Workshop 1:
An Invitation to Re-Membering: Sacred Memory, Abolition, and Freedom Dreams
Jia Johnson
Through story, ritual, and dialogue, as a collective, participants are invited to radically remember and re-member our connections to the history, present realities and practices that shape our relationship to the prison industrial complex. As an anchor for our journey, participants are invited to remember both the grief and hope of our present realities by bringing two artifacts, (one symbolic of their grief and the other their hope) to co- create a community altar for our freedom dreams.
Resources:
A Case for Abolition Theology by Darnell Moore
“Radical Mothering for Abolitionist Futures Post-COVID-19”
“Solidarity Not Charity”, Dean Spade
Abolition as Resurrection Podcast
Grief Belongs in Social Movements. Can We Embrace It? - In These Times
Against Regulations by E.J.
Isolation in Perspective: Criminal Justice, Disconnection and the Church
Jia Johnson
Through story, ritual, and dialogue, as a collective, participants are invited to radically remember and re-member our connections to the history, present realities and practices that shape our relationship to the prison industrial complex. As an anchor for our journey, participants are invited to remember both the grief and hope of our present realities by bringing two artifacts, (one symbolic of their grief and the other their hope) to co- create a community altar for our freedom dreams.
Resources:
A Case for Abolition Theology by Darnell Moore
“Radical Mothering for Abolitionist Futures Post-COVID-19”
“Solidarity Not Charity”, Dean Spade
Abolition as Resurrection Podcast
Grief Belongs in Social Movements. Can We Embrace It? - In These Times
Against Regulations by E.J.
Isolation in Perspective: Criminal Justice, Disconnection and the Church
Workshop 2:
Stories that Transform
Father Shannon TL Kearns
In Stories That Transform Father Shannon T.L. Kearns will share his story, lead the group through exercises in connecting our own stories to Scripture, and teach on the importance of storytelling for changing hearts and minds. This workshop will connect the head and the heart, dive deeply into Scripture, and be engaging and interactive.
Resource:
Op-Ed: Why storytelling is an important tool for social change
Father Shannon TL Kearns
In Stories That Transform Father Shannon T.L. Kearns will share his story, lead the group through exercises in connecting our own stories to Scripture, and teach on the importance of storytelling for changing hearts and minds. This workshop will connect the head and the heart, dive deeply into Scripture, and be engaging and interactive.
Resource:
Op-Ed: Why storytelling is an important tool for social change
Workshop 3:
Will These Dry Bones Live? Maybe, Under the Right Conditions: The Earth Stories We Carry With Us and Dream Into the Future
Nordia Bennett
Our beautiful human bodies bear the profound awareness and connection to the beauty and essence of Gaia, the Greek goddess of the Earth and mother of life. Yet, we are also bound by the weight of the horrors of white supremacy, which has severed our connection to the Earth, our fellow humans, non-human siblings, and ancestral stories.
Through a blend of body movement, scripture, and personal reflections on our Earth stories, participants will embark on a journey through the intricate web of eco-memory, grounded in the methodological spirit of an ecowomanist framework. This journey aims to explore how we can awaken and strengthen our commitment to Gaia, the Greek goddess of the Earth and mother of life. Participants are invited to reflect on personal Earth stories that can engage the offerings: Describe a moment in your life when you first realized that the Earth is finite. What emotions or thoughts did this realization evoke and how has your awareness of the Earth's finiteness influenced your lifestyle and choices? Recall a vivid memory when you felt deeply present and in a profound relationship with the Earth. What were you doing, and how did it make you feel?
Resources:
Sky Woman Falling
Watch Fantastic Fungi: The Magic Beneath Us by Louie Schwartzberg (available on streaming platforms)
For the Wild with Katrina Spade on New Life from Death (Podcast)
Reseeding the Food System– interview with Roman White (Podcast)
Why Thinking About Death Helps You Live a Better Life by Alua Arthur (Youtube)
Nordia Bennett
Our beautiful human bodies bear the profound awareness and connection to the beauty and essence of Gaia, the Greek goddess of the Earth and mother of life. Yet, we are also bound by the weight of the horrors of white supremacy, which has severed our connection to the Earth, our fellow humans, non-human siblings, and ancestral stories.
Through a blend of body movement, scripture, and personal reflections on our Earth stories, participants will embark on a journey through the intricate web of eco-memory, grounded in the methodological spirit of an ecowomanist framework. This journey aims to explore how we can awaken and strengthen our commitment to Gaia, the Greek goddess of the Earth and mother of life. Participants are invited to reflect on personal Earth stories that can engage the offerings: Describe a moment in your life when you first realized that the Earth is finite. What emotions or thoughts did this realization evoke and how has your awareness of the Earth's finiteness influenced your lifestyle and choices? Recall a vivid memory when you felt deeply present and in a profound relationship with the Earth. What were you doing, and how did it make you feel?
Resources:
Sky Woman Falling
Watch Fantastic Fungi: The Magic Beneath Us by Louie Schwartzberg (available on streaming platforms)
For the Wild with Katrina Spade on New Life from Death (Podcast)
Reseeding the Food System– interview with Roman White (Podcast)
Why Thinking About Death Helps You Live a Better Life by Alua Arthur (Youtube)