Aaron Johnson, Director of the locally produced film, Dark and Tender, affirms, “Listening is the first hug.” Rev. Victoria is hosting Aaron Johnson next Sunday to share his journey of following ten Black men on a transformative retreat with the Chronically UnderTouched (CUT) Project. The men seek to reclaim platonic intimacy and tenderness through close encounters with nature and depictions of gentle Black masculinity, restoring the vital aspect of touch by replacing violence and rough play with care, connection, and intimacy.

Next Sunday's service will include a screening of the short film, a conversation with the Director, and a song circle following the service.

You can view the trailer here for Dark & Tender, which has been selected for Cannes Independent Shorts, Renaissance Black Film Festival in NY, and two other international film festivals. Our collection will go to Color of Sound, an organization based in Port Townsend, WA, working to transform the lives of people of color in the PNW and beyond.
 
Aaron Johnson is a public speaker, facilitator, and touch activist who practices closeness as a way to break down barriers between people. As co-founder of both Holistic Resistance and Grief to Action, Aaron takes the time to hold the stories of black people around homophobia, transphobia, internalized racism, and those that are Chronically UnderTouched. Aaron has created the Chronically UnderTouched (CUT) Project — basic strategies to bring a black body from being Chronically UnderTouched to a state of touch balance — as part of the lifelong journey of interrupting oppressive systems that make touch balance a radical action.