Cannabis, Community, Culture & Ancestral Memory Saturday, October 3, 2026 PURPOSE & PROMISE
Black Canni brings the village together to remember ancestral wisdom, examine the harms of cannabis criminalization, and shape pathways toward healing, repair and economic vibrancy. Its promise is a space for honest learning, cultural connection and community-led action, rooted in dignity, harm reduction and shared power. THE CURATOR’S PURPOSE
Curated by Maurissa Stone, cannabis abolitionist and Director of Innovation at The Living Well, Black Canni connects cannabis, culture and community with a larger question: how do we repair what prohibition has harmed? Through dialogue, movement, ancestral practice and nourishment, we make room for people to remember, learn and imagine a more equitable future together. ROOTED IN THE LIVING WELL
Since 2009, The Living Well has cultivated a third space in Baltimore for healing, soulful expression, conscious expansion and social and economic vibrancy. Founded in 2023, TLW’s Black Canni carries that work into cannabis education, cultural remembrance and community repair, honoring legacy knowledge while opening pathways to equitable opportunity.
“We already know. We just have to remember.”
CANNABIS: COMMUNITY, CULTURE & ANCESTRAL MEMORY We know we just have to remember.
MORNING • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2026
Grounding & Remembering 8:00 - 8:45 AM
Kemetic Yoga Joshua “Akindele” Smith (Brova Joshua) Objective: Reconnect breath, movement and mindfulness with African-centered wellness; prepare body, mind and spirit for shared learning. 8:30 - 9:30 AM
Breakfast & Community Connection Official Chef: Catina “Chef Cat” Smith • Cherry Street Diner 9:15 - 9:30 AM
Drum Meditation Objective: Ground the gathering through rhythm, presence and shared connection. 9:30 AM • OPENING THE CIRCLE
Opening Libation Baba of Sangogbemi André Turner Objective: Honor the ancestors, invite wisdom and ground the gathering in remembrance. 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
The Remembering & Repair Circle Circle Leaders: André Robinson, Eric Ford, Lawrence Grandpre, Dr. Lawrence T. Brown, Maurissa Stone and Dr. Paulette S. Smith. Objective: Name the harms of cannabis criminalization and identify Afrofuturist pathways toward repair, healing and community power. 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Lunch Official Chef: Catina “Chef Cat” Smith • Cherry Street Diner Support the Cherry Street Diner fundraising initiative and Chef Cat’s vision of food, culture and community connection.
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CANNABIS: COMMUNITY, CULTURE & ANCESTRAL MEMORY We know we just have to remember.
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
Learning & Healing Praxis 1:00 - 1:45 PM
The Truth About Teens & Cannabis: It’s More Than “Just Say No” Facilitator: Jessica Lewis, MS, BSN, RN Objective: Explore the developing brain, patterns of use, culture, stigma and the environments shaping young people’s choices through honest, safety-focused dialogue. 2:00 - 2:15 PM
Movement Energizer Facilitator: Tracie Marie Jiggetts Objective: Use movement, rhythm and sound to release stress, reclaim joy and experience dance as a cultural connector across generations. 2:30 - 3:15 PM
Mindful Reclamation Facilitator: Dr. Paulette S. Smith Objective: Gain a mindfulness tool and compassionate strategies for reducing stigma, grounded in dignity, informed choice and cultural humility. 3:15 - 3:45 PM
What Is Psilocybin Therapy? Facilitator: Charlotte Duerr James Objective: Explore Indigenous ceremonial knowledge, prohibition and the psychedelic revival; consider safety, cultural extraction and respectful community-rooted healing. 4:00 - 4:45 PM
Organizing Liberatory Spaces as Healing Praxis Facilitator: Jamila Hogan (The Real Jay Mills) • Ebony Green Objective: Examine how culture, storytelling, community agreements and intentional gatherings cultivate safety, belonging, shared power and collective freedom.
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CANNABIS: COMMUNITY, CULTURE & ANCESTRAL MEMORY We know we just have to remember.
CIRCLE LEADERS • REMEMBERING & REPAIR
People Who Power the Community Dr. Lawrence T. Brown Race, place & community power
Dr. Lawrence T. Brown is a scholar, game designer, curator and urban Afrofuturist. Author of The Black Butterfly, he creates learning tools that expose urban apartheid and brings a reparative lens on race, place and community power.
Eric N. Ford Youth development & restorative practice
Eric Ford leads public service programs at UMBC’s Shriver Center. With more than 30 years in youth development and human services, he advances racial equity, restorative practice and institutional accountability, examining how systems shape youth and community outcomes.
Lawrence Grandpre Policy & Black political power
Lawrence Grandpre is a political commentator with Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, an independent think tank advancing policy for Black Baltimore and Maryland. He co-hosts In Search of Black Power, hosts Political Commentary Corner and co-authored The Black Book.
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CANNABIS: COMMUNITY, CULTURE & ANCESTRAL MEMORY We know we just have to remember.
CIRCLE LEADERS • FOUNDER & CURATOR
People Who Power the Community André Robinson Creative leadership & cultural revitalization
André Robinson of The Robinson Group is a creative executive, real estate developer and advocate for inclusive creative spaces. His work spans theater, film, dance and cultural revitalization in New York, Washington, New Jersey and Baltimore. He has led Belafonte Enterprises, the Roger Furman Theater and the Tony Award-winning Crossroads Theatre Company, and collaborates with City Life Community Builders to expand youth workforce development in Baltimore.
Maurissa Stone Founder, curator & cannabis abolitionist
Maurissa Stone is Founder and Curator of Black Canni and Director of Innovation at The Living Well. A social entrepreneur, community strategist, management consultant and cannabis abolitionist, she advances public education, harm reduction, reparative policy and equitable opportunities connecting cannabis, culture, healing and community power.
THE CIRCLE’S GUIDING QUESTIONS • What did cannabis prohibition cost our communities? • Where do we continue to see its legacy today? • What should meaningful repair look like? Rooted in shared learning and deep listening, circle leaders guide a participatory conversation connecting housing, social welfare, economics, food sovereignty, education, workforce development, transportation and the social determinants of health.
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CANNABIS: COMMUNITY, CULTURE & ANCESTRAL MEMORY We know we just have to remember.
GROUNDING, ANCESTRAL PRACTICE & NOURISHMENT
People Who Power the Community Joshua “Akindele” Smith (Brova Joshua) Kemetic Yoga • 8:00 - 8:45 AM
Joshua “Akindele” Smith, known as Brova Joshua, is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher certified in Kemetic Yoga and founder of BANTU Global Healing Community. Through storytelling, holistic wellness, cultural education, breath, movement and mindfulness, he creates spaces for Black people to reconnect with their bodies, ancestral wisdom and power.
Baba of Sangogbemi André Turner Opening Libation • 9:30 AM
Baba of Sangogbemi André Turner is a senior program trainer whose work includes rites of passage. He leads the opening libation, honoring ancestors, inviting wisdom and grounding the gathering in shared remembrance.
Catina “Chef Cat” Smith Official Chef • Cherry Street Diner
Catina “Chef Cat” Smith is a Baltimore culinary leader and founder of Cherry Street Diner. With 20 years in the food industry, she champions Black women chefs, mentors entrepreneurs and creates accessible dining experiences rooted in culture, creativity and community. She nourishes the gathering through breakfast and lunch.
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CANNABIS: COMMUNITY, CULTURE & ANCESTRAL MEMORY We know we just have to remember.
EDUCATION, MOVEMENT & MINDFUL RECLAMATION
People Who Power the Community Jessica Lewis, MS, BSN, RN The Truth About Teens & Cannabis • 1:00 - 1:45 PM
Jessica Lewis is an emergency and surgical care nurse, Marine Corps veteran and medical cannabis advocate. A UMB graduate, she co-founded Prism Processing. Through Structurally Sound & Co., she connects public health, sustainable housing and economic opportunity in under-resourced communities.
Tracie Marie Jiggetts Movement Energizer • 2:00 - 2:15 PM
Tracie Marie Jiggetts is a Baltimore interdisciplinary artist, arts educator, playwright and director specializing in dance, acting, musical theatre and movement. A Coppin State graduate and founder of Art of Truth, she advances human and community development through the performing arts and believes experiencing art is revolutionary.
Dr. Paulette S. Smith Remembering & Repair Circle Leader • 9:30 AM - noon Mindful Reclamation • 2:30 - 3:15 PM
Dr. Paulette S. Smith is an educator and licensed clinical social worker. Founder of Paulette Simone & Associates and Canna Heals, she advances mindfulness, harm reduction, cannabis education and racial healing.
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CANNABIS: COMMUNITY, CULTURE & ANCESTRAL MEMORY We know we just have to remember.
SACRED MEDICINES & LIBERATORY SPACES
People Who Power the Community Charlotte Duerr James What Is Psilocybin Therapy? • 3:15 - 3:45 PM
Charlotte Duerr James is a healing justice facilitator, ceremonial practitioner and founder of New Old Ways and Liberation Training. With more than 15 years working with Sacred Earth Medicines, she bridges ancestral wisdom, psychedelic ritual and collective liberation, creating transformative spaces grounded in integrity, reverence and shared remembrance.
Jamila Hogan (The Real Jay Mills) Organizing Liberatory Spaces as Healing Praxis • 4:00 - 4:45 PM
Jamila Hogan is a Howard University-educated entrepreneur, brand strategist, cannabis educator, author and event producer. Founder of Ebony Green and The Green Life Learning Center, she has spent more than 20 years building businesses and accessible learning experiences that connect cannabis, culture, community and pathways to ownership.
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CANNABIS: COMMUNITY, CULTURE & ANCESTRAL MEMORY We know we just have to remember.
MUSIC, DOCUMENTATION & CONNECTION
People Who Power the Community DJ AfroDelic Convening DJ
DJ AfroDelic holds the musical thread of Black Canni, bringing rhythm and sound to our shared experience of culture, remembrance and community connection.
Zizwe Allette House Photographer
Documenting the people and moments of Black Canni, preserving the gathering’s expressions of culture, healing and community.
4:45 - 5:00 PM
Reflections & Call to Action Facilitator: Black Canni Community Objective: Reflect on what we heard, felt and remembered; identify next steps toward community repair.
BRING BLACK CANNI TO YOUR COMMUNITY If you want to host a Black Canni convening, reach out to us at admin@livewellbemore.com. Share your experience on Instagram and tag: #blackcanni #livewellbemore #healingincommunity
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Sponsors, Partners & Supporters Thank you for powering the village.
COMMUNITY ARCHITECTURE OF HEALING & REPAIR