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Grief and remembrance

What is Cultural Bereavement?

October 11 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Welcome Center Community Meeting Room
Free
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Join Lakewood as we explore the topic of cultural bereavement for (im)migrant and refuge families.

Family traditions provide comfort during times of change, death or loss. However, for many (im)migrant and refugee families, ancestral forms of comfort are disrupted, lost, or difficult to access. Soyeon Davis and Tida Beattie from MESO are rooted in the work of understanding, caring for, and healing people who experience this kind of grief, called cultural bereavement, and the complex intergenerational impacts of relocation and assimilation.

This presentation aims to raise awareness and encourage dialogue about cultural bereavement, offering attendees insights into the profound complexities of migration-related loss, inherent in the immigrant and refugee experience. As a community member, advocate, scholar, and/or mental health professional, this presentation invites you to reflect upon the resilience, strength, and humanity of those who navigate cultural bereavement. All are welcome!

From this presentation, you will:

– Gain insights of what cultural bereavement entails and how it intersects with migration experiences.

– Explore how cultural bereavement manifests in the lives of individuals, families and communities, impacting their sense of belonging, identity, and well-being.

– Delve into the emotional, psychological, and social consequences of cultural bereavement.

About MESO

MESO is a grief support organization led by Tida Beattie and Soyeon Davis, both trained end-of-life doulas and grief facilitators. Tida’s family immigrated to the US from Thailand. Soyeon and her family immigrated from South Korea. Through their experiences of being long-distance caregivers to immigrant parents, they noticed a dire lack of culturally aware resources on aging, end-of-life care, death, and grief, as experienced in immigrant families. Too often, deathcare education and services reflect the dominant culture and make no space for cultural safety, representation, or relevance.

Tida and Soyeon founded MESO to support caregiving and grief with compassion and a cultural lens. Their practice provides information, increases capacity, and offers personalized support based on the pillars of curiosity, community, and compassion.

Meet the Hosts

Tida Beattie and Soyeon Davis are co-founders of MESO which provides culturally attuned resources to intergenerational immigrant families for loss and grief, focusing on cultural bereavement. Born from their own experiences as daughters of immigrants navigating profound inequities within the U.S. health, death, and grief care systems, Soyeon and TIda create and facilitate innovative, regenerative, wholistic, spaces for all kinds of grief. By reframing grief, they encourage possibility, creativity, and hope.

Soyeon Davis

Tida Beattie

Learn @ Lakewood Series

This event is part of the Learn @ Lakewood series. Lakewood is honored to hold space for education and information specifically related to death, grief, urban nature, and art in this new series. Partnering with professionals from many disciplines, we explore ideas, encourage thought-provoking conversations, and exchange fresh perspectives with our community.

Parking and Transportation

Driving Directions

Parking is available on any of the roads inside Lakewood’s gates unless otherwise noted with a no parking sign. Handicap parking will be available near the event. Lakewood does not have an onsite parking lot – it is street parking only. This means you may have to park a short distance away and walk. We strongly encourage carpooling and public transportation.

Bus Directions

Metro Transit lines 6 and 23 stop directly outside of Lakewood’s gates, a short walk to the any of Lakewood’s buildings.

Bike Directions

Please lock bikes at the rack near the main entrance gates and walk to the event. Do not lock bikes to trees or signs, leave bicycles unlocked on the grounds., or leave shared bikes or scooters overnight.

FAQs

Is there a minimum age requirement to participate?

No, all ages are welcome.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No, printed tickets are not required. We will have a guest list at the door.

How can I contact the organizer with questions?

We’d love to hear from you! Email us at events@lakewoodcemetery.org or call 612-540-5165.

Photography notice: To help us promote Lakewood and our events and offerings, guests may be photographed. By attending, you consent to appear in this documentation and its future use by Lakewood. We do our best to select photos without recognizable faces. If you prefer not to be photographed, please let staff know upon arrival.

Questions?

Call the Lakewood events line at 612-540-5165 or email events@lakewoodcemetery.org

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