upcoming dates:
- Friday March 24 - Sunday March 26, 2006
- Mt. Alvernia Retreat Center, Wappingers Falls, NY
- Friday July 14 - Sunday July 16, 2006
- Mt. Alvernia Retreat Center, Wappingers Falls, NY
- Friday September 15 - Sunday September 17, 2006
- Mt. Alvernia Retreat Center, Wappingers Falls, NY
--- online registration | print PDF form ---
An African-American Journey from Hurt through Healing to Harambee
THE CROWN
For African-Americans, the crown is symbolic of all that we lost as a result of the slave trade. It represents our culture, our language, and our religion. It holds the jewels of our relationships-with ourselves, as well as with others.
For years, the Crown has been trying to make itself known to us once again. Unwittingly, the Crown appears as our creative hairstyles, our extraordinary hats and our keen intellect. Yet we have not consciously recognized it.
At the dawn of this new millennium,
- How do we as a people let go of our collective pain?
- How do we restore ourselves to our traditional greatness?
- How do we reclaim our joy, our power, and our Crowns?
RECLAIMING THE CROWN
The legacy of institutionalized slavery is present in some form in the daily lives of every African-American person. It manifests through physical illness and disease, mental depression, anger and distrust. Yet, it also appears through our creativity, our faith in the Divine and our tremendous resiliency.
This multi-day program is designed to help Black African-Americans transform our collective experience in this society from one of woundedness, victimization and pathology to one of health, power and self-love.
This powerful, moving and in-depth process will guide participants on a four-phase journey:
- Mourning our Loss
- Releasing our Anger
- Acknowledging our Gifts
- Reclaiming our Crowns
As a result of participating in this experience, individuals will be better positioned to:
- Experience healthier minds, bodies and spirits
- Understand and practice true support of each other, regardless of individual beliefs, ideologies or customs
- Participate in the American society in ways that are conscious, purposeful, empowering and transformational
- Reclaim all of our children and guide them in becoming the kings and queens that we know they are
It is our vision that through this work African-Americans will begin to truly transform ourselves, our families, our communities and ultimately our nation.
We will reclaim our crowns.
They have already been bought and paid for.
They are just waiting to be worn.
HARAMBEE!
(Pull Together)