Isioma Odum

Isioma Odum moved to Chicago in 2015 from Sacramento, Calif., to pursue a degree in social justice from Loyola University. She started her racial healing journey while finishing her graduate degree as an intern at the Br. David Darst Center for Justice & Peace, Spirituality & Education. She facilitated peace circles for immersion retreat participants ranging in age from 13 to 18. Every year, the center hosts hundreds of students from all over the country interested in reflecting on the injustices of our world and their root causes.

What made Isioma’s experience so unique was that the circles weren’t just about everyone sharing their experiences, but were also about creating action plans to address the issues realized from those experiences. They focused on an array of justice issues, such as homelessness, food insecurity, incarceration, education, racism, and immigration. Students not only learned about what was happening all over the world, but what was happening in Chicago, and how many people are doing great work in the communities most impacted by violence and lack of resources.

Isioma’s experience at the Darst Center connected her with other organizations, such as Precious Blood Ministries of Reconciliation, La Casa Norte, Growing Home, and Arise Chicago. Co-educating with these agencies opened her eyes to see more clearly those change-makers and freedom fighters who don’t always stand in the spotlight, but are in the midst of the chaos, and serve where they are most needed. It also taught her about the importance of addressing injustice through a collaborative approach.

Isioma is excited to expand on her hike-to-heal community, The Afro Trek Tribe, and implement the TRHT framework to advance efforts to mend relationships between ethnic groups. The Afro Trek Tribe is a community of Afrocentric nature enthusiasts who promote holistic mental health practices by providing nature outings and educational experiences that connect those in the African diaspora. She hopes to deepen her relationships with environmental organizations, such as the Eco Womanist Institute and Faith in Place by facilitating racial healing circles and other practices to support the community she serves.

Post-Institute: Transformative Action Plans

Isioma leads the Afro Trek Tribe, an organization dedicated to building a global tribal community through nature exploration, storytelling, and ancestral veneration. Isioma connects elements of nature and the human experience to promote racial healing.

The Afro Trek Tribe is committed to the healing of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities suffering from race-based traumatic stress. The key principles of her work include: 1) Honor the sacredness of the land and the human experience by acknowledging participants’ contribution and commitment to Mother Earth, 2) Support the healing process by offering traditional spiritual practices that restore, replenish, and rejuvenate participants on their healing journey, 3) Provide a protected space that honors each participants’ story, and 4) Bring to light the interconnectedness among people of the African Diaspora.