Legacies of Liberation: Self-love, Community, Healing and Peace

“Ain't no such a thing as I can hate anybody and hope to see God's face.”

--- Fannie Lou Hamer

"You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment.”

--Thich Nhat Hanh

Juneteenth Retreat:

Meditation, Liberation, and Healing for People of Afrikan Descent

June 18–21, 2026

WJ Kelly Retreat Center, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Drawing from our deep and enduring wells of Afrikana wisdom, and Afrikan Diasporic lived experience, plus the healing powers of Nature, this special Juneteenth retreat invites all of us of Afrikan descent to reclaim the freedom, healing, and joy that is our intrinsic birthright. Held in the heart of the South, we will gather in sacred community, where we will integrate the wisdom of our ancestors with diverse spiritual traditions. We will apply an Afrikan liberation lens to Mindfulness contemplative practices; explore our embodied liberative modalities; and review the messages of healing, self love, and community found in our collective traditions. This retreat offers a rare and necessary affinity space for people of Afrikan Diasporic descent who practice and embody diverse spiritual traditions—especially those living in the Gulf region of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida—to practice liberation of the body, mind, heart and spirit.

This retreat normally costs $750 for 3 nights, and we are pleased to say due to generous donations from Hemera, we are able to offer it at the reduced price of $200 for the whole retreat. A non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot and assure attendance.

Guided by internationally respected teachers Dr. Vimalasara (Valerie Mason-John) and Arisika Razak, MPH, the retreat will include meditation, music, embodied ritual, breathwork, chanting, movement, rest, community and delicious food. Together we will honor the ancestral resilience of Juneteenth and hold space for grief, joy, and collective transformation.

This retreat will be led by two remarkable teachers:

Dr. Vimalasara (Valerie Mason-John) is an internationally respected Dharma teacher, author, and public speaker with over 27 years of Mindfulness practice. Co-founder of 'Freedom Together' a Mindfulness course designed by BIPOC for BIPOC. Dr Ken Hardy named Valerie as one of the premier healers of our time .A trailblazer in the field of mindfulness and addiction recovery, they are the co-founder and co-author of Eight Step Recovery: Using the Buddha’s Teachings to Overcome Addiction, a pioneering, award-winning program that serves as an alternative to 12-step approaches. And also the co-creator of Mindfulness-Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR) and has trained facilitators around the world in trauma-sensitive, culturally grounded approaches to recovery.

Trained in Breathwork and Nuero Somatic Intelligence, they are one of the founding facilitators of Dr. Gabor Maté's Compassionate Inquiry which brings powerful insight into the healing of trauma and the embodiment of freedom. Author and Editor of 11 books, they have a private practice and live in Canada.

Arisika Razak, MPH, is a beloved elder and spiritual teacher whose work draws on over four decades of experience in women's health, healing justice, and Afrian diasporic wisdom traditions. Former Chair of the Women’s Spirituality Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), Arisika’s teachings reflect a rich synthesis of African spirituality, Buddhism, womanism, and somatic awareness.

As a graduate of the Spirit Rock Dedicated Practitioners Program and the Mindfulness Teacher Certification Program, she has long held space at the intersection of contemplative practice and social justice. She is also a certified facilitator in Embodied Social Justice and regularly teaches at East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC), where she co-creates sacred space for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. A former nurse-midwife and longtime movement teacher, Arisika’s retreat offerings include ritual, song, dance, breathwork, and grounded spiritual reflection that reconnect participants with their ancestral wisdom and bodily resilience. She has presented nationally and internationally on womanist spirituality, decolonial healing, and sacred embodiment.

Financial Support

Gratefully, Flowering Lotus Meditation received a generous grant provided by Hemera Foundation and we are able to cover much of costs associated with teacher travel, facility rental, lodging and meals. However, a non-refundable financial commitment is due to reserve your spot and assure attendance.

Thursday - June 18 Check In 3:30-5:30 pm Dinner at 6 pm, program begins at 7:30

Friday - June 19 Full day of Programming Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Served

Saturday - June 20 Full day of Programming Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Served

Sunday - June 21 Breakfast and Closing Ceremony Depart Center by 11:30 am

You'll receive 8 meals, 3 nights accommodations and endless opportunity for rest and community. This type of programming regularly costs participants $750 per person. However, your $200 reserves your space and goes towards the cost for food and accommodations.

When budgeting for this retreat please be prepared to practice dana/donate to your teachers at the end of the retreat. Read more about the practice of Dana?

Meet your admin team:

Shonda Bashir - Retreat Manager

Shonda Bashir is the founder and visionary behind Eden Alive, a wellness and food advocacy brand rooted in lived experience, intentional nourishment, and inner stillness. Her work bridges plant-based healing, food justice, and mindful living—centering wellness as both a personal practice and a collective responsibility.

Guided by how she eats, lives, and heals, Shonda’s approach is uncompromising: anti-inflammatory, allergen-free, plant-forward, and grounded in awareness. Through Eden Alive, she reimagines wellness spaces as sanctuaries—where food becomes medicine, movement becomes meditation, and transparency becomes a form of truth.

Shonda’s philosophy

Her work invites individuals and communities to reconnect with their bodies, their food, and their inner calm—while remaining fully present in the world. Eden Alive is not a trend or a diet; it is a practice, a rhythm, and a return.

Maureen Joseph - Retreat Manager

Kenneth Warner - Flowering Lotus Board Member

Juneteenth Retreat

Meditation, Liberation, and Healing for People of African Descent