The highly anticipated return of the annual LIGHT (Leaders Igniting Generational Healing and Transformation) Virtual Festival was held June 21 & June 22. The event started with a virtual yoga practice to ground and center the participants before the opening remarks by LIGHT co-editor, Dr. Idia Thurston. Her remarks welcomed everyone, thanking each of them for joining the conversation and being part of the work to bridge the divide between public health researchers and the public by creating opportunities to connect with one another through art, letters, stories, and poetry as lived experiences of healing and health. Over the two days, 110 individuals from around the globe attended at least one session, joining from Canada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, India, Netherlands, Nigeria, Malawi, South Africa, and the United States to attend the following sessions: 
• A Sense of Place: A Writing Workshop with Emily Rubin | Speaker: Emily Rubin
• The Black Genome Project: Building Trust and Fostering Community through Lived Experiences | Speakers: Dr. Chelsey Carter and Dr. Brett Maricque
• Practicing Gratitude Through Mindful Painting | Speaker: Chloe Chlumecky
• The Color White | Speaker: Korede Olusanya
• Speculative Fiction, Care Work, and Imagining After-Empire: A Storytelling Workshop | Speaker: Dr. Dharushana Muthulingam
• Using Film for Social Impact | Speaker: Thato Mwosa
• A Tradition of Witness | Speaker: Christell Victoria Roach

Participants also tuned in for the announcement of finalists from two open call contests asking individuals across the world to share their art, letters, stories, and poetry to tell others about their experiences with cancer and how they create healthy spaces and places for themselves and others. These finalists will have their pieces included in Issue 3 and Issue 4 of the LIGHT Magazine and will be featured in the LIGHT Blog. 

The success of this event wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Festival sponsors:  Here and Next at Washington University in St. Louis, Northeastern University Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research, Northeastern University Department of Public Health and Health Sciences, Korédé House in St. Louis, and Northeastern University Africana Studies Program. On behalf of the LIGHT team at large, we look forward to continuing this conversation with all of the participants, presenters, finalists, and sponsors, both now and in the future.