EVENT: Self-Reflection and Connection About How We Show Up in the World

 

After George Floyd’s murder by police in May 2020, Sima Shahriar sought out friends — many who had European heritage — who did not want to talk about it in the same way she did. “I could not get the image of Chauvin’s glass-like eyes and George’s cry to his mom out of my head. Those nine minutes haunted me for months.” She also realized she had lived in Minneapolis for more than four decades but did not have any close friends who were Black.

Eventually she learned about the Cultural Wellness Center (CWC), led by Atum Azzahir. “The heart of CWC’s work revolves around self-reflection, studying our personal heritage in order to understand, have agency, and examine our own belief systems that have formed within our culture’s context,” says Shahriar.

“There is no blaming of others — our parents, neighbors, leaders, or ancestors. It is a practice of self-observation about what we have learned. It is about practicing our own self-study in how we show up in our world.”

Through conversations and reflections on the questions that Azzahir asks, Shahriar says, she was more prepared in 2022 when Jhina (Mahsa) Amini was murdered in Iran — the place of Shahriar’s cultural roots — because she was not wearing a proper hijab. After attending rallies for several months to lift up Amini’s name and story in Minneapolis, the political chants left her less satisfied. She sought out Azzahir to learn how to create her own circle for women of Iranian heritage.

“We’ve been studying Iran’s history and are stunned about how little we all have known about our history,” Shahriar says. That has made her even more motivated to explore cultural reflections with others. “The past five years have been the hardest and most expansive work I have done as a mom, community member, and in my own personal growth. I have also found myself grounded in understanding and become more active, positive, and creative than ever before in my life — even these past three challenging months in Minneapolis and with events in Iran.”

She is now a board member of CWC, which is hosting a conclave March 27 and 28 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, and invites other people seeking intentional connections and cultural awareness to participate.

 

What Is the Conclave?

Azzahir says the conclave, titled “The Health and Alchemy of Spirit,” is designed to foster deep community dialogue, healing, and shared learning. It does not feature “experts” speaking to the audience but is structured “as a participatory learning experience rooted in cultural wisdom and lived experience. The goal is to create an environment where people teach and learn from one another, drawing especially on the insights that come from struggle, reflection, and spiritual growth.”

The organizers intend to transform Westminster into “a spiritual space within a spiritual space,” where participants feel supported and open to honest dialogue. Elders — respected community members with long experience in the Cultural Wellness Center’s work — will play an important role throughout the event, offering guidance, reflection, and coaching.

One objective of the event is to strengthen the vision for a Cultural Wellness University, which Azzahir and colleagues hope to develop over the next two years. The intention is for cultural wellness to become a field of study “where people collectively examine their experiences, learn from one another, and make intentional decisions about their future. Learning in this model is grounded in personal stories, community relationships, and cultural knowledge.”

The event will be organized around 20 round tables led by a table host. All hosts come from diverse cultural backgrounds and will help guide discussions. Shahriar, for example, might share her experiences navigating identity and political tensions connected to Iran while living in the U.S. Story sharing is meant to spark dialogue about how people move from being categorized by race toward understanding themselves through culture and lived history.

Each table will have a microphone, allowing participants not only to talk among themselves but also to share insights with the entire room. Periodically, hosts may stand and speak to the full gathering, creating a dynamic exchange across the space. The format is intended to resemble a community conversation more than a lecture, with time for storytelling, questions, and reflections.

The gathering will invite participants to examine the global impacts of racism and white supremacy, while also exploring how these forces affect individuals internally. Rather than focusing solely on privilege or institutional dynamics, Azzahir says, participants are encouraged to ask personal questions about how systems have affected their own spirit, identity, and sense of humanity.

The event also will include activities intended to nurture participants’ emotional and spiritual well-being. Artistic sessions, such as “Art as Oxygen,” will allow people to process through creative expression. Other offerings include reflexology services and opportunities for one-on-one conversations with “elder coaching.”

The first day focuses on conversation, storytelling, and community learning. On the second day, participants will reflect on what they have experienced and consider practical next steps — how the insights gained can be applied in their lives and communities. The weekend will conclude with a celebratory dinner recognizing individuals who have demonstrated leadership and courage in advancing community well-being.

The overarching goal, Azzahir says, is to “unleash the power of people to heal themselves and build community.” The role of CWC is not to provide social services but to create spaces where people can safely confront pain, reclaim cultural wisdom, and rediscover their own capacity for healing and transformation.

Through storytelling, self-study, and collective reflection, participants learn that the answers to many of their struggles already exist within themselves and their communities.

Learn more about the Cultural Wellness Center.

 

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