Can activism be sacred? Can education be a space for both intellectual transformation and soulful belonging?

Brandon Smith is an educator, poet, and spiritual activist whose work bridges the emotional and spiritual dimensions of social justice. With a background in both contemplative education and community organizing, Brandon is committed to helping young people explore identity, purpose, and healing in the classroom. He is the founder of The Light & Liberation Project, which fosters spiritual wellness, poetry, and radical imagination as tools for liberation.

In this episode, we speak with Brandon about how to nurture soulfulness within education especially for Black students and communities that have been historically marginalized or spiritually wounded by institutional systems. We talk about the difference between wholeness and achievement, and why some forms of learning need to feel like returning home. Brandon shares the philosophies and practices that guide his work, from Black liberation theology and Howard Thurman, to spiritual poetry and the power of silence. We explore how poetry can be a path toward self-remembering, how contemplation can fuel justice, and how education might become a sacred space for healing.