Abstract 

The Kabaka, Alice and Luqmon Institute of Non Traditional Approaches to Human and Healing Justice presents: Healing (Her)Historical Trauma: Legacy Tours Organizing Project. This praxis of Black Liberation empirical science is designed to cultivate the restoration of genetic memory (energetic source from your ancestors; the cosmos; spirit; the wisdom that is within your DNA codes; bone marrow; and cellular tissues) and (her)historical consciousness for Afrikan/Black/Indigenous peoples as a scientific analysis for healing (her)historical trauma. This grassroots movement centers on three interconnected research questions of Black Liberation:

• 1) (Her)Historical Moments of Importance: What key (her)historical events should be remembered to foster healing from (her)historical violence, and how can this process educate the next generation of Black/Afrikan/Indigenous youth and community?

• 2) Lessons From Leaders, Elders, & Ancestors’ Experience(s): What are the critical (her)historical lessons, experiences, and victories in the fighting against THE WAR/Afrikan Maafa that are essential to revisit, retell, relive, and resurrect to support the healing of Black youth/community from generational trauma and (her)historical violence? 

• 3) Afrikan-Centered/Community Specific Approach to Healing: What relationships, processes and practices emerge, are uncovered and/or are uplifted in creating a Non traditional Approach to healing youth and community from (her)historical violence?

“Black revolutionaries do not drop from the moon, we are created by our conditions. Shaped by our oppression. We are being manufactured in droves in the ghetto, street, places like Attica, San Quentin, Bedford hills,Leavenworth and Sing Sing. They are turning thousands of us. Many jobless Black veterans, and welfare mothers are joining our ranks. Brothers and sisters from all walks of life, who are tired of suffering passively... There is, and always will be, until every Black man, woman and child is free a Black Liberation Army.” - Assata Shakur

This study explores community organizing at various levels, including individual, family, national, and transnational. It involves political education study sessions, collective journeys of self-discovery and connection, and the co-creation of Afrikan Sacred Healing Justice circles at thirty-eight (38) (her)historical sites across the country and world. These sites are visited by grassroots communities, including personal, family, local, youth, elders, ancestors, queer, formerly incarcerated, and intergenerational individuals with a specific focus on youth and communities impacted by THE WAR/the seven (7) neighborhood phenomena. The seven (7) neighborhood phenomena are significant because 75% of the New York State Prison population originates from seven (7) Black communities in NYC and six (6) geographic areas in NYS.

This book is a praxis of Black Liberation science aims to restore genetic memory, an energetic source from ancestors, the cosmos, spirit, and wisdom within DNA codes, bone marrow, and cellular tissues. It also fosters historical consciousness for Afrikan/Black/Indigenous peoples as a scientific approach to healing historical trauma.

The research employs Community Specific/Non-Traditional methodologies, including grassroots movement-based participatory action research (PAR) (Greene, 2020), Afrikan Sacred Healing Justice circles at historical/memorial sites, critical ethnography/political education in the form of popular education sessions before and debrief sessions after each site visit, participants’ observations, and note-taking (Greene, 2020). Additionally, photo-voice is used to identify and represent issues of importance to healing from her/historical violence through photography and storytelling.