Emanuel (he/him) is a Black Caribbean Trans-Masculine Land Steward and founder of Acorn Center for Restoration and Freedom and Black Love Convergence. As an Embodied Freedom Practitioner, Emanuel uses new/old healing, art, and spiritual technology to invite people into freedom as a daily practice. A work he calls “HEARTS Justice”, his approach gained the attention of numerous institutions and movement spaces over the last fifteen years. He has been invited as facilitator, panelist, and curator by Auburn Seminary, Faith Matters Network, Allied Media Conference,  St. Luis University Institute for Healing Justice and Equity, National Sexual Assault Conference, and Facing Race. A creative in his own right Emanuel's voice challenges people to integrate a pro-Black and Trans*-affirming stance within wellness and healing spaces and create new narratives of Blackness. He has authored works found in the Deconstructionist Playbook: An Anthology, Women’s Studies Quarterly: Black Love, and The Gender Affirmative Model: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Supporting Transgender and Gender Expansive Children.  Emanuel loves to share his ideas on freedom and has been a featured guest on podcasts and web series What's the Big Idea?!, TransLash Podcast, and Justice is Essential. Emanuel has a Master’s of Social Work with a focus on community mental health and has trained in multiple schools of somatic practice. Emanuel has been honored as a Senior Fellow for Pop Culture Collaborative, Southern Healing Star Awardee, Resonance Network Writer in Residence, and Funders for Justice Movement Advisor.