Be More Healing House

Wishing you many blessings in this new year. The Jonah Malcolm House Community would like to thank our extended community for the incredible support.

The houses at 1301 Moreland Ave Baltimore, MD 21216, located on the serene St. Peter’s Cemetery grounds in West Baltimore, was once home to the Jonah House peace, nonviolence, and anti-war activist communities, and more recently home to the Jonah Malcolm House food sovereignty community, and now is proposed as the home of Be More Healing House, envisioned by founder and volunteer board president, Ethel Jemila Sequeira, and a team of healers, activists, and creatives. This new initiative needs immediate financial support, and St. Peter’s Cemetery Restoration Fund nonprofit looks forward to fiscally sponsoring this important initiative via your backing! Please see below for the proposal from the founder. If you would like to make a donation, please do so here: https://jonahhouse.org/d2/

Be More Healing House: https://bemorehealinghouse.com/

The Opportunity: A Sanctuary in West Baltimore

Today, we have a critical opportunity to secure two properties located on a 22-acre sanctuary in West Baltimore as the physical home for a new nonprofit. This location is unique: a dense forest and two properties that offer much-needed respite. In 2019, the founder, Ethel Jemila Sequeira, moved here and currently lives at one of the properties.

In a West Baltimore community often lacking accessible “green spaces,” this land provides a profound asset:

• Respite and Healing: Miles of paths where you encounter deer, hear the sounds of nature, and find quietude for reflection.
• A Natural Asset: This land is a vital, healing counterpoint to the urban environment, a place where nature cultivates wellness.

The Mission: To foster healing and transformation in underserved communities by providing access to indigenous/ancestral practices, holistic wellness, creative expression, and community-based agriculture, within a supportive, natural environment.

Our new organization will be a vital resource for Baltimore’s BIPOC communities, serving as a hub for:

1. Land & Food Justice: Workshops, technical assistance, and networking for Black farmers and food advocates. 
2. Healing & Creativity: Retreats and collaborative space for creatives (artists, filmmakers, writers) to find rest and inspiration.

We have the support of the Saint Peter’s Cemetery Restoration Fund, Inc., the Jonah House Community, and the commitment of dedicated prospective Be More Healing House board members.

The Urgent Ask: Sustaining the Launch

We are at the most critical financial moment to cover the bare-bones operational costs (utilities, insurance, supplies) while we finalize the nonprofit structure and secure long-term funding. 

Sustaining the Mission through Financial Contribution: Currently, to sustain the expenses of the houses, we have an annual budget of $25,000, and we unfortunately do not have enough resources to sustain another month. We would love to reach this effort via sustaining memberships. For example, this goal could be reached with your commitment of $20.00 per month. However, if especially in the first few months you’re able to contribute more generously, the additional support would be very much appreciated.

If you would like to make a donation, please do so here: https://jonahhouse.org/d2/

Any amount you are able to contribute will be appreciated.

Your urgent, personal contribution now is not just a donation; it is a direct investment in:

• Insuring this land as a healing asset for West Baltimore’s neighborhood.
• Providing funds to continue living at the property and to launch our new nonprofit there.  
• Ensuring our work supports Black and Indigenous farmers and artists for generations to come.

Please help us launch this legacy organization today as an investment in our collective healing for generations to come.

In 2023, Jonah House celebrated its 50th anniversary with an incredible turnout for the screening of Devout and Dangerous, a film that honored our rich legacy of peace and social justice. Over the decades, Jonah House has been a steadfast presence in West Baltimore, nurturing a mission rooted in anti-war activism, food justice, and community care.

However, 2023 also brought challenges. After many years, we learned that Jonah House would no longer receive annual financial compensation for our care of St. Peter’s Cemetery. This significant change prompted deep reflection about our mission, vision, and the future of our work. Generous contributions from donors helped stabilize us during this transition period, but it became clear that we needed to reimagine Jonah House’s role in the community.

After thoughtful discussions with residents, the St. Peter’s Cemetery Restoration Fund board, and the Friends of Jonah House, we recognized that our focus had shifted over the years. While anti-nuclear activism was central to our founding, those efforts have naturally slowed as key members have retired. In recent years, Jonah House has been increasingly involved in addressing local needs, such as mentorship through group meetings and partnering or collaborating with local farmers, food organizations, and groups actively working to create a healthy, culturally relevant, and sustainable local food system. These discussions also prioritized preserving the Jonah House legacy by offering the residences a serene environment for reflection, fellowship, and creativity.  To not only preserve the legacy of Jonah House, there was overwhelming support for renaming the Jonah House.

Over the past decade, the demographics of the Jonah House community residents have changed to reflect the surrounding neighborhoods.  The Jonah House residence is located in West Baltimore, Maryland, one of the predominately African-American households that continue to lack access to affordable, fresh, and culturally relevant foods.  

To reflect these changes—and to honor the profound impact of Malcolm X’s legacy in addressing the needs of Black communities—we are proud to announce that Jonah House will become the Jonah Malcolm Community in 2025. This new name acknowledges our evolution and recommits us to serving the predominantly African American neighborhoods of West Baltimore with justice, dignity, and care.

As we move forward, we remain deeply grateful for the decades of support from our friends, donors, and collaborators. Together, we will continue to uphold the spirit of Jonah House while embracing the future.

If you would like to support our work, please do so here.

We gathered again as Jonah House residents and Friends of Jonah House, and this time we named our Jonah House mission and vision. We look forward to building community with you inline with these values. Hope you’ll join us in Fall 2023 for the Jonah House 50th Anniversary Celebration.

We gathered at Jonah House as creatives, activists, and peace-makers to share community, honor our roots, and brainstorm a mission and vision.

We also shared a wonderful meal made by Jemila with ingredients from the community garden. Stay connected in the coming weeks for updates regarding our mission and for information about a celebration at Jonah House. We hope you’ll join us!

If you’d like to support the work and community of Jonah House, please make a donation or share ideas with us.