Who is this Ancestral Institute for?

This Ancestral Institute is intended for Indigenous, Black and people of color communities to identify with their inherent practices, to recognize, realize, understand and embrace their heritage. It is intended, too, for community members to find a sense of belonging and return to who they were as peoples before the “great interruption”. The Great Interruption is European physical, mental invasion and indoctrination of melanized communities in the global diaspora, the act of capture, displacement, dispossession and enslavement of peoples under settler colonialism.

This Institute is intended to and can become a forum for mental health practitioners who are at the intersection of mental health and traditional healing practices, to expand their work, share information and best practices, learn from each other, and obtain acceptance through collective visibility.

At this inaugural forum, attendees (LMSWs and LCSWs) at presentations can obtain Continuing Education Credits toward their licensing, which are provided in collaboration with Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.