In honor of Black History month, I wanted to focus on a topic in black history that has never been the highlight of the black experience. Martin Luthe King, Madam CJ Walker, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman [to name a few] are often the main topics of discussion to commemorate the black struggle. However, there is more to the DNA of the scattered African diaspora than struggle, slavery, hardship and the harsh reality that came with being stripped away from not only one's homeland but the culture. Spirituality- our system of beliefs- travelled with our ancestors across the Atlantic Ocean and onto the lands during the early days of colonial America. Those spirits and deities came along for the ride with us and remained. Most of them had to be disguised under the mask of Abrahamic religions in order for our ancestors to survive, which led to the creation of another magical system, known as Hoodoo. Even though our ancestors were forced to adopt the religious belief systems of those who enslaved them, the prayers to entities such as Yemaya, Ogun, Eshu and many others became encoded in the blood of their descendants. The Orisha live within us. The BLACK GODS live within us. They ARE us.
And we are THEM.
Honoring the spiritualty of those who came before you will reveal those hidden secrets within you. It will unlock hidden memories perhaps of a time, of a world that this particular reality could never fathom. The Black Gods were demonized, stripped of their power and taken from us to further disempower us. Meanwhile, the same colonizers stole our memories and locked them away for dark purposes [like the Vatican]. But that is another topic of conversation.
When you remember the Black Gods, you will remember who YOU are.