The Origin and Evolution of
the Three Black Men Journey
The Origin and Evolution of
the Three Black Men Journey
The journey began with the intuition of one Black woman.
Victoria Santos, Director of the Center for Healing and Liberation, looks back on how it unfolded:
I had been moving in circles of healing, racial justice and cultural exploration for many years. In 2022, I found myself thinking about three particular Black men who I had connected with through these circles. Each of them—Orland, Bayo and Resmaa—works in a unique way. Each possesses a visionary boldness and gives generously from his spirit.
At the time, I was praying and searching for meaning. I was looking toward wisdom-holders, looking toward nature, and feeling my way toward spiritual next steps.
I sensed that these three brothers might appreciate the opportunity to connect, compare notes and offer mutual support in challenging times.
At first, I imagined that I would facilitate their connection, then step back and leave them to it. But when we met as a group and the conversation unfolded, the potential for something much larger soon emerged.
An idea was born—to join the courageous explorations of these visionary Black leaders for the first time. We began to wonder what that might look like.
These men saw the possibility of uniting to investigate the urgent questions that so many of us are asking. How can we meet the crises of our times? As we reckon with the legacies of historical harms, the murder of Black and Brown bodies, climate change, and global inequity, how might we respond in ways we have not yet imagined?
To dream our futures into being, we need emancipatory spaces of healing, exploration and discovery. The project took shape under the name Three Black Men: A Journey into the Magical Otherwise, held and coordinated by the Center for Healing and Liberation. In 2023, after a lot of inspired planning, the project got underway.
The journey began with the intuition of one Black woman.
Victoria Santos, Director of the Center for Healing and Liberation, looks back on how it unfolded:
I had been moving in circles of healing, racial justice and cultural exploration for many years. In 2022, I found myself thinking about three particular Black men who I had connected with through these circles. Each of them—Orland, Bayo and Resmaa—works in a unique way. Each possesses a visionary boldness and gives generously from his spirit.
At the time, I was praying and searching for meaning. I was looking toward wisdom-holders, looking toward nature, and feeling my way toward spiritual next steps.
I sensed that these three brothers might appreciate the opportunity to connect, compare notes and offer mutual support in challenging times.
At first, I imagined that I would facilitate their connection, then step back and leave them to it. But when we met as a group and the conversation unfolded, the potential for something much larger soon emerged.
An idea was born—to join the courageous explorations of these visionary Black leaders for the first time. We began to wonder what that might look like.
These men saw the possibility of uniting to investigate the urgent questions that so many of us are asking. How can we meet the crises of our times? As we reckon with the legacies of historical harms, the murder of Black and Brown bodies, climate change, and global inequity, how might we respond in ways we have not yet imagined?
To dream our futures into being, we need emancipatory spaces of healing, exploration and discovery. The project took shape under the name Three Black Men: A Journey into the Magical Otherwise, held and coordinated by the Center for Healing and Liberation. In 2023, after a lot of inspired planning, the project got underway.
The journey began with the intuition of one Black woman.
Victoria Santos, Director of the Center for Healing and Liberation, looks back on how it unfolded:
I had been moving in circles of healing, racial justice and cultural exploration for many years. In 2022, I found myself thinking about three particular Black men who I had connected with through these circles. Each of them—Orland, Bayo and Resmaa—works in a unique way. Each possesses a visionary boldness and gives generously from his spirit.
At the time, I was praying and searching for meaning. I was looking toward wisdom-holders, looking toward nature, and feeling my way toward spiritual next steps.
I sensed that these three brothers might appreciate the opportunity to connect, compare notes and offer mutual support in challenging times.
At first, I imagined that I would facilitate their connection, then step back and leave them to it. But when we met as a group and the conversation unfolded, the potential for something much larger soon emerged.
An idea was born—to join the courageous explorations of these visionary Black leaders for the first time. We began to wonder what that might look like.
These men saw the possibility of uniting to investigate the urgent questions that so many of us are asking. How can we meet the crises of our times? As we reckon with the legacies of historical harms, the murder of Black and Brown bodies, climate change, and global inequity, how might we respond in ways we have not yet imagined?
To dream our futures into being, we need emancipatory spaces of healing, exploration and discovery. The project took shape under the name Three Black Men: A Journey into the Magical Otherwise, held and coordinated by the Center for Healing and Liberation. In 2023, after a lot of inspired planning, the project got underway.
The journey began with the intuition of one Black woman.
Victoria Santos, Director of the Center for Healing and Liberation, looks back on how it unfolded:
I had been moving in circles of healing, racial justice and cultural exploration for many years. In 2022, I found myself thinking about three particular Black men who I had connected with through these circles. Each of them—Orland, Bayo and Resmaa—works in a unique way. Each possesses a visionary boldness and gives generously from his spirit.
At the time, I was praying and searching for meaning. I was looking toward wisdom-holders, looking toward nature, and feeling my way toward spiritual next steps.
I sensed that these three brothers might appreciate the opportunity to connect, compare notes and offer mutual support in challenging times.
At first, I imagined that I would facilitate their connection, then step back and leave them to it. But when we met as a group and the conversation unfolded, the potential for something much larger soon emerged.
An idea was born—to join the courageous explorations of these visionary Black leaders for the first time. We began to wonder what that might look like.
These men saw the possibility of uniting to investigate the urgent questions that so many of us are asking. How can we meet the crises of our times? As we reckon with the legacies of historical harms, the murder of Black and Brown bodies, climate change, and global inequity, how might we respond in ways we have not yet imagined?
To dream our futures into being, we need emancipatory spaces of healing, exploration and discovery. The project took shape under the name Three Black Men: A Journey into the Magical Otherwise, held and coordinated by the Center for Healing and Liberation. In 2023, after a lot of inspired planning, the project got underway.
And the Journey Unfolded…
Traveling to three cities in the US, Brazil and Ghana, the men spent days in shared contemplation and dialogue, convening community gatherings organized around collective inquiry into liberation in our world.
Our explorations in Los Angeles, at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, were potent and far-reaching. One emergent focus was Black men’s tenderness and need for nourishing connection that
honors their aliveness and dignity. We also offered an open-to-everyone daylong event. Along with the reflections and teachings of the three men, the joyful Black-centering gatherings incorporated art, song, dance, rituals of deep care, inquiry practices and small-group conversations.
In Salvador, Brazil, our Brazilian partners spoke of their grief and frustration over the high level of violence against Black bodies, especially Black women. Men and women spoke of their commitment to peace, unity, and women’s well-being. Our team was spiritually anchored by a historic Candomblé temple—Ilé Àṣẹ Ìyá Nasò Ọka, or Casa Branca—led by three Black women elders, and founded in the 1800s by three free African women.
In Ghana, our group of international travelers connected with Ghanaian ritual practitioners, to explore the medicinal plant resources of the land and, at a Vodou shrine, learn from the shrine priest about African spiritual technologies and practices—tools given by our ancestors. The stunning Asenema waterfall invited cleansing and renewal, with traditional priests leading libations.
A wrenching and profound experience in the center of the journey was a ritual ceremony at the Cape Coast slave dungeons, the departure point of so many abducted Africans. After ceremonial washing of our feet, hands and faces, we wore white and walked barefoot through the streets of Cape Coast to the dungeons.
There each of us entered into our own unique experience, grieving, praying, visioning, reflecting and connecting with the ancestors.
As we integrated the raw intensity of this encounter over the following days, our journey was balanced andleavened with drumming, dancing, hugs, delicious Ghanaian food, many rich conversations in community gatherings with Resmaa, Bayo and Orland, and opportunities to both digest the experience and touch joy.
The thread of joy in community wound its way through the journey from beginning to end.
A deep bow of gratitude to the cultural curators and space-holders in Brazil and Ghana who made our journey
possible: Bira Azevedo in Brazil, and Okhiogbe Omonblanks Omonhinmin in Ghana.
Traveling to three cities in the US, Brazil and Ghana, the men spent days in shared contemplation and dialogue, convening community gatherings organized around collective inquiry into liberation in our world.
Our explorations in Los Angeles, at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, were potent and
far-reaching. One emergent focus was Black men’s tenderness and need for nourishing connection that honors their aliveness and dignity. We also offered an open-to-everyone daylong event. Along with the reflections and teachings of the three men, the joyful Black-centering gatherings incorporated art, song,
dance, rituals of deep care, inquiry practices and small-group conversations.
In Salvador, Brazil, our Brazilian partners spoke of their grief and frustration over the high level of violence against Black bodies, especially Black women. Men and women spoke of their commitment to peace, unity, and women’s well-being. Our team was spiritually anchored by a historic Candomblé temple—Ilé Àṣẹ Ìyá Nasò Ọka, or Casa Branca—led by three Black women elders, and founded in the 1800s by three free African women.
In Ghana, our group of international travelers connected with Ghanaian ritual practitioners, to explore the
medicinal plant resources of the land and, at a Vodou shrine, learn from the shrine priest about African
spiritual technologies and practices—tools given by our ancestors. The stunning Asenema waterfall invited
cleansing and renewal, with traditional priests leading libations.
A wrenching and profound experience in the center of the journey was a ritual ceremony at the Cape Coast slave dungeons, the departure point of so many abducted Africans. After ceremonial washing of our feet, hands and faces, we wore white and walked barefoot through the streets of Cape Coast to the dungeons. There each of us entered into our own unique experience, grieving, praying, visioning, reflecting and connecting with the ancestors.
As we integrated the raw intensity of this encounter over the following days, our journey was balanced and leavened with drumming, dancing, hugs, delicious Ghanaian food, many rich conversations in community
gatherings with Resmaa, Bayo and Orland, and opportunities to both digest the experience and touch joy.
The thread of joy in community wound its way through the journey from beginning to end.
A deep bow of gratitude to the cultural curators and space-holders in Brazil and Ghana who made our journey possible: Bira Azevedo in Brazil, and Okhiogbe Omonblanks Omonhinmin in Ghana.
Traveling to three cities in the US, Brazil and Ghana, the men spent days in shared contemplation and dialogue, convening community gatherings organized around collective inquiry into liberation in our world.
Our explorations in Los Angeles, at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, were potent and far-reaching. One emergent focus was Black men’s tenderness and need for nourishing connection that honors their aliveness and dignity. We also offered an open-to-everyone daylong event. Along with the reflections and teachings of the three men, the joyful Black-centering gatherings incorporated art, song, dance, rituals of deep care, inquiry practices and small-group conversations.
In Salvador, Brazil, our Brazilian partners spoke of their grief and frustration over the high level of violence against Black bodies, especially Black women. Men and women spoke of their commitment to peace, unity, and women’s well-being. Our team was spiritually anchored by a historic Candomblé temple—Ilé Àṣẹ Ìyá Nasò Ọka, or Casa Branca—led by three Black women elders, and founded in the 1800s by three free African
women.
In Ghana, our group of international travelers connected with Ghanaian ritual practitioners, to explore the medicinal plant resources of the land and, at a Vodou shrine, learn from the shrine priest about African spiritual technologies and practices—tools given by our ancestors. The stunning Asenema waterfall invited cleansing and renewal, with traditional priests leading libations.
A wrenching and profound experience in the center of the journey was a ritual ceremony at the Cape Coast slave dungeons, the departure point of so many abducted Africans. After ceremonial washing of our feet, hands and faces, we wore white and walked barefoot through the streets of Cape Coast to the dungeons. There each of us entered into our own unique experience, grieving, praying, visioning, reflecting and connecting with the ancestors.
As we integrated the raw intensity of this encounter over the following days, our journey was balanced and leavened with drumming, dancing, hugs, delicious Ghanaian food, many rich conversations in community gatherings with Resmaa, Bayo and Orland, and opportunities to both digest the experience and touch joy.
The thread of joy in community wound its way through the journey from beginning to end.
A deep bow of gratitude to the cultural curators and space-holders in Brazil and Ghana who made our journey possible: Bira Azevedo in Brazil, and Okhiogbe Omonblanks Omonhinmin in Ghana.
