue series is facilitated by Rev. Joanne M. Braxton, Ph.D.

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COVID AND INCARCERATION: WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED 
May
20
12:00 PM12:00

COVID AND INCARCERATION: WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED 

This webinar, hosted by the Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency, and Joy, will offer a variety of informed perspectives on how COVID-19 has affected criminal law and incarceration—and what we can learn from the experience.

Featuring panelists Rachel Barkow, Alice Marie Johnson, and Mark Osler, and moderated by Dr. Joanne Braxton

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Contemplative Practices Half-Day Retreat
Nov
23
10:00 AM10:00

Contemplative Practices Half-Day Retreat

  • Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

In this half-day Contemplative Practices retreat, led by Rev. Abhi Janamanchi and Rev. Joanne Braxton, and facilitated by Sophia Bouwsma, a certified therapeutic music practitioner, we will engage in the practices of sitting meditation, walking meditation, mindful eating, prayer, ritual and silence, and explore other modes of spiritual reflection known to facilitate compassion, well-being and exquisite self-care. This event is sponsored jointly by Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church and the Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy.

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Risk and Ritual
Aug
6
6:30 PM18:30

Risk and Ritual

Activists Constance Young and glo merriweather discuss how ritual sustains the transformative practice of risk-taking in liberation movements. Why is ritual necessary and how does it sustain us? How does it make those who resist more whole and redefine our ability to persist through experiences of violence? Speakers share their experiences with risk and ritual, connecting the social justice practice of healing one’s society to the practice of healing the body, mind and soul. Moderated by Richael Faithful, folk healer and activist.

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Writing for Healing
May
2
to May 16

Writing for Healing

The writer’s craft is a tool chest for witnessing and Compassion. Primarily an autobiographical writing class, we’ll also explore journaling, spiritual life writing, meditation, creating rituals, and other forms of meaning-making that support recovery and resilience. This can be particularly good for those suffering from injury, illness, grief, or loss, but the techniques are invaluable to anyone who honors their own or others’ experiences.

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I Found God in Myself: We Remember Ntozake Shanage
Feb
5
6:30 PM18:30

I Found God in Myself: We Remember Ntozake Shanage

Join us at the Potter's House D.C. on February 5 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. for the first in the 2019 Braxton Institute Dialogues on Resisting and Thriving Series! Seven voices for the 7 colors of the rainbow read from the work of Ntosake Shange and then their own work to share how Shange’s poetry and plays helped them to find God in themselves and to love themselves more fully. We will join together in an experiential ritual and in building an altar of discovery and remembrance. If you will be with us, please bring something to share on the altar. Livestreamed for those who wish to participate from a distance!

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Contemplative Practice Retreat on Diwali
Nov
10
10:00 AM10:00

Contemplative Practice Retreat on Diwali

In this half-day Contemplative Practices retreat, led by Rev. Dr. Abhi Janamanchi and Rev. Dr. Joanne Braxton, we will honor Hindu religious perspectives and devotional practices as well as the power of interfaith spirituality and its expression. We’ll engage in the practices of sitting meditation, walking meditation, mindful eating, prayer, ritual and silence, and explore other modes of spiritual reflection known to facilitate compassion, well-being and exquisite self-care.

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Writing the Sacred Self
Oct
25
to Nov 29

Writing the Sacred Self

Spiritual life writing is a way of engaging in the transformative journey to one’s own sacred center and bringing together the pieces of one’s authentic self. Since the time of St. Augustine and perhaps even before, autobiography and life writing have been a bridge between spirituality and well-being, often a key element in self-care and spiritual discipline. Writing is healing for those who write; once the skills are learned, reflective writing and journaling become not only a life-long bulwark against stress and burnout, but a means of expressing the soul. One begins the journey anew each day; life remains exciting and fresh.

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Human Ecology of Racism: A Conversation with Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker
Sep
23
7:00 PM19:00

Human Ecology of Racism: A Conversation with Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker

What will it take to end white supremacy? How does white supremacy live inside you and how can you identify and disrupt it?

Join renowned feminist theologian, Dr. Rev. Rebecca Ann Parker, and folk healing artist, Richael Faithful, for an intimate and honest conversation about how white folks can deepen their commitment to racial justice.

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