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Announc­ing Return­ing to Self 2026: Free Black His­to­ry Month Culmination

Feb 4, 2026 4:28 pm

The Trust for Gov­er­nors Island announced Return­ing to Self, a free indoor gath­er­ing in hon­or of Black His­to­ry Month that cen­ters heal­ing, cre­ativ­i­ty, and col­lec­tive care, pre­sent­ed in part­ner­ship with A Safe Space Men­tor. Tak­ing place on Sat­ur­day, Feb­ru­ary 28, 2026, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Low­er Man­hat­tan Cul­tur­al Coun­cil (LMCC) Arts Cen­ter at Gov­er­nors Island, Return­ing to Self will bring togeth­er artists, heal­ers, and edu­ca­tors for an after­noon of restora­tive expe­ri­ences that allows par­tic­i­pants to slow down, hon­or their feel­ings, and begin to return to them­selves. Work­shops and acti­va­tions include:

• Sound Bath: ​“On Gath­er­ing,” with Rena Anakwe – A ground­ing sound bath expe­ri­ence fea­tur­ing tank drums, chimes, crys­tal harp, and ocean drum, paired with read­ings inspired by Black women and femmes. Par­tic­i­pants are guid­ed through a body scan to release ten­sion and open to sound vibra­tions, clos­ing with time to reflect and gath­er. Par­tic­i­pants will receive cus­tom essen­tial oil roller­balls to sup­port their heal­ing journey.
• Hydrosols: The Heal­ing Pow­er of Plants with Adaku Utah and Oko Farms – An edu­ca­tion­al and med­i­ta­tive work­shop explor­ing hydrosols — aro­mat­ic herbal waters cre­at­ed through steam dis­til­la­tion — and their role in plant med­i­cine and self-care. Par­tic­i­pants learn how water car­ries med­i­c­i­nal and ener­getic prop­er­ties while engag­ing in hands-on explo­ration and guid­ed reflection.
• Breath & Body: A Somat­ic Explo­ration with A Safe Space Men­tor – A work­shop that begins with gen­tle breath­work to calm the ner­vous sys­tem and sup­port emo­tion­al release before flow­ing into intu­itive somat­ic move­ment. Par­tic­i­pants are invit­ed to explore free-form motion that awak­ens joy, expres­sion, and embod­ied connection.
• Type­writer Poet­ry with Dylan Gilbert and the Poet­ry Soci­ety of New York – Through­out the day, type­writer poet Dylan Gilbert will engage guests in short con­ver­sa­tions inspired by the event themes, trans­form­ing respons­es into orig­i­nal poems typed live on a type­writer for par­tic­i­pants to take home.
• Make Your Own Bou­quet with Gov­er­nors Island Nature – Using a selec­tion of sea­son­al plants and dried cut­tings, par­tic­i­pants cre­ate win­ter bou­quets cel­e­brat­ing nat­ur­al beau­ty in all sea­sons while con­nect­ing direct­ly with Gov­er­nors Island’s landscapes.
• Food and drink from Mak­i­na Café – A selec­tion of tea, cof­fee, and light bites from year-round Gov­er­nors Island ven­dor Mak­i­na Café will be avail­able to par­tic­i­pants on a first come, first served basis.

Free with RSVP (click here). Return­ing to Self is pre­sent­ed by the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island in part­ner­ship with A Safe Space Men­tor, with event space gen­er­ous­ly pro­vid­ed by LMCC.