Arielle Crook graduate from the Stone Center with an M.A. in May 2020. She attended Xavier University of Louisiana as a pre-medical student and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 2018. Throughout her travels to countries, such as Haiti, Costa Rica, Cuba, and Brazil, Arielle developed her unique understanding of global citizenship, holistic wellness, and the various religious traditions of the African diaspora. As a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) scholar, Arielle used her time at the Stone Center to explore the various uses of plants and other healing modalities in African-derived religions in Brazil while utilizing her skills as a visual and movement artist to engage with her international and local communities. In her thesis, “At the Intersection of Health, Healing, and Justice: Analyzing the African Botanical Legacy in Brazil,” Arielle uses an ethnobotanical lens to explore the various uses of plants as medicine. Her work raises questions regarding the political definitions of health and justice for Afro-descendants in Brazil, thus unearthing narratives surrounding resistance, healing, and cultural continuity. She aspires to create a professional research career centered on creating bridges between people of the Africa diaspora through transatlantic dialogue to facilitate conversations based on healing through plant medicine, storytelling, and creative movement.
