Black American Veterans & Psychedelic Therapy
Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 4:30-6:00pm Pacific Time
Hanifa Nayo Washington will discuss her vision of Beloved Psychedelic Community through Fireside Project's Equity Initiative and BIPOC Affinity Peer Program. James Dixon will discuss their varied expertise in peer support, including as a Black, Queer-identified Veteran working as a psychedelic facilitator in the Social Neuroscience & Psychotherapy Lab.
Hanifa Nayo Washington is the Founding Team Member and Chief Ambassador at Fireside Project, a nonprofit that is creating systemic change in the field of psychedelics in three key domains: safety, diversity, and equitable access. Through their Psychedelic Peer Support Line, Fireside Project has created a nationwide safety net that has substantially decreased 911 calls and hospitalizations while democratizing access to free high-quality care. The line has supported thousands of callers since launching in April of 2021. A burgeoning thought leader in the field of psychedelic activism, Hanifa, is also the Co-founder and Organizing Principal of One Village Healing, an online BIPOC centered healing, resilience, and psychedelic wellness space.
James Dixon PSS, MHFA is a Research Associate and Psychedelic Facilitator at the SNaP Lab and completed MAPS MDMA-assisted therapy training in 2022. As a theatre maker (SDC) and a service-connected US Air Force Veteran with the lived experience of being Black and Queer identified, James also works as a Black Youth Suicide Prevention Program Specialist for Multnomah County, a Peer Support Specialist Facilitator and he currently serves on the Accountability Collective which works to preserve equity within the local theatrical arts administration. While focusing on uplifting solutions that dismantle barriers to equity and improve access to trauma-informed care, equity and inclusion are at the core of his work as a storyteller and mental health practitioner. James also supports the Portland City Council as an appointed member of the Arts Education and Access Fund Citizen Oversight Committee