This spring, we joined forces with El Tímpano and Eastside Arts Alliance to co-create Rayos de Resiliencia — a community storytelling event in Fruitvale. Held at the Josie de la Cruz Carmen Flores Recreation Center, Rayos de Resiliencia marked the fifth anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. It brought together hundreds of community members for a moment of collective reflection, healing, and affirmation of resilience. We built interactive “sacred phone booths” for sharing stories, while poetry workshops led up to an intimate public reading. Participants also expressed their pandemic experiences through paper suns and clouds, contributing to a powerful healing ritual.