Standing On Sacred Ground is about witnessing, and holding truth to inspire healing. Following the Footsteps of Freedom we invite our fellow travelers into a deeply reflective and meaningful six-day journey through some of the most significant landscapes of American history. Together, we will trace the path of an enslaved individual sold during The Weeping Time – the largest sale of enslaved people in American History – and follow the arc of that story from Georgia to Alabama.
Along the way, we will encounter places that reveal both the depths of human failing and the extraordinary perseverance of the human spirit. Through guided historical tours, conversations with local historians, visits to sacred sites of memory, and daily Circle of Trust (R) gatherings – participants will have opportunities to reflect on what history teaches us about dignity, justice, belonging and our shared humanity.
This Retreat is designed for those who seek more than information. It is for those who wish to bear witness, deepen understanding, build relationships across difference, and explore how memory can become a pathway toward healing.
Together we will ask: What does history teach us about who we are? How do memory and truth shape our humanity? What can we learn from those who endured suffering and yet persevered? How might understanding the past help us build a more just and compassionate future?
Throughout the journey participants will be accompanied by experienced facilitators, local historians, and fellow travelers committed to thoughtful dialogue, reflection and learning. This is not simply a tour of historic sites, this is a journey into human story, a journey of the heart.
Joining Lori Yadin as co-facilitator on this retreat is Dave Ellis, Community Consultant, Trauma Educator, Bush Foundation Fellow. Lori and Dave have been guiding Healing History Retreats together for 8 years. And they are excited to welcome Master Gullah Geechee Truth-Teller, Sistah Patt Gunn to join their facilitator team for this inspirational retreat. Sistah Patt is a native to the Savannah low country and a celebrated local historian.
The Center for Courage & Renewal and its facilitators do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, height, weight, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status.
