This intergenerational ethnoautobiography seeks to collapse the space caused by social distancing, and to absorb radical healing through storytelling, connection, ancestral knowledge and resilience. Many elders in our communities have lived through wars, liberation movements, civil rights, forced migration, refugee camps, and more, across time, and space. Given that history, their thoughts on this pandemic would be incredibly enlightening, and enriching. The aim of this project is to disrupt the narratives that view our Elders as disposable burdens, rather than the carriers of our truths, and protectors of our legacies. Our goal is to co-power intergenerationally by regaining what has been lost through oppressive narratives that flatten the role of our elders and their infinite wisdom. 

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The Wisdom of the Elders project will train Black Muslim youth (and others) from the Deeply Rooted Emerging Leaders (DREL) fellowship in the principles of ethnography, narrative psychology and cultural-rational theory. This training will equip them to conduct trauma informed, healing centered semi-structured interviews with elders about their past experiences and current reflections on the Coronavirus pandemic.