Healing the Planet—Healing Ourselves 2021
Friday, September 17 to Sunday, September 19
A three-day public gathering to heal our planet and heal ourselves.
Hosted by Liberty Community Church-Northside Healing Space, co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach Engagement-Center and School of Nursing.

Healing the Planet—Healing Ourselves 2021 is a first-ever, three-day public event hosted by Liberty Community Church and its Northside Healing Space (NHS) that aims to reexamine, reimagine, and restore the connections between environmental health and human health. The inaugural event’s activities will incorporate the practice of ancient healing modalities and spiritual experiences, storytelling, music, performance, and transformative education.

Based in North Minneapolis, Liberty Community Church and the NHS are led by co-pastors Reverend Dr. Ralph E. Galloway and Reverend Dr. Alika P. Galloway.  The organizations support Afro-Indigenous practices that challenge ideas of human supremacy in favor of planetary health and healing. “As African Americans, our 400-plus years of immersion in racial capitalism—the commodification of our people and the planet for economic gain—has attempted to crush our sacred connection to the Earth,” says Reverend Dr. Alika Galloway. “A focus on planetary health and healing helps us return to and recall our connection to the earth; we are interconnected at every level of being.  We can’t heal ourselves if we don’t heal our planet."

Over the past year, the church has partnered with University of Minnesota School of Nursing Professor Teddie Potter, the school’s director of planetary health, to incorporate planetary health into its curriculum and programming. The goal is to help church goers and the general public reexamine and reimagine the connections between planetary and human health, and empower individuals and communities to create a just, sustainable, and livable climate for all of Earth’s inhabitants.

Event activities include:

A Love Letter to the Earth
6 to 8 p.m. Friday, September 17
Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach Engagement Center
2001 Plymouth Avenue N., Minneapolis, MN
Join musicians, storytellers, actors, dancers, and poets in an immersive live performance featuring music, story, and dance.

Healing the Planet—Healing Ourselves Gathering
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, September 18
Liberty Community Church’s Northside Healing Space
2100 Emerson Avenue N., Minneapolis, MN
A facilitated and culturally embodied gathering designed to share stories, tools, and resources to help heal the planet and humanity.

Blessing the Mississippi
11 a.m to 1 p.m. Sunday, September 19
Hall’s Island, 907 Sibley Street N.E., Minneapolis, MN
An outdoor public gathering to honor the Mississippi River and offer blessings of peace and healing. Live hawks, eagles, and wildlife experts from the University of Minnesota Raptor Center will be on hand to share the importance of a healthy river ecosystem.

Healing the Planet: Healing Ourselves 2021 is co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach Engagement-Center and School of Nursing.

*All activities are free of charge and subject to CDC guidelines for safe gatherings. Registration is required and will include any updates on changes to locations or times. All events will be live-streamed on Liberty Community Church’s Facebook page. Contact  [email protected]  with questions.

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