I believe that places are sacred geographical points for encounters of culture that retain memory, history, grief, and joy – that mirror back the psychological health and well-being of its inhabitants.
Jacmel, Haiti, October 2016 – Glistening after a Afro-Haitian dance class.
Places are vessels of history that teach us aspects of the past to help guide us in the present and awaken our consciousness about our responsibility to the future.
Traditional Akan Priest caretaking the collective ancestor shrine within Cape Coast Castle, Ghana. This was a castle where enslaved Africans departed the homeland and traded across the Atlantic throughout the Americas. 1999
Places protect the people who live there and must be cared for with a healing touch that invokes unconditional love, reverence in the mundane, and sense of community. Everyone should have an opportunity to contribute and belong, as the identity of place constantly evolves to reflect changing demographics.
Skid Row, Los Angeles, 2016 – Skid Row is not only home to the largest unsheltered homeless population in the country – it is also a recovery community where lost souls can be renewed with purpose.
As a community development practitioner with over twenty-years of experience in the field of homelessness policy, community building, art based collective healing practices, and conflict mitigation; I seek to expand my understanding of place as sacred geography and shrine to the Mother Goddess of Creation. In re-awakening a goddess consciousness, we develop new perspective in our relationship to the world and see earth as an evolving womb that we must take care of for the life of future generations.
I am a creative place whisperer seeking to preserve and reactivate urban public spaces into safe designs that facilitate a sense of belonging for all people. It is beyond time to manifest the vision of Beloved Communities. Places are sacred and are the wombs of humanity. They must be tended to physically and spiritually to create reciprocal eco-systems so all inhabitants thrive. I apply my practice through: scholarship as a depth-community psychologist; community healing as an Orisa priestess of Osun; curation of stories as founder of Callie Rose Literary Arts; and mentorship through the Florence Aliese Community. I am available for public speaking, community building workshop facilitation, and technical advice on community engagement and program design.
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Alisa's thoughts on Beloved Communities 