Over Two Decades of Leadership In:
- Social justice education, activism, and organizing
- Community-based approaches to conflict and harm
- Uplifting young people's brilliance and leadership
- Embodied trauma healing and leadership development
Bio
Briana Herman-Brand is a longtime participant in social movements for collective liberation and has worked for over 25 years at the intersections of healing and justice as a facilitator, educator, organizer, and politicized healer—with both young people and adults. Briana’s roots in social justice go back to her family of origin but her passion for change work blossomed through addressing gender-based violence in college. It was there that she found her voice as a survivor and her commitment to building transformative justice approaches that support the healing and accountability of people on all sides of harm.
In Washington State, Briana partners with organizations, schools, and community groups who want to address trauma, injustice, and conflict at the root and rediscover how to heal together. She is a core member of the organization, Collective Justice, where she facilitates relational healing processes with those impacted by severe violence. Nationally, Briana works with politicized somatics organizations, teaching courses on trauma healing and embodied leadership for grassroots changemakers.
Briana has worked extensively in the fields of youthwork, intimate partner violence, white anti-racism, LGBTQ liberation, transformative/restorative justice, and community organizing. Briana lives on Coast Salish land in Seattle, WA with her gender-expansive child, where she sings and dances as often as possible, and holds space with community to grieve and transform the challenges of our time.
My Approach
I bring a joyful and enthusiastic commitment to building community and creating change. At the core of my work, I prioritize building relationships rooted in mutual dignity, and I support groups to reweave their sense of interdependence. In a world that so often numbs us, I believe that healing our ability to be in depthful relationship with ourselves and others is one of the most powerful tools we have to interrupt and mend cycles of violence. I facilitate spaces where people are encouraged to bring their whole selves – their identities and histories, their mistakes and fears, their joy and hope. I meet people where they are at – bringing empathy and validation to who they are and the intelligence of how they’ve come to be that way – while simultaneously inspiring them towards a more expansive understanding of what’s possible. Whether addressing the impacts of individual and collective trauma, building anti-oppression awareness, or supporting the development of more powerful leadership, I bring a loving and rigorous presence that allows participants to feel safe and respected while taking the risks necessary for growth.