Who We Are
2023 Board of Directors at the Annual Healing Gala and Art Auction. From left to right: Chineze Mogbo, Aquarius Ester Alegria, William North, Andre Brown, Atlenea Beard, Raigine Robinson, Natalie Battles, Sparkle Springfield, Torziata "Godtess" White, Venise Keys, and Dionne V. Milton.
About Us... |
The Healing Academy is a Chicago based nonprofit organization that brings awareness to the deficits that plague our world. By teaching the power of emotional maturity, the importance of African/ African American history and the necessity to cultivate one’s artistic self we change the world. We hold classes and workshops for all ages to ensure the education, growth, health and the over all betterment of Melanated people not only in Chicago but the world. One goal of the Healing Academy is to open a community arts center that is a holistic academic institution teaching literacy in order to serve communities of color while healing the voids and traumas of oppression. Another goal is to open a School for the arts, literacy, holistic health, life skills, history and so much more!
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Mission
Our mission is to transform urban communities by offering education for the entire family that inspires solid minds, transforms whole bodies and rebirths the full soul.
Vision
The Healing Academy will uphold its mission of transforming underserved communities by providing opportunities for families to use art as a catalyst for healing, practice knowledge of self regularly and learn social emotional skills that mold the future into what we envision; world class training for educators, in depth educational programming for the youth and resources for families to help them heal.
We will continue connecting with organizations globally to build institutions around the world driven by people on a healing path.
We will attract and sustain relationships with families, staff and community organizations to inform how our practices impact the community.
Our mission is to transform urban communities by offering education for the entire family that inspires solid minds, transforms whole bodies and rebirths the full soul.
Vision
The Healing Academy will uphold its mission of transforming underserved communities by providing opportunities for families to use art as a catalyst for healing, practice knowledge of self regularly and learn social emotional skills that mold the future into what we envision; world class training for educators, in depth educational programming for the youth and resources for families to help them heal.
We will continue connecting with organizations globally to build institutions around the world driven by people on a healing path.
We will attract and sustain relationships with families, staff and community organizations to inform how our practices impact the community.
Pillars
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Accomplishments
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Status
We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
About the Board
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Dionne Victoria Milton - Artist | Educator | EntrepreneurDionne Victoria is an educator and Chicago artist whose artwork is a meditative tool to heal and express the soul. Dionne Victoria has exhibited in the United States Congress Library as well as in the Museum of Science and Industry. Some major awards she has received are honorable mention during the Black Creativity Exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry and a Congressional Award for her artwork. She has taught art and science all over the Chicagoland area, in other states and in South Korea where she taught using art as a modality in 2012. Once back stateside she volunteered with the youth at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center doing art as therapy. She developed a science-arts integration curriculum while teaching at SkyArt, Northwestern University Center for Talent and Development as well as her own arts studio, Dionne Victoria Studios, INC. She began her curating career under Tye Johnson Artistry in 2014 and has curated all over Chicago including at the historic South Side Community Art Center.
Securing her Masters in Teaching from the University of Chicago in 2018 opened the door to working with teens on a more in-depth scale. She began partnering with the University of Chicago’s Art Incubator teaching the skills necessary to create and operate an arts organization. She is a Field/WORK resident alum at the Chicago Artist Coalition and has completed the Bridge Program at the Hyde Park Art Center. She taught science at Art In Motion and this year will hold the chair as President of the Healing Academy, the arts and education based nonprofit that she co-founded in 2019. In 2020 she co-founded Gamma Xi Phi Kappa, the Chicago branch of the national professional artists fraternity. During the school year 2021-22, Dionne conducted a study that found how art (literary and visual) could help students understand science and practice cognitive skills in their personal lives through her fellowship at the Chicago Foundation for Education. While all of these are great accomplishments, Dionne’s most rewarding achievement is mothering her two children. |
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Natalie Battles - Artist | Educator | FilmmakerNatalie Battles is a visual and performance artist. She uses her gifts of photography, cinematography, event curation, acting, directing, and hosting to educate, amplify and inspire. Natalie creates to shine a light on the truth, and the beauty/ greatness of melanated people and culture. Her purpose is to restore melanated people to their former greatness and to encourage them to walk in their power. Natalie does this by taking control of the melanated narrative, helping melanated people to love themselves, their stories and their image.
Natalie is the founder of Melanated in America production company where the mission is to highlight promote and showcase everything melanated in America. Natalie is also the co-founder of the healing Academy arts and education based non-profit organization with a mission to transform urban communities by offering education for the entire family that inspires solid minds, transforms whole bodies, and fulfills the entire soul. |
Atlenea Beard - CEO of Beard Admin Services
Atlenea Beard reigns as the CEO of Beard Admin Services, Pretty Women Series Apparel, the Co-CEO of Elexis Investments LLC and is a Radio Personality for Hot Spot Radio. She is the creator of a self-published journal book "Client Chronicles-Journal meets Entrepreneur'', the creator and instructor of Birth Your Business™ Entrepreneur in-person workshops and online webinars. She also serves as a Mentor with The Mentors a program. She holds a degree in Business Administration and Criminal Justice Cyber Security. Her passion is educating as well as assisting entrepreneurs and giving back to the community and keeping the public connected through radio. |
Chineze Mogbo - Digital Marketing Strategist | Artist | Safe Space Curator
Chineze Mogbo is an Artist, Creative Professional, Safe Space Curator, Model, Actress, Kemetic Belly Dancer, Digital Marketing Strategist, Community Organizer, Head Wrap Specialist, Health and Wellness Advocate, Housing Counselor, and a proud Mother. After obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Marketing, she founded Mogbo Marketing, a Digital Marketing Agency. She utilizes her marketing expertise to help businesses and community-based organizations in the Chicagoland area spread awareness about new businesses and products, educational and healing information, initiatives, and resources in many communities. Chineze is also the founder of Battle Wrapped, an African culture-based fashion business. Its mission is to teach the Art and history of global Head wrapping techniques. In 2018, Chineze was shot in the head and sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). After her recovery, she Co-Founded Weaving the Thread Healing Experience (WTT Healing) where she began sharing her traumatic experience and the practices that assist in her healing process with others. By curating these safe spaces in different communities, Chineze was able to co-create with organizations and artists to bring multiple forms of healing to our communities. As an artist, she uses the power of healing practices, art, dance, and other creative avenues to curate health and wellness events globally. |
Raigine Robinson - Photographer
Raigine Robinson aka Rai was born and raised on the south side of Chicago to the Englewood community. She spent her entire life traveling and aspires to bring opportunity and compassion into the community that helped shape her. She is a photographer, poet, dancer, graphic designer, producer, skate and skateboarder, and contortionist who is committed to having fun through creation. Her main goal is to inspire the children in her neighborhood to not only realize they are capable of great things, but that they also hold the power to shape their own community as well. She’s studied several healing techniques under the MasterForce academy and brings breath work and journaling into most of her private meditation sessions. She graduated from Illinois Media School and received a certificate in broadcasting with a focus in audio engineering during the pandemic of 2020 and has continued to utilize her skills on her journey to document the history and evolution of Englewood. She holds Hoodoo, Yoga, Life Coaching, Teaching, and Herbalist certifications she received from accredited programs like International Open Academy and Centre of Excellence |
Sparkle Springfield - Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences
As a nutritionist, Sparkle's research focuses on understanding and improving diet quality and diet-related outcomes in African-American women through culturally tailored, lifestyle interventions. She completed an NIH/NHLBI Cardiovascular Disease Prevention postdoctoral fellowship in the Prevention Research Center in the School of Medicine at Stanford University. Dr. Springfield is a former pre-doctoral fellow of the NIH/NCI Cancer Education Career Development Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She was also an undergraduate fellow of the NIH/NIGMS Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR) program at Grambling State University. Dr. Springfield is currently working on projects that include studies to understand predictors of resilience and examine its relationship with CVD-related health behaviors, including diet quality, at Loyola University Chicago. Her previous research examined socio-demographic and psychosocial predictors of dietary quality in African American breast cancer survivors enrolled in a community-based randomized weight-loss intervention trial. She enjoys hiking, Zumba, and cooking – particularly vegan dishes. |
Torziata Godtess White - InDepth Doula
Godtess is our Death to Life coach, Spirit Specialist, Oracle Reflexologist, Sankofa Rites of Passage facilitator, TRHT- Truth and Racial Healing and Transformation facilitator, and certified Kemetic Yoga Instructor for children.
Her greatest service is being a chosen vessel (mother) of 6 + children and thru them, she is abundantly blessed to be the grandmother of 10 + grandchildren.
Being born and raised in Chicago, IL., Godtess and her children were exposed to various kinds of trauma. This is what started her on a clarity search of how we can be the solution.
On this quest for revelation, Godtess traveled to many states in the U.S. and then she traveled abroad to Ghana, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia and more. She now knows her purpose. She is called to those that have an ear to hear their calling and desire guidance from a wise woman, operating in truth and love.
Godtess lives by and teaches Proverbs principles, especially Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Connect with Godtess: IG - @Godtesstorziata
Godtess is our Death to Life coach, Spirit Specialist, Oracle Reflexologist, Sankofa Rites of Passage facilitator, TRHT- Truth and Racial Healing and Transformation facilitator, and certified Kemetic Yoga Instructor for children.
Her greatest service is being a chosen vessel (mother) of 6 + children and thru them, she is abundantly blessed to be the grandmother of 10 + grandchildren.
Being born and raised in Chicago, IL., Godtess and her children were exposed to various kinds of trauma. This is what started her on a clarity search of how we can be the solution.
On this quest for revelation, Godtess traveled to many states in the U.S. and then she traveled abroad to Ghana, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia and more. She now knows her purpose. She is called to those that have an ear to hear their calling and desire guidance from a wise woman, operating in truth and love.
Godtess lives by and teaches Proverbs principles, especially Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Connect with Godtess: IG - @Godtesstorziata