A Day of Healing held in Happy Hill community
By Felecia Piggott-Long, Ph.D.
I attended and participated in the Happy Hill Day of Healing on Saturday, Oct. 7. The Happy Hill pavilion was full of colorful artwork, music, free food, and vendors in preparation for A Day of Healing. Kayuum Allah introduced the members of the Happy Hill Art Anthology Coalition who had posted their artwork throughout the pavilion. They included Jerry Hanes, Annie Bines, Gilbert Young, Phebe Pankey, Makala Matuma, Don Sawyer, Amy Binns, and Gerald Hayden.
The program began with Baba Joseph Anderson and I, members of The Healing Force and African American Village Consciousness, leading the opening song of welcome called “Funga.” The children who were out in the community and many of their parents joined in the opening march.
Min. Love’ Lemon stated the purpose of the healing event. She recalled an evening in April when more than 200 people gathered in the pavilion for a party. When someone initiated a drive-by shooting by firing on the crowd, four of the people were injured and one person, 21-year-old Beatrice Knights, was killed.
“Her life was taken right here in the same place where we stand today. It has been very difficult for the people to recover from such a loss. She had a brother named James Knights. We want to offer up a moment of silence in honor of her loss,” said Min. Lemon.
Min. Effrainguan Muhammad offered an uplifting prayer on behalf of the community and the families in Happy Hill.
“We had reserved this space for that weekend in April; however, we postponed the event. At the same time, we would have been here. That greatly affected us,” said Muhammad. “This has definitely experienced a lot of hurt and pain. We looked for another date to feel the atmosphere. The blood stains were still here. We wanted to make a difference because of the trauma and pain here.”
Trauma can have a profound effect on one’s mental, emotional and physical health. Trauma can make a person feel isolated, anxious and disconnected from themselves and the world around them. Several healing vendors were in the line-up.
Alice Biting performed an outstanding rendition of “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou.
TaWanna L. Archia is the program manager of Healthy Forsyth.
Wells Center, Inc. deals with women in transition. Peggie Wells introduced this business to the community. “We work with women coming out of jail or prison. We provide day treatment, pre-release, and post-release for women who are incarcerated. If you know a woman who needs help, please give us a call at 336-972-1031.”
Cleo Kimbrough works with Senior Services. She shared some of the signs of Alzheimer’s Disease: “Dementia occurs because of changes in the brain. If an elderly person forgets where they are, and they have confusion about time and space, or if there is a sudden increase in confusion, or sudden changes in mood can indicate a need for attention. The changes in the brain are progressive,” said Kimbrough. “You can go to Senior Services to get help.”
I shared two of my handmade quilts with the audience. Quilting can create a healing process. It provides comfort and preservation. Quilting is a traditional craft that is passed down from generation to generation. Recently quilting has been found to be a powerful tool for healing trauma. It provides a creative outlet for people to express their emotions and find peace.
