Blue Ridge Healing Circle: A gathering to honor and document the healing traditions of the Blue Ridge Mountains with a focus on our elders.

The Blue Ridge Healing Circle is a community gathering dedicated to remembering and preserving the old ways of healing. We are bringing together elders and longtime community members to share the remedies, practices, stories, and wisdom that shaped their lives. What plants did your grandparents rely on? What home remedies were passed down in your family? How did neighbors care for one another before the conveniences we have today? Our goal is to document healing traditions connected to the Blue Ridge Mountains while creating a welcoming space for conversation, storytelling, and learning across generations. We will also honor the life and work of Dr. John Henry Pinkard, a Black herbalist and healer whose legacy is an important part of our region's history. This gathering is less a formal presentation and more a shared conversation, it is a chance to listen, remember, and ensure that this knowledge continues to live on. The Healing Circle will be led by Antonio Stovall, Traditional Healer & Cultural Educator.