Baltimore, MD, May 2-3, 2018 — Members of IBW’s Black Family Summit (BFS) and Justice Collaborative met for a two day Education, Orientation, Advocacy Retreat at the National Office of Institute of the Black World 21st Century.
Retreat Synopsis
The 2-day Retreat began on Wednesday afternoon, May 2nd at the Institute of the Black World 21st Century National Office in Baltimore Maryland. We began with a Pre-Retreat Meeting lead by Baba Leonard Dunston, BFS Convener and facilitated by IBW National President Ron Daniels.
The meeting began with the Elders giving permission to Chester Marshall to pour libations in remembrance and connection with our ancestors who were asked to join our meeting. We then started with Session One which was facilitated by the IBW National President Ron Daniels
Session # 1
The Focus of Session One was The Adverse Impact of the Proposed Federal SAMHSA FY 2019
The following subject matter were addressed:
- Budget for the Minority AIDS Initiative
- Minority Fellowship Program
- Resilience in Communities After Stress and Trauma (RECAST)
Dinner was served and immediately after, we began part two of Session One which was again facilitated by IBW National President, Ron Daniels. During part two an Overview and Goals for the Retreat was given by Ron Daniels and Leonard Dunston, BFS Convener. Then Dr. Daniels gave an overview of BFS Organizational Program Priorities
The session was concluded with Introduction of the Justice Collaborative Representatives and their work at the local levels in Washington DC, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore.
Session # 2
Thursday, May 3rd, 9:00 am to 11:30 am
Thursday morning after breakfast, Session #2 began with the State of Criminal Justice Policy Reform. This session was facilitated by Dr. Divine Pryor. The following subjects were presented by these resource persons:
- The Mass Criminalization Perspective Greg Akili
- Marijuana Legalization/Regulation Reparatory Justice Initiatives Yolande Cadore
- Harm Reduction Strategies including Safe Injection Centers Kassandra Frederique
- Bail Bond Reform Ron Hampton
- LEAD and other Diversion Models Ron Hampton
Session #2 ended at 11:30am and Lunch, Networking, Informal Sharing was held until 1:00pm
Session # 3
Thursday, May 3rd, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Session #3 was facilitated by IBW Board Member Rick Adams. The focus was on State of VOCA Training, Organizing, Current and Prospective Work. An overview and national perspective was given and then the work in Washington, D.C, Baltimore and State of Maryland, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania was discussed by Aswad Thomas, Ron Hampton, Dorothy Johnson Speight, Johnathon Lewis
Session # 4
Thursday, May 3rd, 2:45 pm to 5:15 pm
Session #4 was facilitated by BFS Co-Conveners Leonard Dunston, Chester Marshall This session focused on the Status and Update of BFS Initiatives. These resource persons presented on the following BFS initiatives:
- Flint, East Chicago, Indiana and other National Water Crises–Dr. Annelle Primm
- Hurricane Relief Efforts: Implementing the Sandy Model– Dr. Annelle Primm
- FEMA MOA —Joseph Muhammad
- Emotional Emancipation Circles–Dr. Huberta Jackson-Lowman
- Human Trafficking/ Child Sexual Abuse–Nana Dr. Patricia Newton
- African-Centered Relief Certification Process–Nana Dr. Patricia Newton
- Culture Must Anchor Our Work in Black Communities–Dr. Greg Carr
- Potential Funding Sources for Our Work–Rev. Dr. Shelia Evans-Tranumm
The highlight of this session was having Dr. Donna Christensen from the Virgin Islands being skyped into the session to discuss the status of progress in hurricane disaster relief in the Caribbean region.
The session was concluded with a compelling question from Dr. Sheila Evans-Tranumm:
“Do we really expect white people to fund our liberation”?
Session # 5
Thursday, May 3rd, 5:30 pm to 8:15 pm
Session #5 was a dinner and roundtable discussion that focused on a very compelling exchange about Addressing Stress and Trauma for Community Organizers in a White Supremacist Society.
The session was facilitated by Nana Toni Oliver President of the Association of Black Social Workers and presentations were given by the following resource persons: Nana Dr. Patricia Newton, J. Toni Oliver, Dr. Annelle Primm, Dr. Huberta Jackson-Lowman, Greg Akili
Concluding Session
Thursday, May 3rd, 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm
The Retreat concluded with a session facilitated by the IBW National President Ron Daniels. During this session, Dr. Daniels gave a summary of the 2-day retreat and a Discussion of the continued joint work and collaborative initiatives of IBW BFS organizations and justice collaboratives.
View Photos and Read Synopsis Below
Photos
Photos by Salim Adofo