Why African Rituals Can Help Black Men Today

When Iyanla invited the men in her House of Healing to participate in a symbolic closing ceremony, she intentionally modeled the event after meaningful rites of passage from African culture. Ancient traditions such as these, she asserts, can be important for modern African-American men like her guests.

"African-Americans are the only people that have been thoroughly and completely divorced from their culture," Iyanla says. "It became clear to me on the first day that these men needed a rites of passage. They needed to move from their brokenness, their woundedness, into their power. They needed to move from their failures and mistakes onto the path of success."

Over the course of five days, each House of Healing guest embarked on his own personal journey. Although each man's path is distinctive and particular to his own experiences and set of circumstances, Iyanla says, their collective stories provide a common, recurring lesson: "When a man commits to himself and his healing, not only does his heart open, but he finds the support that he needs to move forward in the process and keep his dignity intact."

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