On Sunday, October 13, 2024, directly preceding Indigenous Peoples' Day, formerly known as Columbus Day, the artist and activist collective, Artists for Puerto Rico, hosted an event in the AM:PM Gallery space centering healing through the arts for Taino people and the Latin community in New York City. With my co-founder Iman Abdul, our goal in creating this event was to provide a space to celebrate the legacies of Taino people and their resistance following Columbus' discovery of their land and people.

The group had this to say about the event "In remembrance of Indigenous People’s Day, we present Kura”, a grounding space created to reconnect to our ancestors, especially to those that Columbus first encountered. Join us TODAY for a much needed afternoon full of art making, meditation, and reconnecting to the land. With special support from @d_osafeliz & @taina.enikeyi featuring a nail bar with @snkrbaeart to get some manicures inspired by the ancestors."

The event opened up with a somatic healing session led by Taina Enikeyi. Attendees gathered in a circle on lush rugs where they participated in guided breathwork and self-connectivity exercises. The session ended with a soulful ode to our ancestors beautifully sung by Taina. -- After a short break, attendees participated in a writing workshop led by Diosa Feliz. After connecting with self during Taina's session, 'Heart Echoes of Tomorrow' allowed participants to speak to their future selves by completing a note to self which Diosa will send back to the writer at a later date. -- Throughout the event, attendees had the opportunity to get their nails done in with Taino inspired patterns by nail artist Senia Bravo. 

The event ended with the creation of a collaborative art piece led by myself on behalf of Artists for Puerto Rico. Throughout the event we connected with self, celebrated our ancestry, and pondered our future. This art piece ends with us envisioning the legacy we will leave with a collaged diptych that celebrates past legacies of resistance and our collective futures. Centering the Latin diaspora in New York City and descendants of Tainos in this country, the piece was a visual path pushing our liberation forward.