We Honor

We recognize that Blackness is not a monolith; therefore, we honor the intersectional lived experiences of Black folk across socioeconomic, gender identification, sexual preference, body abilities, neurodivergent, and religious lines.

We recognize that our ancestors mentally, emotionally and physically toiled to create the wealth of this country.  We recognize that our ancestors were violently forced to take care of their oppressors and abusers, to the detriment of their very own health; therefore, we honor the ways in which our ancestors beautifully constructed and administered care for themselves, their families, and their communities, in spite of systems and people that didn’t care for them.

We recognize that the perpetrators of the slave system knew there was power in our connections to our ancient African or indigenous spiritual practices, and their recognition of this power moved them to deem such practices as evil; therefore, we honor the traditional African and indigenous religions, spirituality and beliefs of our African and indigenous ancestors.

We recognize that we experience many of our individual and collective freedoms because of those before us who were bold enough to speak truth to power, even in the face of adversity; therefore, we honor the struggles and successes of our ancestors that paved the way for us to move how we move and be how we be.  We honor their voices and their work that progressed us.

We recognize that Black folk beautifully engage with their higher selves and their chosen higher power(s) in a myriad of ways; therefore, we honor all religions, faiths, spiritual beliefs and paths to enlightenment practiced by us.  They all served and continue to serve us individually and collectively.

We recognize that a violent design of the capitalism framework keeps us tethered to our jobs in ways that are harmful to our physical, mental, and emotional selves; therefore, we honor Black folks right to rest. We honor freedom of pleasure.  We honor pathways to joy.

We recognize that an inherent design of the institution of slavery was to brutally enact violence through the tearing apart of families; therefore, we honor the fictive kin that exists amongst Black folk.  We use terms of endearment such as kinfolk, cuz, and bruh, because culturally, we create family whenever we discover commonality.  

We recognize that violent disparities exist within Black folk experiences with ill-informed and ill-constructed systems; therefore, we honor our righteous anger towards these systems.

We recognize that traditional medical systems and health institutions are not designed to address the whole-self of Black folk; we therefore honor all paths to healing that exist outside of the traditional, western medical framework.