Founded in 1999, by Detroiter Gwendolyn Winston, The Wisdom Institute and the programs it has birthed since its creation are focused upon centering and honoring the collective strength, love, and power that resides within the community. Using a womanxist theory/praxis based approach (the “x” representing the wholeness of our being), the Institute works to uplift and confront the issues most impactful upon the lives of African American womxn and girls.
This work is largely done through our intentional and loving cultivation of strong leaders and deep mentorship practices as key to building community power. We do this in a number of ways, but most pointedly through the three major programs which blend our passion for seeking healing justice, gender rights, and human rights.
These programs include our Listening Partner Program, which features an intentional sacred space curated for African American women to heal in community using the Art of Listening as a pathway. Listening Partners (LP’s) meet on the last Saturday of every month at the Motor City Java House. We also host the Everyone Counts Detroit Coalition, which forwards the advocacy work of the Wisdom Institute. The coalition is composed of volunteers and champions who are committed to healing justice in a variety of ways. Champions have led actions advocating for clean, affordable drinking water, the right to an attorney if facing eviction through the Detroit Right to Counsel law, voter rights, and educational and reproductive justice. Finally, we also organize the Passing the Torch Preserving the Flame (PTPF) project made possible through the Transforming Power Fund. For the past 3 years, artists, healers, and activists were commissioned to infuse art and ritual in the organization’s advocacy efforts. Offerings such as belly dance, full moon rituals, and herbalism were practiced throughout the community to serve as a medium for centering healing justice in our fight for human and gender rights across the city.
As one of our most treasured programs, Passing The Torch, Preserving The Flame has been critical to inspiring local womxn leaders, recognizing their rooted dedication to ensuring future generations feel supported and empowered, and acknowledging that the Torchbearers are a gift to people around them, that they have found their exact center; and from all indications in the words of Gwendolyn Winston “they experience the joy of living their calling.” This recognition culminated in 2023 with our third official ritual ceremony honoring 12 women community leaders as Torchbearers who then symbolically passed their torches to the persons who accepted the commitment to preserve their flames.
This is the third time that WOI has held its ritual/ceremony. The first occurred in 2006, to honor grassroots community leaders during the Women United statewide affirmative action campaign. The second was in 2012 during the Martin Luther King Jr Day Committee’s annual recognition, which honored Detroit Black women who were founders of the Mississippi Freedom School movement during the Civil Rights era. Every event is aimed at affirming those who have committed themselves to a life of passionate, compassionate service and mentorship in the Black community.
The ceremony opened with Winston welcoming the nearly 100 in attendance, sharing the opportunity she had “being in the company of each Torchbearer one on one, listening with respect and love about their journeys, then breaking bread with them over brunch.” She called the Torchbearers “passionate souls who made a commitment to claim and live their calling, sharing themselves, their talents and gifts with others to be a part of something that matters”.
Winston went on to name five other ways to describe the Torchbearers’ passionate souls. She said that passionate souls are: willing to be publicly accountable; see possibilities and the path when things don’t go as planned. They find another angle and keep going. They relish the unexpected. They help break the cycle of learned helplessness, assisting in unlearning limiting beliefs. They seize the moment – which is about action. They make tough choices – it’s about them prioritizing. They have their cake and eat it too!. And Passionate Souls are persistent learners – they don’t give up.
The program featured inspiring song and poetry and an African drum performance, gifting rhythms that brought women to their feet. Libations were poured in honor of the names of ancestors, and now passed comrades, the names of spirits who symbolize excellence in leadership names were called by those in the space. Attendees communed, new connections were made, and some rekindled. During the ritual, a covenant was made through which Flame Preservers (those who were passed on the torch by a Torchbearer) promised to keep the flame of activism and service burning. Torchbearers lit their Flame Preservers candle, during which hearts opened, and tears flowed.
In closing, Winston reminded everyone that the day was designed to give thanks for the “you that you are passing on to be preserved in the universe” and left everyone with this reflection inspired by the work of French poet Guillaume Apollinaire:
And she said, “come to the edge”
And I said, “I can’t, I’m afraid”
And she said, “come to the edge”
And I said, “I can’t. I will fall”
And she said, “come to the edge”
And I Did.
And she pushed me,
And I flew!
Wisdom’s 2023 Torchbearers are: Constance Simon, Nell Hearns, Freda Sampson, Stacey Johnson, Lottie Spady, Desiree Ferguson, Deborah Barnes, Darlene Allen, Sheila McCloud, Elaine Steele, Tahira Khalid, and Kim Sherrobi.
Excerpts from the ritual ceremony written and facilitated by PTPF artist, activist, and healer Latricia Wright:
Freda G Sampson, Constance Banks Simon, Shelia Mcleod, Deborah Barnes, Nell Hearns. Torch Bearers ignite their torch, one from another, as the ritual and ceremony begin.
For the Torch Bearers: we gather to pay tribute and honor your presence as seasoned leaders and wise warriors. Your efforts and unwavering dedication have shaped the present and sown seeds of inspiration for the next generation.
Throughout the years, you have shouldered the burdens and faced countless challenges, emerging stronger and more resilient with each trial. Your experiences have become a wellspring of wisdom, serving as a guidepost for those who follow.
Your pioneering work has laid a solid foundation upon which future generations can build. The paths you have forged have shattered barriers, dismantled systems of oppression, and illuminated new possibilities. Through your unwavering commitment to progress, you have demonstrated the transformative power of knowledge and action.
We recognize the countless sacrifices you have made along the way – the sleepless nights, the emotional toll, and the personal setbacks. Yet, despite it all, you persevered. Your determination has created ripples of change that reverberate far beyond your immediate surroundings.
For The Flame Preservers,
By accepting this sacred responsibility, you signify your readiness to harness the transformative power within you, to propel our collective journey towards liberation to new heights. No longer mere observers, you are now called upon to carry forward the legacy of the Flame Preservers, igniting the flames of progress and equality.
Yet, with this tremendous privilege comes great challenges. As the carriers of this E-ternal flame, you must be prepared to face adversity head-on, push boundaries, and challenge the status quo. It is through your determination and resilience that the light of liberation will shine brightest, illuminating the darkest corners of oppression and inequality.
Remember, this journey is not one to be embarked upon alone, but rather a collective endeavor. Seek out those who walk alongside you (like the person standing next to you), embrace the diversity of the intersectional tapestry we navigate, and create spaces where all voices can be heard and valued. By fostering unity and collaboration, you will strengthen the flame, allowing it to burn even brighter.
Torch Bearers and Flame Preservers unite their burning passion. Constance Banks Simon, Shelia Mcleod, Deborah Barnes, Nell Hearns, Kim Sherobi, Desiree M. Ferguson, Lottie V. Spady, Tahira Khalid, Darlene Allen, Elaine Steele.
Watch the ceremony here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGFOkKQk6VkSOR6UMNVb9jYWCknJ3QjLn
Learn more about the Listening Partners here: https://youtu.be/xYSG7doY_pw
Learn more about Everyone Counts Detroit Here: https://youtu.be/abu0JcP9z7c
Gwendolyn Winston is Founder/Executive Director of Wisdom Institute. The Institute is a not for profit, 501c3 organization dedicated to centering the lives and livelihoods of African American women. Passing the Torch Preserving the Flame is a 3-year project dedicated to claiming the Call and Witness to evolutionary revolutionary love, healing, and gender justice as practice, visually communicated art and ritual to actualize a water affordability plan in Detroit and enfranchised power. PTPF captures the lived experiences of unsung sheroes who are revered in communities, who passed their torches to younger women committed to carrying the flame of quantum leaping and endless energy for liberation in the intersectionality of their lives. Wisdom holds that healing justice requires us to walk this journey decolonizing our thoughts and beliefs – being audacious and bodacious in claiming the relevance of womb-centered lives.
LaTanya Bell is the Co-Executive Director and head of Communications at Wisdom Institute. You can find more information about Wisdom Institute on our website at http://wisdominstitutedetroit.org or visit is on social media @wisdominstitutedetroit
