In a world where challenges often feel overwhelming, the need for envisioning and cultivating a thriving future has never been more critical. The 2025 BIPOC Thriving Future Horizon Story Circle Gathering, hosted by Maji ya Chai Land Sanctuary in partnership with the Collective Acceleration Network and The Coven St. Louis Park, offers a transformative opportunity to imagine a world where communities of color can truly thrive.
This event is a call to gather, reflect, and plan for a future that uplifts the unique needs, wisdom and strengths of BIPOC communities. By bringing together individuals from across the region, this gathering will offer a space to collectively share ideas and forge a path towards healing, growth, and community empowerment.
“It’s a space where we can focus on what we’re moving towards, rather than only fighting against the systems that are failing us,” said Maji y Chai Land Sanctuary founder Rebeka Ndosi.
Maji ya Chai Land Sanctuary, a Black-led nature-based healing space near the northern shore of Gichigaming (Lake Superior), has been a beacon of support and connection for those seeking to reconnect with nature and themselves. Ndosi, alongside Elder Maria McCoy, will guide the gathering in a shared visioning exercise designed to explore what it truly means to thrive — not just for ourselves, but for future generations as well.
She says these circles have been an integral part of the Land Sanctuary in response to systems not being built with these communities’ needs or interests in mind. She says this event is a celebration of resilience on land where these communities are typically gatekept or that holds ancestral wounds, along the shore outside the metro area, to speak their truth and be heard.
“These spaces focus on being a welcoming, accessible space in nature for folks of color on the North Shore… It’s a special place to say, as folks of color, what are we envisioning for the future.”
She says the Thriving Future Horizon Story Circle Gathering isn’t just another meeting or seminar — it’s a circle that will allow participants to reflect on what thriving means; envision a vibrant, resilient future; and access collective wisdom.
Ndosi says by taking part you’ll join a community of individuals actively engaged in creating a shared future that celebrates underserved identities, resilience, and collective power.
Chai and snacks will be provided, enhancing the feeling of warmth and community that the event strives to cultivate.
The Gathering will take place on Saturday, February 1, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. at The Coven St. Louis Park, 6726 Walker St., St. Louis Park, MN. Registration is limited to 20 attendees per gathering. The event is free with chai and snacks provided.
Jasmine McBride welcomes reader responses to jmcbride@spokesman-recorder.com.