Healing circles really do have the power to heal

A Latina poet has a creative solution to strengthen communities across the city

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Who is a storyteller? It's an important question these days because storytelling matters more than ever. Whoever controls the narrative controls history.

A few years ago, a Nigerian writer named Chimamanda Adichie gave an 18-minute Ted Talk called "The Danger of a Single Story." The talk is among the most popular Ted Talks of all time with over 32 million views. It is about how our lives and our cultures are composed of many overlapping stories, but many times the complexities of a story are diluted down to a simplistic narrative. These narratives aren't always accurate. 

Adichie began her talk with a story about her early childhood. She grew up on a university campus in eastern Nigeria and read many British and American books. When she started writing her own stories as a young child (around the age of 7), her stories emulated what she had read. All her characters had blue eyes and blonde hair, played in the snow, ate apples, and talked about the weather and how nice it was that the sun had come out.

This was odd because she lived in Nigeria and had never been outside Nigeria. "We didn't have snow, we ate mangoes, and we never talked about the weather, because there was no need to."

Her perspective changed when she read African books. She found her authentic cultural voice and warned that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding because we don't get the whole story.

The same can be said about a community. If we don't hear from all the different voices in a community, we might not get the whole story about the state of the community. If we don't get the whole story, a community might be unable to live up to its full potential. 

Most major metropolitan cities in the United States today are a melting pot of diverse people, cultures, experiences, and beliefs. This includes Minneapolis. Every voice in a community matters. But some voices are unheard. When voices are missing, needs are unmet.

Lupe Castillo is working to change that. Lupe is the co-founder of Palabristas, a collective of poets, spoken word artists, and writers of ChicanX/LatinX heritage. The group started in 2002 when the National Poetry Slam was coming to the Twin Cities and she noticed that the Latinx voice was missing from the event. She helped organize a group of writers, and this year, Palabristas celebrated its 20th anniversary.

Now, Lupe has a new project called HeartSpeaks Healing Circles. HeartSpeaks works with Palabristas and offers writing and poetry workshops on strength, resistance and resilience. These writing circles provide opportunities for healing. Lupe has years of experience as a cultural arts connector in the Latinx community, using the power of words and ritual celebrations to engage and build community through Palabristas. This is the same spirit HeartSpeaks has.

HeartSpeaks' mission is to create a supportive environment that brings words and stories to life. Writers, new and old, can share their stories and express their truths. Participants in the circle can be seen and heard, creating a path to healing.

"The inspiration for HeartSpeaks was to create consensus and harmony in communities most impacted by racism and systemic barriers to well-being," Lupe told Minneapolis Creates. "It's not about who's right or wrong. It's about listening so everyone feels heard and witnessed, to be part of the community." 

HeartSpeaks also has brought writing circles to two schools in Minneapolis, including El Colegio, a small public high school serving English and Spanish students since 2000. Lupe, who has four children, 13 grandchildren, and infinite wisdom, includes drumming in the healing circles with Britt Howell, the program director for BF50 Indigenous Health, a community organization that promotes health, wellness and cultural arts education. When students present their verbal artworks, a drum, or another instrument like a tambourine, is played.

"It’s all in the name, HeartSpeaks," says Lupe. "The body is drumming and the words are rhythmic — so including drumming is just incredible. It's a way of saying to the community, we are here. We are these beating drums, like a beating heart."

HeartSpeaks continues its work with young people and students and is looking to increase its role in the community. In June, HeartSpeaks Healing Circles was awarded a Creative Response Fund grant to expand the impact of healing and community support. 

The Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association (LHENA) has partnered with HeartSpeaks and BF50 Indigenous Health to expand our community building program. The healing circles and health, wellness and cultural arts education will be part of more pop-up markets in the future to strengthen the community.

A community works best when every voice is heard. That's how we change the narrative.

If you are interested in learning more about LHENA's community building program and healing circles, or being involved, let us know at bit.ly/communityblockprogram.

Eric Ortiz lives in the Wedge with his family. When he’s not community building, he’s the director of media for Big Edition and writes bilingual children’s books with his kids. Their first book, “How the Zookalex Saved the Village,” is available in English and Spanish.

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