Healing Circles for Change
For staff connected to one of the 70+ Asian American Leaders Table (AALT) organizations
AALT HC_MY_v1.mp4"I appreciated feeling truly safe enough to talk about my experiences and how they shaped me. I could share things about my life working in the AAPI sphere that I know other friends wouldn't really understand. I felt less alone in my struggles and felt very seen and validated". Healing Circle Participant
Kayoko_HC.mp4AALT HC_TN_v1.mp4"I feel with the kind of world we live in and the work we do for the communities, secondary trauma is very much there. This healing circle helped me feel grounded and get my energy back! Would sure want others to know about it". Healing Circle Participant
Alan_HC.mp4About Our Healing Circles (HC) Format
Talking circles, or healing circles, though practiced in many cultures across the world, are deeply rooted in the traditional practices of indigenous cultures. Restorative Justice spaces have also used healing circles for community processing in multiple forms.
Tsuru for Solidarity’s “Healing Circles for Change” model was developed by Dr. Satsuki Ina, following direct actions at detention sites. Through listening to one another's story without judgment, we found these gatherings created a sense of shared empowerment and a deeper understanding of ourselves and one another. It also lessened the isolation around the intersectional violence of our histories and strengthened our commitment to future joint actions. In addition, Tsuru for Solidarity members have reported a sense of healing from the deep fractures that have divided our own community as a result of the WWII U.S. concentration camps, and we have found that other groups have experienced parallel benefits related to their own experiences. Solidarity in sharing this kind of rare space also helps build relationships and trust so that we can better stand with one another in the face of injustice.
Healing circles are a useful resource for organizers, activists, and community members who are personally impacted and often struggling against burnout, fatigue and isolation while working at the front lines. That is why we are honored to offer (at no cost) virtual healing circles for staff that are connected to one of the 70+ Asian American Leaders Table (AALT) organizations.
During a virtual healing circle, we come together for two hours in small reflective groups (between 5 - 14 people) to explore a predetermined topic. Our trained facilitators guide an intentional process, inviting each person to share their stories related to a prompt for a set period of time without interruption. Participants are asked to listen and affirm each other with empathy and presence.
Healing Circles (HC) for AALT
With the support of AALT (Asian American Leaders Table), we are offering several virtual healing circles spread out over two years for staff that are connected to one of the 70+ AALT organizations.
If interested in participating, sign up for a particular date.
You can sign up for more than one healing circle.
Once you register, be sure to hold the date in your calendar. We will confirm your participation and send you further information.
For more information, please view our FAQ page.
Tsuru for Solidarity is a nonviolent, direct action project of Japanese American social justice advocates working to end detention sites and support front-line immigrant and refugee communities that are being targeted by racist, inhumane immigration policies. We stand on the moral authority of Japanese Americans who suffered the atrocities and legacy of U.S. concentration camps during WWII and we say, “Stop Repeating History!” Never Again is NOW.
Our mission is to:
Educate, advocate, and protest to close all U.S. concentration camps;
Build solidarity with other communities of color that have experienced forced removal, detention, deportation, separation of families, and other forms of racial and state violence;
Coordinate intergenerational, cross-community healing circles addressing the trauma of our shared histories.