In the midst of New York City’s 1970s heroin epidemic, Dr. Mutulu Shakur and his comrades from the Black Panthers and Young Lords created a five-point ear acupuncture protocol to help those battling addiction manage substance withdrawal. They found that applying needles to five auricular points provided stress relief and alleviation of physical pain, while supporting the organ systems associated with grief in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Offering a ray of hope to Black and brown New Yorkers whom the state had failed, the protocol remains a living example of radical love and praxis. Becoming a cornerstone of harm-reduction, it has gone on to be shared with countless people caught in the cross-hairs of war, natural disaster and poverty, remaining a simple treatment for supporting those navigating difficulties of all kinds.

On Sunday April 14, Design for the Commons is creating space for people of African descent to heal and learn about the protocol in community. Led by licensed acupuncturist Kidada Fields from Fields of Qi and AcuDetox Specialist Jess Turner, folks will be invited to participate in a teach-in about the revolutionary auricular acupuncture protocol, followed by a selection from the documentary Dope is Death. The day will conclude with free ear acupuncture treatments, which begin at 1:15pm.

We will also honor the life of Dr. Shakur, who passed away July 10, 2023, by building an altar in his memory. All are welcome to bring an object to place on the altar.

No RSVP necessary. The treatment space is on the 2nd floor. There is no elevator. Masks are not required.