Burning the Candle at Both Ends: A Forum to Breathe, Heal, and Resist

In April 2023, PARR hosted its first forum: a three-day event for Black and racialized individuals engaged in partnership-based research—be it community, activist, or academic.

Organized by Ornella Tannous and Maud Jean-Baptiste, the event provided a space to name harm, share survival strategies, and imagine new ways of being and working together.

Through this gathering, the organizers brought PARR’s foundational research to life.

The forum opened with a keynote by Marie DaSylva—coach, strategist, and founder of Nkali Works, an agency that has supported racialized women in professional settings since 2017. Marie is known for her work uplifting and empowering women through the development of self-defence strategies against systemic racism. Her approach, inspired by talking circles and radical coaching, laid the foundation for a space where participants could name their experiences—and feel heard.

Over the next two days, participants—guided by facilitators and hosts Marbella Carlos, Marie DaSylva, and Sam I Am Montolla—took part in participatory workshops, art therapy, sound healing sessions, and discussions on power dynamics, tokenism, and the conditions required for truly collaborative and equitable research. One evening ended with a DJ set—an invitation to release, move, and breathe.

More than just a program, the experience was shaped by intentionality: how can we create spaces where people feel safe enough to lower their guard, speak, listen, and co-create?

‍“[We wanted] their lived experience to be taken seriously—and for concrete, tangible solutions to be offered.” — Forum co-organizer (Episode 1 – En Fleurs, Plus en Feu ! podcast)

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The forum was intentionally designed as a safer space that could hold everyone’s vulnerability. And it paid off. One participant shared:

“[The forum] really gave me tools for self-defence that I didn’t have before. Strangely, soon after that, I found myself in another situation where having those tools was almost essential. They allowed me to protect myself, but also to assert my rights—my voice.” — Participant (Episode 2 – En Fleurs, Plus en Feu ! podcast)

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For others, it was the first time they had heard people speak about similar experiences—an affirming, mirror-like effect that was both freeing and transformative.

The forum was, in this sense, a direct response to the research findings: an act of collective care, recognition, and knowledge-sharing. A first stepping stone toward a living network rooted in the realities and resistance of those most affected.