featured voices

Dr. Ingrid Tulloch

Dr. Ingrid Tulloch is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and the Graduate Program in Brain Sciences at the new Center for Brain Health at Morgan State University. She received her PhD from the Graduate Center, CUNY. She completed a doctoral research fellowship in the Molecular Neuropsychiatry Branch of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health.

Ingrid will discuss the role and importance of rest and self care from a scientific perspective.  She will educate us on the roles that genetics and epigenetics have in continuing the cycle of intergenerational trauma in the Black community. She will also discuss the ability to reverse epigenetic traits and inherited thought patterns that no longer serve Black women.

 THE PAST IN OUR DNA

Jacqui Johnson, LPC, ATR-BC

With a passion for bridging the Black mental health gap, Jacqui Johnson’s holistic approach combines art, play, storytelling, hip-hop, and evidence-based modalities to create a transformative healing experience. Her expertise in trauma-responsive care and gender considerations informs her work, confronting the complex intersections of adverse childhood experiences, race, community violence, and the justice system.

Jacqui will take the lead discussing modern day issues Black women face; trauma responses; and the various methods and tools we can use to reverse inherited damage. As a somatics expert, Jacqui will focus on the body as a site of both memory and liberation.

HEALING IN THE PRESENT

Dr. Ashley Gripper is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Drexel University and an affiliate of The Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements, and Population Health Equity. Gripper’s academic work, activism, and advocacy all focus on Black people’s connections to Earth and reclamation of land-based living and organizing practices. 

In the final chapter, Ashley will guide us through understanding how the land is able to help us find ways to release our pain, transmute our grief, and teach us lasting lessons. She’ll explore the land's role in healing intergenerational trauma and discuss the concept of “Sankofa”—learning from the past to shape the future.

LAND BASED HEALING: THE FUTURE

Dr. Ashley B. Gripper

lead crew

  • Sarah Krusen

    CREATOR + DIRECTOR

    Sarah Krusen is an award-winning filmmaker, director, and editor with over 10 years of experience across narrative, documentary, television, and commercial work. Her portfolio includes projects for ESPN, TIME Magazine, Moncler, VICE, Columbia Sportswear, NASA, and Citibank, with films screening at SXSW, American Black Film Festival, and the Philadelphia Film Festival. Her work explores healing, identity, and memory through poetic, emotionally grounded storytelling. She was accepted into the 2024 Unlock Her Potential Mentorship Program for Women of Color and is mentored by Oscar nominated editor Lisa Churgin. Her debut short documentary SOFT, supported by the Independence Public Media Foundation and Firelight Media, examines rest as a radical act of resistance and healing for Black women.

  • Andrea Tangelo

    PRODUCER

    Andrea Tangelo is a producer dedicated to amplifying Black narratives and underrepresented voices across film. She is Program Coordinator for Minorities in Film and Co Creator of  Make News, Make Noise. She mentored/produced Jane Doe (Short Film) through the School of Visual Arts MFA program. Andrea is also a producer for SOFT which received the Independence Public Media Funding Grant (2024) and Firelight Media Fund Grant (2025), and she was a part of the Grammy-nominated music video Tyler Childers – In Your Love (2024). Andrea’s writing has appeared in Black Girl Nerd and the Bushwick Film Festival, reflecting her engagement with film criticism and storytelling. Blending professional expertise with genuine passion, she brings stories to life with authenticity, cultural resonance, and a commitment to the creative community.

  • Yasmine Carruthers

    PRODUCER

    Yasmine Carruthers is a full-time producer, based in Philadelphia, PA. She is passionate about supporting meaningful stories across a wide range of formats. As an African/Caribbean American millennial woman, Yasmine takes pride in the diverse communities she represents and is committed to uplifting narratives that resonate with these groups and other underrepresented demographics.

  • Wren Rene

    CINEMATOGRAPHER + CREATIVE PRODUCER

    Wren Rene is a filmmaker, photographer, and second generation storyteller dedicated to the spirit of true collaboration. Working across documentary, fiction, and experimental projects, he seeks to explore a deeper understanding of what it means to be human in an ever-individualistic world. He is particularly drawn to strong visual narratives that raise questions of identity, belonging, connection, and resistance. With the support of ITVS, the Perspective Fund, Velocity Fund, and the Independence Public Media Foundation, his work has screened at film festivals and at installations and community events across the United States, the UK, West Africa, Switzerland, and beyond.

  • Caitlin Green

    CHOREOGRAPHER

    Caitlin Green (she/they) is a freelance choreographer with a master’s degree in Dance/Movement Therapy from Drexel University (R-DMT). Their work concentrates on the body's role in wellness, catharsis, and connection. Caitlin’s choreography has been featured in works with Philadelphia Dance Projects, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Philly Fringe Festival, The Painted Bride, and a Regothereshego music video. She is a teaching artist with The Village of Arts and Humanities, Independence Charter School, and West Park Cultural Center. Caitlin enjoys working collaboratively with youth as well as choreographing works that start conversation and inspire self-reflection.

  • David Kessler

    VFX SUPERVISOR

    David Scott Kessler is an interdisciplinary filmmaker working across experimental and documentary forms. Moving between cinema, installation, and site-responsive presentation, his practice often expands film through live scores and iterative exhibition formats. He has presented work at the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Academy of Natural Sciences, Delaware Contemporary, and the Michener Art Museum. His feature film The Pine Barrens premiered at Rooftop Films and received the Emerging Filmmaker Award from the Princeton Environmental Film Festival. His work has been supported by a Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Pew Residency Fellowship,  Flaherty Film Seminar Fellowship, and a selection for Creative Capital: On Our Radar. Kessler is the founder of Studioscopic, a studio focused on visual effects and motion design.

  • Rhonda M. Moore

    PERFORMER

    Rhonda Moore is a dancer, choreographer, musician, performance artist, and educator hailing from Mount Vernon, NY. A former member of the very first Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (1983), Moore has since collaborated behind-the-scenes and on the screen and stage with international artists in music, dance, and theater. Her choreographic collaborations have been presented at Jacob’s Pillow, the Philadelphia Art Museum, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and in interdisciplinary arts festivals throughout Europe and the United States.

  • Mawu Ama Ma’at Gora, MFA

    PERFORMER

    Mawu Ama Ma’at Gora, MFA (dey/dem) is a queer, Caribbean artist and Brooklyn native currently residing in Philadelphia. As a multimodal artist they explore movement and textile art. Interested in lineage and blueprints as both ephemeral and perpetual spaces of exploration.  A graduate of Georgian Court University (BA) and Temple University (MFA). An educator at Bryn Mawr college and various community organizations in Philadelphia, NY and NJ at large. They have had the pleasure of working with luminaries such as Silvana Cardell, Dr. Kariamu Welsh, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar & Lela Aisha Jones.