Rooted: Creating Equitable Access to Green Space for Black Angelenos

Dear Community Member,

We appreciate your interest in volunteering your time to participate in a Community Discussion session as part of an exciting development from graybayne film/media.

Community Discussions are 90-minute small group sessions with community members, during which you’ll offer feedback, reflections and ideas on your relationship to nature, environmental racism and equitable access to green space. We want to ensure that the development of our next project on environmental and climate justice is community-informed, and your feedback as a local community member is invaluable.

As a thank you to community members who participate, we have organized arts and wellness workshops following each discussion. Participants will be guided through an exploration of their connection to the natural world through nature sketching, photography, poetry or yoga and meditation.

We have scheduled three Community Discussions through the summer and fall. The feedback provided during these sessions will be incorporated into the messaging and development of our next story-based public health initiative. Events are free and open to the public. Light refreshments, materials and art supplies provided.

We have partnered with a number of creative individuals and organizations to facilitate these discussions and workshops:

FACILITATORS

Esmi Rennick (Discussion Facilitator) is a social impact designer and community engagement specialist from the urban planning and design firm CityWorks Design. Esmi holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design from the ArtCenter College of Design.

Nicole Lawson, PhD (Discussion Facilitator) is a cultural-environmental anthropologist and Faculty Director of Inclusive Curriculum at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. Dr Lawson holds a PhD in Anthropology from UCLA and certificates in forest therapy and wilderness medicine.

Elizabeth Gray Bayne, MPH, MFA (Discussion Facilitator) is public health professional and artist with fifteen years experience in community-based storytelling, interdisciplinary collaboration, nonprofit partnership and social impact. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Science in Ecology & Evolution, Masters in Public Health, and Masters in Fine Art.

Brian Young (Arts Facilitator) is a founding staff member and Arts & Education Specialist at the Nature Nexus Institute. Brian holds a Bachelor of Arts from UC Santa Cruz.

Alyesha Wise (Arts Facilitator) is an award-winning educator, speaker and published poet. Alyesha is the Director of Program Integration for Street Poets, Inc., an organization mostly serving juvenile injustice-involved youth with mentorship and arts programming. Alyesha has been featured on OWN TV, BET, LA Times, PBS, Buzzfeed and more.

Toni Payne (Arts Facilitator) is a wildlife photographer with a passion for preserving the biodiversity of our natural world. Toni holds a Bachelor of Arts in Video Digital Art, with a background in Film Production, Public Relations, and Artist Management.

Sakeenah Hakim (Wellness Facilitator) is a licensed yoga instructor, clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and Executive Director at the nonprofit Hakim 4 Kids, which supports children and families affected by incarceration. Sakeenah obtained her Master of Social Work degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

PARTNERS

• Nature Nexus Institute
• Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation
• UCLA Samueli School of Engineering
• California Humanities

FULL SCHEDULE

August 18: "Finding Justice in Photography"

Facilitated discussion on the intersection of mobility and environmental justice, followed by workshops on nature photography and yoga.

September 22: "Reconnecting Through Words"

Facilitated discussion on family mythology and ancestral connections to nature, followed by workshops on nature-inspired poetry and yoga.

October 20: "Drawing Healing & Inspiration"

Facilitated discussion on feelings of belonging in and being in nature and therapy, mental health, followed by workshops on nature sketching and yoga.

Host or Publisher Elizabeth Gray Bayne