Please listen and then WRITE to António Guterres, UN Sec. General.
If unchecked, this de facto coup, on a tiny, otherwise unknown island, helps to solidify an international pattern threatening the idea of independence around the world.
Barbuda is one of the few remaining places in the world where citizens hold the land in common. Certainly the local government has been short sighted in some decisions and it is not a perfect democracy, yet the people of this island, most of whom are the descendants of enslaved Africans, have enacted enviable democratic principals that should be respected and protected.
Please listen, learn, and then take action. In this case, the United Nations (and you!) may be able to help.
Yes, I’m Talking “Square Dancing” Here!
To be rather essentialist about it, in American culture, pretty much anything that’s fun, interesting, tastes good, or is cool (including the concept of “cool”itself, derived from the Yoruba yin-yang in the concepts of Ashe & Itutu) is probably based on or stolen directly from pan-Africans or Native Americans.
So Happy Black History Month, ya’ll: yee ha!
I’m all about family, friends, and food, and am always glad to have time off from the daily grind. I have much to be grateful for and I appreciate the many gifts in my life, past and present.
But I never forget that this holiday was born of the blood of Native Americans and that the real story was whitewashed and Disneyfied to cover up the crimes of colonialist genocide and ethnocide. It’s a day for paying respects to those whose names have been lost to us, a day to give thanks to the ancestors who persevered to bring us through, in spite of the almost unfathomable hardships of the Middle Passage and all that came after. And we remember to show gratitude to those whose lands, bounty, and generous humanity provided us with the riches we all enjoy. We bless those who clean and cook and share themselves and their love through their efforts. We eat with love, knowing that the circle is unbroken.
It is a day of mourning, remembrance, gratitude, joy, companionship, and love. I give thanks.