From tackling cultural stigmatization, to stepping into the power of generational healing, the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation (BLHF)’s fifth annual “Can We Talk? Arts and Wellness Summit” (Oct. 10-12) offered a packed itinerary guided to shape mental wellness in Black communities.
With interactive activations and celebratory events at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, the yearly tradition was brought to life by actress and BLHF founder Taraji P. Henson, and featured: a daily business exhibit hall, the “i AM the Table” Benefit Brunch, and a call for transgenerational transformation.
“There are healing ways that sharing with people in your community only strengthens, and it diminishes the generational curses that…allows us to grow out of them, move past them, and develop a way to heal so much more than just ourselves,” said entrepreneurial healer Leah Cole (LMDesigns8), a vendor in the exhibit hall on Oct. 11. “[The Can We Talk Summit] causes massive waves of healing and solutions that will be echoed forever. It starts here, and it grows from there.”
Kicking off on World Mental Health Day, health experts and advocates, local officials, and celebrities from across the nation gathered at the crossroads of conversation and cultural competence to address stigmas of mental health awareness, while channeling innovation and transparency to forge paths to wellness.
Celebrity therapist Dr. Jeff Rocker (far right) leads a hip-hop therapy workshop to merge creativity and freedom of expression among youth and adults on Oct. 11 as part of the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation’s “Can We Talk? Arts and Wellness Summit.” (Jada Ingleton/The Washington Informer)
Throughout the weekend, activations focused on powerful discussions and refined approaches to suicide, depression, grief, social gender norms, and other barriers to Black joy, with a pulse on the connection of ancestral healing birthed in practices such as African drumming, storytelling, stepping, and hip-hop therapy, to name a few.
Meanwhile, guest appearances and champions of change offered a toolkit to champion resilience that starts with challenging systemic oppression, from people such as: BLHF leadership, including Henson and executive director Tracie Jade; Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy and County Council Chair Edward Burroughs III; actors Lisa Vidal and Tristian “Mack” Wilds; TV talk show host Sherri Shepherd; and rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
“I would love to see [mental health care be] affordable…and that we talk about it more openly,” Henson told The Informer. “[When] I start to see Black men dealing with their trauma, instead of trying to be strong all the time, and women dealing with our traumas, I think it will unite us as a community.”
Prince George’s County ‘Steps into Healing’ with Renovations, Rhythm of Release
On the final day of the conference, in partnership with BLHF, Braveboy and Burroughs announced a new development coming to District 8 in the form of a $30 million Healing Arts Integrative Wellness Hub, set to reimagine the Temple Hills Community Center in Prince George’s County.
The innovative project – taking place in the county where childhood friends Henson and Jade grew up – will feature innovative programming aimed at furthering the mission of the summit, striking issues such as suicide, trauma, and social isolation through creative arts, wellness practices, and evidence-based health services, “all in a culturally responsible environment,” said Burroughs.
“The issue of mental health has really impacted our county in some really sad ways,” Braveboy told The Informer ahead of the big announcement on Oct. 12. “What we want is to prevent tragedies. When you’re suffering from mental health issues, oftentimes you feel trapped–we want people to live.”
While the county executive deemed the summit a critical initiative that can ultimately “save lives,” Alexia Pitter, a clinical mental health student at John Hopkins University, was among the activation leaders striving to supply others with a lifeline of support, particularly through the art of stepping.
Johns Hopkins University student Alexia Pitter (center) demonstrates how to channel ancestral healing through the South African step during an Oct. 11 activation of the fifth annual “Can We Talk? Arts and Wellness Summit.” (Jada Ingleton/The Washington Informer)
Pitter, a six-time survivor of sexual abuse, used the summit to uplift the values of cultural practices that can serve as a beacon for the current struggles in Black communities. She touted the ability to release, “find your voice again,” and build a healthier relationship between the mind, body and soul as some of the advantages to “stepping into your healing.”
“Stepping was [my] way of survival, similar to our ancestors and those in the gold mines in South Africa, and it still is true today,” said the Howard University alumni, nodding to the evolution of step evident through Black Greek culture. “We create our own rhythm with stepping…and it goes back to releasing and just being autonomous of your own healing journey. It’s something [ancestral] that we can keep.”
Pitter further stressed the value of creating a safe space within the body in order to pour into oneself.
She reminded all Black practitioners and healers to prioritize their own well-being, adding: “We can’t heal anyone until we heal ourselves.”
The conference underscored the importance of centering joy, connecting with faith and family, and utilizing local mental health resources. Further, the mental health advocates encouraged learning to eliminate social media pressures, saying no to others, and finding restorative outlets of relief – whether it’s going to the gym, watching a movie, socializing, or simply taking a second to breathe in chaos.
Cole and Pitter commended the multicultural arts and wellness summit for laying the groundwork for collective healing that can transcend generations of growth – noting it only takes one talk at a time.
“We are beings going through a great deal of things, and when you find like-minded people…our healing journeys can mirror each other, can help each other, can support one another…and you end up in places like this,” Cole told The Informer. “Without having the hard discussions, all we are is the problems. Let’s be solutions to those problems.”
Source: Washington Informer
