Community Day of Healing
About this Event
Join the Rikers Public Memory Project for our second annual Community Day of Healing, a free gathering dedicated to healing, reflection, connection, and care for people impacted by Rikers Island and carceral systems.
This year’s theme, Memory & Resilience, invites us to explore how our stories, histories, and ancestral knowledge can be sources of strength, connection, and possibility. Centering people and communities impacted by Rikers Island and the carceral system, we will create space to pause, breathe, slow down, and honor all that we carry.
The day will offer opportunities to care for our bodies, reflect on our experiences, share memories of healing in community, and connect with one another. Attendees can access a range of healing practices and wellness stations, including massage, acupuncture, cupping, herbalism, reflection and other forms of care, alongside opportunities for reflecting in our memory-booth, and socializing throughout the event.
Together, we’ll hold space for what has been carried, honor the wisdom that lives in our stories and histories, and imagine what comes next. Come as you are. Whether you come to receive care, share your story, reflect, or simply be in community, there is space for you here.
Leave with practices, connections, and resources to carry care beyond the day.
We look forward to honoring where we’ve been, celebrating where we are, and imagining where we’re going together.
What to Expect
This gathering is designed as a trauma-informed wellness experience created to make space for care, reflection, creativity, connection, and healing.
Planned activities include:
Healing Stations: Acupuncture, massage, cupping, and somatic practices.
Journaling & Somatic Movement: A guided workshop to connect with their bodies through gentle somatic movement and personal reflection through journaling. No prior experience is needed.
Memory Booth: A dedicated space for listening to justice impacted stories from our archive and reflecting on memories and stories.
Herbalism Workshop: An opportunity to learn about herbs, their traditional uses, and ways plant-based practices can support everyday wellness and care.
Important to Know
Food & Nourishment
We’ll have light gluten-free and vegan refreshments available to enjoy. Please be sure to RSVP so we can prepare enough nourishment for everyone. We’ll also ask about any food allergies or dietary needs during registration.
Photography & Video
This gathering is intended to be a space for presence, connection, and sharing. We will not be recording the entirety of the event or participants’ personal shares, but will have a videographer and photographer on site.
There may be opportunities for those who would like to share their experience on camera. We will be mindful of participants who prefer not to be photographed and will do our best to honor those wishes.
Accessibility
The event space is wheelchair accessible, and the bathrooms are gender-neutral, with one bathroom offering wheelchair accessibility.
If you have an accessibility need or would like to talk through anything that would help you feel more comfortable participating, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We’re happy to connect and do our best to support you.
Who This Gathering Is For & Age Recommendation
This gathering is intended for adults 18 and older and while is open to the public, is created specifically for people who have been directly impacted by Rikers Island and the carceral system. You are welcome to bring children, but childcare will not be available.
We invite you to come as you are, with an open heart and a willingness to connect, reflect, and share in community. This is a space to honor lived experience, nurture connection, and make room for healing together.
Signup up for Healing Stations
Attendees will have an opportunity to sign up for care practices once they’re at the venue. Sign-ups will close once all spots have been filled.
A Note About Smoking
To help us maintain a comfortable and healing environment for everyone, there is no smoking inside or immediately outside the building. This helps keep smoke from entering the space and supports the well-being of all participants.
Where is it happening?
USD 0.00
