Insight ::: 05.29.2023

By Irma McClaurin, PhD

Previously published on Medium (https://irmamcclaurin. medium.com/africatownredemption-voyage-reclaimingwhat-was-lost-eef1cc5cb382 ), Mar 17, 2023

“Old pirates, yes, they rob I/ Sold I to the merchant ships/ Minutes after they took I/ From the bottomless pit/ But my hand was made strong/ By the hand of the Almighty/ We forward in this generation/ Triumphantly/…

Won’t you help to sing/ These songs of freedom?/ ‘Cause all I ever have/ Redemption songs/ Redemption songs. ~Bob Marley and the Wailers

Last month, April, was one filled with many surprises. On April 14, 2023, in Africatown, Mobile, AL, there was a press conference to launch the “Redemption Voyage 2026” –a trip that would reverse the route of the Atlantic slave trade.

At the press conference to announce this journey was Audri Scott Williams (https:// audriscottwilliams.com/ ). Listening to Williams explain her purpose to the local Mobile TV stations and press means hearing a visionary and person of conviction speak truth (https://mynbc15.com/news/ local/redemption-voyage-willre-trace-clotilda-trek-to-beninwest-africa-from-mobile ). She spoke with eloquence, passion and an understanding of the sorrow that enslavement has cast upon Black Americans, including the descendants of those who travel to America on the last slave ship.

“Americans of African descent have a challenging time finding our ‘place’ in the celebrations due to the scars of slavery, discrimination, and violence.” ~Audri Scott Williams, on the 2026 Redemption Voyage Williams is not new to attracting attention. The Los Angeles Sentinel talked about her gaining international recognition as a Global Peace Advocate and describes her as “…the first woman to lead a global walk for human rights and environmental justice in 2000” (https://lasentinel.net/ global-peace-advocate-tounveil-redemption-voyageto-historic-africatown.html ). She was also the first African American woman to run for Congress in Alabama, District 2 (https://www.bamapolitics.com/ alabama/profiles/audri-scottwilliams/). She is currently the Spiritual Director of the Spiritual Enrichment Center in Dothan, Alabama, as well as the Spiritual Advisor for 20 Million Women Strong (https://20millionwomenstrong. org/). It is this group, #20MWS, that will sponsor this unusual voyage led by Williams. They are an organization committed to “…advancing women’s access to careers and entrepreneurial opportunities in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math through innovation in 3D design, modeling, and production.”

The “Redemption Voyage” will depart in 2026 from Mobile River, Alabama, now known to be the documented gravesite of the sunken Clotilda, the last slave ship that illegally transported 110 Africans to Mobile in 1869 (https://www.mobile.org/ things-to-do/history/africanamerican/clotilda/ ). Only 101 survived the journey, and their descendants now occupy an area not far from downtown Mobile called Africatown.

Since the Netflix documentary, “Descendant,” aired September 29, 2022 (https://www.netflix.com/ title/81586731), all sorts of people and projects have visited Africatown to hear the story recounted of the last slave ship and the arrival of stolen Africans in 1860. An exhibit of fragments of the sunken ship will be on display at the Africantown Heritage House on July 8, 2023.

It was in this same

community within Mobile, Alabama, in 1927 that Zora

Neale Hurston discovered “Cudjoe Lewis” and documented his story in her a nonfiction account, Barracoon: The Story of the “Last Black Cargo.” In her correspondence to Langston Hughes, Zora wrote of meeting a “real African, Cudjoe,” also known as Ouluale Kossola, and believed to be the “last survivor” of the Atlantic Slave Trade.

Dear Langston, I am leaving for the South on Wed. 14th on the 3:40 from the Penn Station to Mobile. I shall see Cudjoe Lewis […an eighty-year old survivor of the Chlotilde [sic], the last ship to bring Africans to the United States] first as he is old and may die before I get to him otherwise.

Lovingly, Zora (dated Dec 9, 1927. From Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters. Collected and Edited by Carla Kaplan, p.110. We now know there were more survivors than Cudjoe, and a few who actually were taken beyond Mobile.

What makes Hurston’s account of interest is that she transcribed Cudjoe’s words as he spoke them in a vernacular language that was part African and part English dialect. When presented to publishers, they asked that she “translate” to book into “standard English.”

The Viking press again asks for the Life of Kossula (Cudjoe) but in language rather than dialect. (To Godmother, dated Aug 14, 1931). From Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters. Collected and edited by Carla Kaplan, p.228. Hurston refused, and her manuscript remained unpublished for 87 years, and only saw print in 2018.

A Different Return to Africa

While standing in the blazing mid-morning Alabama sun, Williams wore a black t-shirt emblazoned with red, yellow and green triangles, the colors of Marcus Garvey’s Back

to Africa movement, but also the colors of the flags of many African flags countries, Audris eloquently explained to the press why Africatown, AL and why now. She was surrounded by a protective, spiritual entourage of elder Black women, who represent what Black Museum anthropologist Deborah Johnson-Simon calls “kulture keepers.” Some have joined Williams on her Global walks. Also present was her own Black documentary film crew, as well as a Sankofa African drummer from Montgomery, AL, who by day works in an Environmental government agency. The group was shepherded to important spaces/places by local Africatown historian, Joe Womack. Williams described the launch event as a chance for a group of Black students to “… not only read about the history but to actually experience and be a part of that history. And we’re seeing this as an opportunity for the entire country to be uplifted by just the energy that will come back that speaks to freedom— that’s what our country is all about.”

The 2026 departure date of this maiden voyage was intentionally planned to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America—America 250 (https:// www.america250.org/ ).

Several aspects will distinguish this journey to Africa from other return programs, like the Ghana, Year of Return 2019, sponsored by the country of Ghana for ADOS (African descendants of Slaves) to return home to Africa (Year Of Return – Celebrating 400 years of African Resilience…) https:// www.yearofreturn.com/ .

The Redemption Voyage 2026 is unique in that it will be comprised of an intergenerational group of these elder Black women and around 20 Black young adults

between 18-28 years old. The participants will be involved in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) educational programs and activities focused on climate change, environmental justice, participate in genomics (DNA testing), the Arts, and African history for starters.

Making Africatown the launch site, Williams intends to recruit local young adults from among Mobile’s Africatown descendants as well as Blacks whose ancestors were enslaved in the Mobile area.

Remaining participants will be drawn from among HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Most recent data identifies107 such public and private institutions in existence, responsible for educating 228,000 students (http://www.thehundred-seven. org/hbculist.html ). HBCUs were originally founded to educate newly freed enslaved people; today, however, almost one quarter of students attending HBCUs are non-Black.

The Uniqueness of the Redemption Voyage 2026

Williams explained how science, technology and the arts will be employed and then broadcast globally to the world about what is happening on the ship. To answer one question on what makes this voyage and return to Africa “special,” she responded: What is so special about this visit, and I get chills just thinking about it, is when you are taking a group of young people over, it’s not just a sailing opportunity to go on a tourist ship.

They’re gonna have… they’re going to be caretakers of some very important projects. For instance, one of the things they’re going to be doing is looking at climate change impact on the eastern and western shores of the Atlantic Ocean, and then comparing what these communities are experiencing. They’re going to be doing water sampling to see how pollution is impacting the ocean waters. That’s just the science project. But the technology and

engineering project, they are actually creating this portal as I mentioned, a satellite portal, where children in school, anywhere in the world, can tap into at any moment what is happening on the ship, what projects are being developed, all of that.

And then with the arts, we have artists who will be selected as well, who will be traveling and these young people are doing one part of the art, and then…the art will be completed in Africa, in the different countries.

So, what makes this unique is that the young people who are going to be a part of this are the future leaders, future scientists, future artists, future engineers, mathematicians. And they are coming back with a sense of our history, not just stopping at slavery but going even before that when there were great mathematicians, great writers, great scientists. And they are going and connecting with that energy and bringing that forward. Not as though we started in slavery, but there is a whole history before.

Lifting America as They Learn

What has been lost in the flurry of legislation aimed at erasing or diluting the history of Black Americans (https://www. insightnews.com/education/ why-we-must-defend-theright-to-teach-an-undilutedap-african-american-studiescourse/article_2d4f0c5e-b3f311ed-a5cf-8bea9d5ccb4f.html ) is the reality that EVERYONE loses. The reality is that there is no bliss in ignorance.

Erasing the past, hiding the truth, has never resulted in true social transformation. To attempt to do so in a technological moment when information is accessible to almost everybody on the planet, about almost anything on the planet, and instantaneously, is nothing short of delusional.

Be that as it may, the anti-WOKE legislation in Florida, the House File 802 law signed into existence in June 2021 that makes it illegal to teach “…critical race theory and

other concepts in government diversity trainings and classroom curriculum” (https:// www.desmoinesregister.com/ story/news/politics/2021/06/08/ governor-kim-reynolds-signslaw-targeting-critical-racetheory-iowa-schools-diversitytraining/7489896002/ ) will only result in an American citizenry ignorant of its own history and oblivious to the harm that America has done to its own democratic principles. With such legal efforts to censor what can and cannot be taught in schools about race relations, enslavement, and the true history of accomplishments of African Americans and Africa, the import of 2026 Redemption Voyage cannot be underestimated.

To Williams, the power of this voyage will be in the new knowledge participants gain about climate change, learning to conduct scientific experiments, finding out their own DNA story, participating in collaborative research, and creating collaborative art, and the like.

Participants will also experience what it means to share their learning with the world, thereby lifting America up from the pits of white supremacy ignorance into which it has fallen of late. Says Williams, …[The] dynamic of that connection [to the history of Africa] not only empowers the young people who are part of this, that dynamic lifts the whole nation.

©2023 Irma McClaurin Irma McClaurin (https:// linktr.ee/dr.irma) is an activist anthropologist, the Culture and Education Editor for Insight News, a columnist, and occasional radio and television commentator and recently appeared in the PBS American Experience documentary “Zora Neale Hurston: Her Own Way.” She is the CEO and senior consultant for Irma McClaurin Solutions, a past president of Shaw University, and former Associate VP at the University of Minnesota and founding ED of UROC. Recognition includes 2023 Honorary Degree from Grinnell College, 2021 American Anthropological Association’s Engaged Anthropology Award, 2015 “Best in the Nation Columnist” by the Black Press of America, and 2002 “Outstanding Academic Title” for Black Feminist Anthropology: Theory, Politics, Praxis and Poetics McClaurin is a digital author on Medium and for Ms. Magazine. Her collection, JustSpeak: Reflections on Race, Culture & Politics in America, is forthcoming in 2023, and she is working on a book length manuscript entitled “Lifting Zora Neale Hurston from the Shadows of Anthropology.”

Audri Williams Africatown Press

Benin Flag

May D. Vang named to Center for Economic Inclusion’s Board of Directors

The Center for Economic Inclusion, a St. Paulbased nonprofit, has named May D. Vang a member of its Board of Directors.

As Vice President of Treasury and Chief Investment

O

fficer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Vang is responsible for setting enterprise strategy for the balance sheet, capital, liquidity, capital markets, investor relations, rating agencies, shared services, ESG (environmental, social and governance), and investments.

“We are thrilled to welcome May to the Center’s Board of Directors. Her leadership in business, treasury, and finance, and commitment to community service makes her a powerful and strategic addition to the board,” said Tawanna A. Black, Founder and CEO, Center for Economic Inclusion.

Reports of violence, drug sales down after joint investigation into Winner Gas Station and Merwin Liquors

Minnesota Attorney General

Keith Ellison announced the successful results of a joint investigation that his office, with the assistance of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office, conducted into the inaction on the part of Merwin Liquors and Winner Gas Station to take steps to stem the illegal activity occurring on their properties.

The Attorney General’s investigation, undertaken with the assistance of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office, focused on widespread criminal activity that has been maintained or permitted on the respective properties of Merwin Liquors and Winner Gas Station. The investigation further revealed that similar

unlawful nuisance activity was ongoing on both premises. Winner Gas Station, Merwin Liquors, and the intersection between the businesses have been the site of at least three large-scale shootings in September 2022 alone. State, county, and city attorneys reviewed numerous police reports and worked with the Minneapolis Police Department and community members in conducting the investigation. During the course of that investigation, Winner Gas Station began ensuring that people on its property were there for legitimate business reasons. Merwin Liquors began transitioning ownership of the liquor store to a new owner, which has indicated that it has engaged and will continue engaging in violence interruption on the property.

Since the announcement of the joint investigation, reports to police of violence and other illegal activity have significantly decreased.

“I’m using the powers of my office to take new approaches to stemming the epidemic of gun violence, like using civil law to hold companies accountable for illegal behavior in their businesses or on their properties that can spiral out of control and threaten a whole community,”

Attorney General Ellison said.

“I applaud companies that take responsibility for the condition of their premises and the duty they owe their customers to be safe and feel safe. For those that don’t take steps to stem violence and illegal activity on their property, my office will be there to ensure all Minnesotans feel safe in their neighborhood.”

The Attorney General’s Office, as well as the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office, will continue to vigilantly monitor the properties and any reports of illegal activity occurring at the properties. In letters sent today to both Merwin Liquors and Winner Gas Station, the investigating agencies informed both businesses that they will not hesitate to take additional enforcement action if reports of nuisance activity at the properties resume. The Attorney General encourages individuals with complaints about businesses permitting illegal activity on their properties to voice their concerns to the Office by calling (651) 296-3353 or by filling out a complaint form online.

Black MAGA Tim Scott enters the 2024 presidential race

No, Scott’s chances are slim—just like every other Republican candidate not named Donald Trump—because as I often mention, the former president has a vise grip on the hearts and minds of openly bigoted Republican Primary voters that makes his third bid as the GOP presidential standard bearer practically inevitable.

As long expected, yesterday, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) officially launched his bid for his party’s nomination for President in 2024. Now that he is all in, what are his actual chances of winning the nomination?

Well, to put it kindly, they are about as good as a snowball’s chance in Hell!

Those slim chances are not because Scott lacks the intelligence or conservative credentials to lead his party; the former football player at Presbyterian College and honors graduate of Charleston Southern University earned a degree in political science before launching a successful career in insurance sales and for the last 10 years, by serving as the junior senator from the Palmetto State.

Now, you may have noticed that in the first four paragraphs of today’s blog, that I didn’t mention the proverbial “elephant” in the GOP room— which is that Scott is a Black man. While the Senator will never be mistaken for an unapologetic critic of white supremacy like Ol’ Hobbs, to his credit, he has shown the ability to advocate for a few measures that positively impact(ed) the Black community such as greater HBCU funding, economic Opportunity Zones, and the First Step Act that helped former felons of all races to avoid recidivism and reentry into the federal prison system.

But the problem for Scott is that he is a Black man running in a party that’s filled

with active racists and proud racist adjacent types—those timid souls in public who privately support openly racist candidates! Racist candidates, I remind, like Scott’s self described good friend—former President Donald Trump! Now, you may be asking yourself, “Hobbs, how can you call Trump a racist when he considers Black men like Sen. Tim Scott, Kanye West, and the recently deceased Jim Brown as his personal friends?”

My simple response is that from

plantation days to this very hour, racist masters and overseers during slavery, racist sharecrop land and company store owners during Jim Crow, and racists from all walks of life today have always had one or two Blacks that they used, liked, or both! Back in the day, the “preferred” Black was one who was quick to kiss up to “Massa” or “Captain Boss” and help further their evil aims towards the masses of Black people.

Vang first worked at Blue Cross from 2010 to 2017, when she was assistant treasurer and director of treasury operations. She spent the next four years at American Family Insurance as corporate

treasurer and investor relations leader before returning to Blue Cross in 2021. She has also held treasury and financial roles at Lawson Software, G&K Services, and Ecolab. Vang holds an MBA and B.S. from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management and is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP). In addition to the Center’s board, she sits on the boards of the Association of Financial Professionals, Science Museum of Minnesota, and Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation.

Irma McClaurin receives honorary Doctor of Social Studies degree from Grinnell college

A multi-talented artist, writer and leader, Irma McClaurin believes one must “change minds, change hearts and change behavior to achieve transformation.” Never content to settle, throughout her career, she has taken on numerous roles and invariably become a standout in all of them.

McClaurin earned a bachelor’s degree in American Studies at Grinnell, becoming one of the first members of her family to graduate from college. She made an early splash as a poet: in 1975, she won the Gwendolyn Brooks Award for poetry. She went on to earn an MFA in English and a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and made her mark as an academic entrepreneur.

In addition to tenured faculty roles at Grinnell College, the University of Florida, and the University of Minnesota, her accomplishments have include founding the Africana Women’s Studies Program at Bennett College for Women, launching the Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center at the University of Minnesota,

serving as Deputy Provost at Fisk University and working for the United States government.

In 2010, McClaurin was named president of Shaw University, where she became theinstitution’s first permanent female president and guided it through recovery from a devastating tornado. She was a Program Officer for Education and Scholarship at the Ford Foundation and also served as Chief Diversity Officer at Teach for America.

Throughout her career, McClaurin has been a thoughtful and recognized writer: she has authored or edited several academic books and volumes of poetry. Black Feminist Anthropology: Theory, Politics, Praxis and Poetics, was selected as a 2002 Outstanding Academic Title by Choice magazine. In 2015, she received the Emory O. Jackson National Column Writing Award from the National Newspaper Publishers Association for a column she published in Insight News, where she is Culture and Education Editor Today, she continues

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison

2024 Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott of South Carolina

Irma McClaurin SCOTT

By Chuck Hobbs

Capoeira as Creative Resis t ance as Creative Resistance

Introduction

Three months ago, I made a new year’s resolution to be more committed to principles Capoeira has taught me than ever before.

Little did I know that Capoeira would be hitting the airways in North America and be the talk of the town. Chinwe Oniah, a student based in Oakland, California recently released a beautiful video called “Why More Black Americans Should Try Capoeira” at the San Francisco Film Festival. I couldn’t agree more.

As I teach youth ages 5 – 12 the artform I have been reflecting on how Capoeira changed my life as a young person. It has been the guiding light in my personal, creative and professional development. I even made a song about what it’s meant in my life. (https://azmeramusic.bandcamp.com/ track/know-justice-know-peace)

Capoeira is an outlet that allows us to maximize our potential, in a society committed to underestimating our existence, especially as Afrodescendant people.

Origins Capoeira, pronounced Cahpoo-eh-rah, is an Afro-Brazilian martial art form that today is a global phenomenon.

With over 6 million practitioners and counting, this craft has been featured in music videos by entertainers like Little Wayne, Hollywood series, and made countless appearances in movies like Disney’s Rio. Perhaps one of the most wellknown video games with the craft is Tekken, featuring the formidable fighters and jogadores (players) Eddie and Christina.

When most people see Capoeira for the first time, they assume that it is a dance.

While Capoeira does indeed involve a series of beautiful and fluid movements, many don’t know its rich and deeply liberatory history.

Capoeira History

In 1888, Brazil was the last country in the Americas to abolish slavery, and while nearly 400,000 enslaved people were brought to the United States, around 4.9 million were reported to have been trafficked to the ports of Brazil.

Since enslaved people were not allowed to practice self-defense, they disguised their movements as a dance, and thus Capoeira was born.

I was introduced to Capoeira when I was seven years old, and consider it a blessing to have been learning, training, and teaching ever since.

Here are three ways Capoeira changed me:

1. Improved my relationship with my body. As a young person with a lot of energy, and who also witnessed a lot of anger and violence growing up, my body was receptive to every interaction. It needed to release that energy in a productive way, and Capoeira was that

outlet. Coming from poverty, where substance abuse, houselessness and dysfunction were the norm, I trained for 3 hours a day, to process the mixed emotions as a coping mechanism. As a result, I learned how to value giving my body the time it needs to rest, to reset, to stretch and to express itself freely. I now see that as a necessity rather than an obligation, and I always feel better after I’ve gotten some movement in. It’s taught me that I can trust my body to know how to move, and how to respond to any given circumstance.

While I was a sophomore at the University of Southern California (USC) I enrolled in a Portuguese class for my language requirement and shortly after I got the opportunity to study abroad in Brazil for one month. To raise funds for my plane ticket, I decided to bring my Spoken word together with Capoeira, and on March 1, 2015, I created a visual Spoken word video called “Capoeira” (https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=Yx9KnkbxU-c) where I reflected on what this craft meant to me in my healing journey.

As you will see, Capoeira involves musicality in singing, innovation with equipment made from tire wire and madeira (forest wood) to make the heartbeat instrument called the berimbau, and movements that loosen, strengthen and fortify the body.

This innovation and ability to make something out of nothing is a key element I’ve called upon throughout my life.

The principles learned have been fine tuned and taught in what were CaPoetic workshops, which shape The CapoEthic Method ™ that I now teach leaders and learners of all ages to improve their relationship to their mind and body.

During my time in college, we completed over 150 workshops on and off campus and served over 250 community members. We led creative CaPoetic workshops with students on and off USC campus and in greater Los Angeles, Oakland, California, Salvador Bahia, Brazil and even East Jerusalem, and Ramallah, Palestine.

2. Increased my selfconfidence and ability to relate to/ engage others. There is a dialogue in Capoeira— an energy exchange that heals, reveals and deepens one’s relationship to self and others. In capoeira class, we have partner work, so I had to learn how to listen to others.

Part of the practice requires you to pair off and to make eye contact with the person you are playing against.

When they throw a kick at you, you must respond with an escape or another kick, and in this way you are speaking to each other without saying a word.

I learned how to read body language and also became aware that sometimes a dialogue between two bodies can be even more powerful than a verbal conversation. Energy speaks, and it’s important to practice self-discipline instead of reacting.

If someone accidentally kicks you in the face, you can’t lose your composure or else that is considered

low maturity and discipline. Your response needs to be improved by protecting your face when playing. There is always room for growth. My favorite movie growing up was Only The Strong, not only because the soundtrack is an infusion of Capoeira Hip Hop music. The film highlights how this art form, when taken seriously, can transform lives.

Luis, a former Lincoln high school graduate, returns to Miami from his military mission in Brazil in search of new job opportunities; he visits his 11th grade social studies teacher who happens to be in desperate need of help getting his students’ attention. He invites Luis to teach Capoeira to twelve system-involved youth who are “bottom of the barrel” at Lincoln.

Luis encounters resistance from both the students, the school administrators and the community members, but with persistence and vision he prevails. He takes some of the most “misbehaved” youth and gives them tools for anger management, conflict resolution, and healthy relationships that make even rival gang members willing to work together, and ultimately, do what no one believed possible –graduate high school. I resonated with the movie because though I never was involved in a gang or incarcerated, I did struggle with anger growing up.

3. Connected me to an Afro-diasporic global community that started in Brazil. In my early 20’s I was just beginning to process complex childhood trauma when I decided to recommit myself to the art form of Capoeira.

It gave me the community and a positive outlet that I needed to heal in healthy ways.

At the time I trained under the Afro-French instructor, Saracuru, through Capoeira Brasil Downtown LA, a contemporary school with groups in over 6 countries.

I started to see the global impact Capoeira had on folks across sectors. I met folks in entertainment, education, music, non-profits, private consulting, government all who trained Capoeira. I asked what brought them to the art, and countless numbers reported that Capoeira gave their life more meaning, and helped them get on a better path.

For some it was the community that drew them in, for others it was the exercise and fun, for others it was a spiritual connection.

Everyone had a different reason, but all had the same foundation; Capoeira changed them.

It reminded me of my own journey.

While visiting Brazil, what blew me even further away was that I met, trained and learned from Black feminist Capoeiristas. There have been women practicing and contributing to Capoeira for as long as Capoeira has been around, but the documentaries and

history won’t always show you that.

When I was completing a Fulbright Creative and Performing Arts grant in Salvador Bahia, Brazil (Fulbright) in 2017, for the first time I encountered Black feminists Capoeiristas who were also university professors.

I studied under Mestra Janja and Mestra Paula Barreto, founders of the Nzingha Institute of Capoeira Angola Studies (http:// nzinga.org.br) and professors at the Cor da Bahia department at UFBA, the Federal University of Bahia.

It was eye opening and life affirming. I had to go all the way to Brazil to learn about Kimberly Crenshaw’s theory of intersectionality, which is what we read in Mestra Paula’s class.

Getting to see Capoeira through a Black feminist lens for the first time, transformed my relationship to the craft.

A timeless question arose in that journey - does Capoeira transform societal norms, or does it merely reflect the societal norms that exist?

I still don’t know the answer to that question, but I have seen it transform my own understanding of power.

I see women continuing to light the path toward a future of healing and justice, willing to address the forms of sexism, racism, and classism that divide our world, rather than yield positive change.

In Black Feminist-led Capoeira, women had the opportunity to play the berimbau, make up the majority of the bateria (Band), and sing songs that controlled the pace of the game unhindered or interrupted by harmful patriarchy.

Beyond mere inspiration, these Black Feminist Capoeiristas actively create new worlds. Ones that we so desperately need— a world filled with nurturing, nourishment, softness, tenderness, and a willingness to reckon with the grief necessary to heal.

I met Black women practitioners from the U.S. like the brilliant Treneil, Miriam, who organized the first annual women’s empowerment event in 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. At the Mutual Aid Liberation Center, I witnessed a beautiful, tender and sacred space cultivated for all people, young and old, men and women in Capoeira to come as they are, play, dance, sing, and cry held in the balm of authentic community engagement, as Dr. Irma would name it. Black women’s leadership in Capoeira helped me to see how powerful women truly are, when we empower ourselves and create brave spaces where we can simply be. This event reminded me that when women are present and supported, a world of positive change is made possible. Women see what often remains unseen, because we’ve had to live in the in-between space. I look forward to sharing more about their work in upcoming pieces.

Capoeira Today: Today, Brazil has the largest population of people of African descent outside of Africa. According to the World Directory of Minorities and

Indigenous People in Brazil, over 48% of the population have African ancestry. The world of practitioners is growing, and ever changing as the art form continues to evolve.

Like most other things in Black culture, over time Capoeira has been appropriated in different ways, but it’s been heartening to see how Black people, especially Black women have made the craft their own.

The primary styles practiced are considered Capoeira Angola (slower movement), Regional (faster, more acrobatic movements) and Contemporanea.

A mestre (a master of Capoeira) is one who has expert level experience, demonstrated commitment to their community and maintains an ongoing reverence for the cultural heritage of this sacred craft. They work to preserve the history of Capoeira through their teaching, often rooted in oral storytelling, and they also actively uplift the community through social change projects. If you want to learn more about Capoeira, beyond a quick google search, you can listen to part of my journey with Mestre Cleber Pety of Bantos Capoeira on Break The Boxes podcast at the links below. https://open.spotify.com/ episode/3nvjXRKp6mgBoalVBY6EG

Links for more resources

1. Learn more about Capoeira’s history and practitioner count https://larc.ucalgary.ca/ publications/professionalizing-andregulating-capoeira-brazilian-dilemma

2. Learn more about Brazil’s slave trade and history (https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=lzFxC-BP4M0)

3. Learn more about Brazils demographic population https://www. refworld.org/docid/49749d4d32.html

4. Learn more about my journey in Capoeira https://open.spotify.com/ show/70lCY9s8ekQMB484hxKcbV

5. Watch my Spoken Word video of Capoeira

6. Learn more about Black Capoeira org in Minneapolis (https:// www.abcapoeira.com/about/mestreyoji-senna

7. Learn more about one of the oldest Capoeira schools in Los Angeles, led by a Black Mestre https:// www.brasilbrasil.org

8. Learn more about Mestre Batata in Culver City, LA https:// capoeirabesouro.com/about-us/mestrebatata/

9. Included in photoCourtney Woods, PhD and Azmera Hammouri-Davis, Photo taken by Irma McClaurin (2022) (c) 2023 Azmera HammouriDavis Bio: Azmera, MTS (aka The Poetic Theorist) is a poet, emcee and the founder and host of Break The Boxes who has a debut album Young Spirit Old Soul out now on bandcamp (azmeramusic.bandcamp.com). She works to uplift wisdom across generations & faith traditions. Twitter & Instagram: @azmerarhymes website: azm-era.com

By Azmera Hammouri-Davis

Photo by: Gia Trovela

Long Beach, California 2017, practicing Capoeira.

La capoeira como resis tencia creativa La como resistencia creativa

Original Spanish Text

Introducción

Hace tres meses, hice una resolución de año nuevo para comprometerme más que nunca con los principios que la Capoeira me ha enseñado.

Poco sabía que la Capoeira estaría llegando a la mídia en América del Norte y sería la comidilla de la ciudad. Chinwe Oniah, un estudiante de Oakland, California, lanzó recientemente un hermoso video llamado “Por qué más estadounidenses negros deberían probar la capoeira” en el Festival de Cine de San Francisco. No podría estar mas de acuerdo. Mientras enseño la forma de arte a jóvenes de 5 a 12 años, he estado reflexionando sobre cómo la Capoeira cambió mi vida cuando era joven. Ha sido la luz guía en mi desarrollo personal, creativo y profesional. Incluso hice una canción sobre lo que significa en mi vida. (https:// azmeramusic.bandcamp.com/track/knowjustice-know-peace) La capoeira es una salida que nos permite maximizar nuestro potencial, en una sociedad comprometida con subestimar nuestra existencia, especialmente como personas afrodescendientes.

Orígenes La capoeira, pronunciada Cah-poo-eh-rah, es una forma de arte marcial afrobrasileña que hoy es un fenómeno global. Con más de 6 millones de practicantes y contando, este oficio ha aparecido en videos musicales de artistas como Little Wayne, series de Hollywood e hizo innumerables apariciones en películas como Disney’s Rio. Quizás uno de los videojuegos más conocidos con el oficio es Tekken, que presenta a los formidables luchadores y jogadores (jugadores) Eddie y Christina. Cuando la mayoría de la gente ve Capoeira por primera vez, asumen que es un baile. Si bien la capoeira implica una serie de movimientos hermosos y fluidos, muchos no conocen su rica y profundamente liberadora historia. Historia de la Capoeira En 1888, Brasil fue el último país de América en abolir la esclavitud, y aunque casi 400.000 personas esclavizadas fueron traídas a los Estados Unidos, se sabe que alrededor de 4,9 millones fueron traficadas a los puertos de Brasil. Como a los esclavizados no se les permitía practicar la defensa personal, disfrazaban sus movimientos como un baile, y así nació la Capoeira. Conocí la capoeira cuando tenía siete años y considero una bendición haber estado aprendiendo, entrenando y enseñando desde entonces. Aquí hay tres formas en que la Capoeira me cambió:

1. Mejoró mi relación con mi cuerpo. Como una persona joven con mucha energía y que también fue testigo de

mucha ira y violencia mientras crecía, mi cuerpo estaba receptivo a cada interacción. Necesitaba liberar esa energía de manera productiva, y la capoeira era esa salida. Viniendo de la pobreza, donde el abuso de sustancias, la falta de vivienda y la disfunción eran la norma, entrené durante 3 horas al día para procesar las emociones encontradas como un mecanismo de afrontamiento. Como resultado, aprendí a valorar, darle a mi cuerpo el tiempo que necesita para descansar, restablecerse, estirarse y expresarse libremente. Ahora lo veo como una necesidad en lugar de una obligación, y siempre me siento mejor después de haber logrado un poco de movimiento. Me enseñó que puedo confiar en mi cuerpo para saber cómo moverme y cómo responder a cualquier circunstancia. Cuando era estudiante de segundo año en la Universidad del Sur de California (USC), me inscribí en una clase de portugués para mi requisito de idioma y poco después tuve la oportunidad de estudiar en el extranjero en Brasil durante un mes. Para recaudar fondos para mi boleto de avión, decidí juntar mi Palabra hablada con Capoeira, y el 1 de marzo de 2015, creé un video visual de Palabra hablada llamado “Capoeira” (https://www.youtube.com/ watch? v=Yx9KnkbxU-c) donde reflexioné sobre lo que significó este oficio para mí en mi viaje de sanación. Como verá, la capoeira involucra musicalidad en el canto, innovación con instrumentos hechos de alambre de llanta y madeira para hacer el instrumento llamado berimbau, y movimientos que aflojan, y fortalecen el cuerpo. Esta innovación y la capacidad de hacer algo de la nada es un elemento clave al que he recurrido a lo largo de mi vida. Los principios aprendidos se han afinado y enseñado en lo que fueron los talleres de CaPoetic, que dan forma a The CapoEthic Method ™ que ahora enseño a líderes y estudiantes de todas las edades para mejorar su relación con la mente y el cuerpo. Durante mi tiempo en la universidad, completamos más de 150 talleres dentro y fuera del campus y servimos a más de 250 miembros de la comunidad.

Dirigimos talleres creativos de CaPoetic con estudiantes dentro y fuera del campus de la USC y en Los Ángeles, Oakland, California, Salvador Bahía, Brasil e incluso Jerusalén Este y Ramallah, Palestina.

2. Aumenté mi confianza en mí mismo y mi capacidad para relacionarme/ comprometerme con otros. Hay un diálogo en Capoeira, un intercambio de energía que cura, revela y profundiza la relación de uno con uno mismo y con los demás. En la clase de capoeira, tenemos que trabajar en pareja, así que tuve que aprender a escuchar a los demás.

Parte de la práctica requiere que hagas parejas y hagas contacto visual con la persona contra la que juegas. Cuando te lanzan una patada, debes responder con un escape u otra patada, y de esta manera estáis hablando entre vosotros sin decir una palabra.

Aprendí a leer el lenguaje corporal y también me di cuenta de que a veces un diálogo entre dos cuerpos puede ser incluso más poderoso que una conversación verbal. La energía habla y es importante practicar la autodisciplina en lugar de reaccionar.

Si alguien accidentalmente te da una patada en la cara, no puedes perder la compostura o de lo contrario se considera baja madurez y disciplina.

Tu respuesta debe mejorarse protegiendo tu cara cuando juegas. Siempre hay espacio para el crecimiento.

Mi película favorita mientras crecía era Only The Strong, no solo porque la banda sonora es una infusión de música capoeira y hip hop.

La película destaca cómo esta forma de arte, cuando se toma en serio, puede transformar vidas.

Luis, ex graduado de la escuela secundaria Lincoln, regresa a Miami de su misión militar en Brasil en busca de nuevas oportunidades laborales; visita a su profesor de estudios sociales de 11.º grado, que necesita desesperadamente ayuda para llamar la atención de sus alumnos.

Invita a Luis a enseñar Capoeira a doce jóvenes involucrados en el sistema que son “el fondo del barril” en Lincoln.

Luis encuentra resistencia tanto de los estudiantes, los administradores de la escuela y los miembros de la comunidad, pero con persistencia y visión prevalece.

Toma a algunos de los jóvenes más “malportados” y les brinda herramientas para el manejo de la ira, la resolución de conflictos y relaciones saludables que hacen que incluso los pandilleros rivales estén dispuestos a trabajar juntos y, en última instancia, hacer lo que nadie creía posible: graduarse de la escuela secundaria.

Resoné con la película porque aunque nunca estuve involucrada en una pandilla o encarcelada, luché con la ira mientras crecía.

3. Me conectó con una comunidad global afrodiaspórica que comenzó en Brasil. Cuando tenía poco más de 20 años, estaba empezando a procesar un trauma infantil complejo cuando decidí volver a comprometerme con la forma de arte de la capoeira.

Me dio la comunidad y una salida positiva que necesitaba para sanar de manera saludable.

En ese momento me entrené con el instructor afro-francés, Saracuru, a través de Capoeira Brasil Downtown LA, una escuela contemporánea con grupos en más de 6 países.

Empecé a ver el impacto global que tenía la capoeira en la gente de todos los sectores. Conocí gente en entretenimiento, educación, música, organizaciones sin fines de lucro, consultoría privada, gobierno, todos los que entrenaron Capoeira.

Pregunté qué los llevó al arte, y un sinnúmero de personas informaron que la Capoeira les dio más sentido a sus vidas y los ayudó a tomar un mejor camino. Para algunos fue la comunidad lo que los atrajo, para otros fue el ejercicio y la diversión, para otros fue una conexión espiritual. Todos tenían una razón diferente, pero todos tenían el mismo fundamento; La capoeira los cambió. Me recordó a mi propio viaje. Mientras visitaba Brasil, lo que me impresionó aún más fue que conocí, entrené y aprendí de las capoeiristas feministas negras. Ha habido mujeres practicando y contribuyendo a la capoeira desde que existe la capoeira, pero los documentales y la historia no siempre te lo mostrarán. Cuando estaba completando

una beca Fulbright de Artes Creativas y Escénicas en Salvador Bahía, Brasil (Fulbright) en 2017, por primera vez me encontré con feministas negras capoeiristas que también eran profesoras universitarias.

(Foto de Mestra Dra. Janja Araujo, Azmera y Mestra Dra. Paula Barreto en la Universidad Federal de Bahía en Salvador Bahía, Brasil) Estudié con Mestra Janja y Mestra Paula Barreto, fundadoras del Instituto Nzingha de Estudios de Capoeira Angola (http://nzinga.org.br) y profesoras del departamento Cor da Bahia de la UFBA, la Universidad Federal de Bahia. Fue revelador y afirmador de vida.

Tuve que viajar hasta Brasil para aprender sobre la teoría de la interseccionalidad de Kimberly Crenshaw, que es lo que leemos en la clase de Mestra Paula. Ver la capoeira a través de una lente feminista negra por primera vez transformó mi relación con el oficio.

Una pregunta eterna surgió en ese viaje: ¿la capoeira transforma las normas sociales o simplemente refleja las normas sociales que existen? Todavía no sé la respuesta a esa pregunta, pero la he visto transformar mi propia comprensión del poder.

Veo mujeres que continúan iluminando el camino hacia un futuro de sanación y justicia, dispuestas a abordar las formas de sexismo, racismo y clasismo que dividen nuestro mundo, en lugar de producir un cambio positivo.

En la Capoeira liderada por Feministas Negras, las mujeres tenían la oportunidad de tocar el berimbau, formar la mayoría de la bateria (Banda) y cantar canciones que controlaban el ritmo del juego sin obstáculos o interrupciones por parte del patriarcado dañino. Más allá de la mera inspiración, estas capoeiristas feministas negras crean activamente nuevos mundos. Los que necesitamos tan desesperadamente: un mundo lleno de cuidado, nutrición, suavidad, ternura y la voluntad de enfrentar el dolor necesario para sanar. Conocí a practicantes negras de los EE. UU. como la brillante treinel Miriam, quien organizó el primer evento anual de empoderamiento de la mujer en 2019 en Atlanta, Georgia. En el Centro de Liberación de Ayuda Mutua, fui testigo de un espacio hermoso, tierno y sagrado cultivado para que todas las personas, jóvenes y mayores, hombres y mujeres de Capoeira, vengan tal como son, jueguen, bailen, canten y lloren envueltos en el bálsamo de la auténtica compromiso comunitario, como lo llamaría la Dra. Irma. El liderazgo de las mujeres negras en Capoeira me ayudó a ver cuán poderosas son realmente las mujeres, cuando nos empoderamos y creamos espacios valientes donde simplemente podemos ser. Este evento me recordó que cuando las mujeres están presentes y reciben apoyo, se hace posible un mundo de cambios positivos. Las mujeres ven lo que a menudo permanece oculto, porque hemos tenido que vivir en el espacio intermedio. Espero poder compartir más sobre su trabajo en próximas piezas.

Capoeira hoy: Hoy, Brasil tiene la mayor población de afrodescendientes fuera de África. Según el Directorio Mundial de Minorías y Pueblos Indígenas de Brasil, más del 48% de la población tiene ascendencia africana. El mundo de los practicantes

está creciendo y cambiando constantemente a medida que la forma de arte continúa evolucionando. Como la mayoría de las otras cosas en la cultura negra, con el tiempo la capoeira se ha apropiado de diferentes maneras, pero ha sido alentador ver cómo las personas negras, especialmente las mujeres negras, han hecho suyo el oficio. Los estilos primarios que se practican se consideran Capoeira Angola (movimiento más lento), Regional (movimientos más rápidos y acrobáticos) y Contemporánea. Un mestre (un maestro de Capoeira) es alguien que tiene experiencia a nivel de experto, compromiso demostrado con su comunidad y mantiene una reverencia constante por el patrimonio cultural de este oficio sagrado.

Trabajan para preservar la historia de la capoeira a través de su enseñanza, a menudo arraigada en la narración oral, y también ayudan activamente a la comunidad a través de proyectos de cambio social. Si desea obtener más información sobre Capoeira, más allá de una búsqueda rápida en Google, puede escuchar parte de mi viaje con Mestre Cleber Pety de Bantos Capoeira en el podcast Break The Boxes en los enlaces a continuación. (https://open.spotify.com/ episode/3nvjXRKp6mgBoalVBY6EG)

Enlaces para más recursos

1. Obtenga más información sobre la historia de la capoeira y el número de practicantes https://larc.ucalgary. ca/publications/professionalizing-andregulating-capoeira-brazilian-dilemma

2. Obtenga más información sobre el comercio de esclavos y la historia de Brasil (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=lzFxC-BP4M0)

3. Obtenga más información sobre la población demográfica de Brasil https:// www.refworld.org/docid/49749d4d32.html

4. Obtenga más información sobre mi viaje en Capoeira https://open.spotify. com/show/70lCY9s8ekQMB484hxKcbV

5. Mira mi video de palabra hablada de capoeira

6. Obtenga más información sobre la organización Black Capoeira en Minneapolis (https://www.abcapoeira.com/ about/mestre-yoji-senna)

7. Obtenga más información sobre una de las escuelas de Capoeira más antiguas de Los Ángeles, dirigida por un Mestre negro https://www.brasilbrasil.org

8. Obtenga más información sobre Mestre Batata en Culver City, LA https://capoeirabesouro.com/about-us/ mestre-batata/

9. Incluido en la foto: Courtney Woods, PhD y Azmera Hammouri-Davis, foto tomada por Irma McClaurin (2022) (c) 2023 Azmera Hammouri-Davis

Biografía: Azmera, MTS (también conocida como The Poetic Theorist) es poeta, maestra de ceremonias y fundadora y presentadora de Break The Boxes, y tiene un álbum debut, Young Spirit Old Soul, disponible ahora en bandcamp (azmeramusic.bandcamp.com). Ella trabaja para elevar la sabiduría a través de generaciones y tradiciones religiosas. Twitter e Instagram: @azmerarhymes sitio web: azm-era.com

Por Azmera Hammouri-Davis

Translation by Yoji Senna, Managing Editor, Afrodescendientes, Bahia, Brazil

Foto de Azmera Hammouri-Davis y Fumi Katano jugando Capoeira en 2018.

Today, it’s the Black conservative cons who mockingly refer to the “Democratic Plantation”— all the while supporting Republican bigots who are steadily rolling back Black civil rights and the rights of

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other minority communities. To those white supremacist ends, Scott has willingly played his part, one that just about every prominent Black Republican (with the exception of Colin Powell) has played in the 21st Century as they have been unwilling to loudly call out the racist rhetoric and policies of their party’s leaders—even as they get the occasional concession

that benefits either themselves or some Black people. The question that begs asking is, as Scott entered the race with single digit polling numbers yesterday, the same as the majority of the Republican field, why did he choose to run?

I strongly suspect that in the race for #1, Scott is actually running for #2—as in a bid to be Donald Trump’s running mate in 2024! With most of the prominent polls showing that Trump is ahead by a wide margin over the growing GOP primary field, even besting soon to be candidate Ron DeSantis (Florida’s Governor) by as many

as forty percentage points, it is clear that the more candidates who enter, like Scott and former NJ Governor Chris Christie, the more votes that are pulled away from DeSantis, a man whose rhetoric and discriminatory politics against Blacks and the LGBTQ community are just like Trump’s—but far more frightening due to his proven ability to actually turn Florida into a mini-fascist state instead of talking big and doing little, like the former president. (Nota Bene: One area that Trump talked big and did bigger was in reforming the federal judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court,

one that has overturned Roe vs. Wade and soon to include multiple civil rights precedents that will make it easier for people to discriminate based on their personal biases).

While Trump isn’t the sharpest political knife in the drawer, he is a natural public relations expert for his ideological kind, as shown in his social media post following Sen. Scott’s announcement which read: “Good luck to Senator Tim Scott in entering the Republican Presidential Primary Race. It is rapidly loading up with lots of people, and Tim is a big step up from Ron DeSanctimonious, who is totally unelectable.

I got Opportunity Zones done with Tim, a big deal that has been highly successful. Good luck Tim!”

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Yep, you read it correctly—in one paragraph, Trump praises Scott, disses his former acolyte DeSantis—and seemingly offers an alternative for Republican voters who don’t consider themselves MAGAs to vote against his fellow MAGA, DeSantis!

What’s crystal clear at this point is that Donald Trump already knows that he will be the nominee; if Tim Scott plays nicely in sandbox with Trump

McClaurin

From 3

to serve others as a busy consultant and executive coach while speaking regularly to national audiences. Recognition for her work includes the 2021 American Anthropological Association’s Engaged Anthropology Award and the Vision and Commitment Award from the National Women’s Studies Association in 2017. For her relentless pursuit of excellence in many fields, for her innovative mindset, and for her steadfast commitment to social justice in many forms and across many fields, Grinnell College is proud to recognize Irma McClaurin ’73 with an honorary doctor social studies degree at the 2023 Commencement Ceremony.

during the primary season, he very well could find himself on the ticket running for VP next summer. I definitely could see Trump tapping Scott as a way to help him with independent voters and disillusioned Democrats who are wary of the racism and race baiting during his term by saying, “see, I’m really not THAT racist— forget all that I said and wrote on Twitter and just look at my potential BLAAACCCKKK vice president.”

More crucially, Scott may be willing to bend his back further and go along to get along with Trump with hopes that as a 57-year old man, that his own chance to be president could occur should his boss pass away in office if they win in 2024, or, as his term-limited successor in 2028. Stay tuned... Hobbservation Point is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Chuck Hobbs is a freelance journalist who won the 2010 Florida Bar Media Award and has been twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.

About Grinnell College

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Listening to the Ancestors

They know this Redemption Voyage will be a journey like no other.

By Irma McClaurin, PhD

Previously published on Medium (https://medium. com/@irmamcclaurin/listeningto-the-ancestors-2157b395bd80 ), Mar 17, 2023

Here in Plateau, Alabama, the group stops at the entrance of the Africatown Cemetery and one elder Black woman shakes her head.

She speaks solemnly:

“Something is not right; the ancestors are not happy.”

She tells us:

The ancestors are speaking; they say: “We are calling you.

Listen.”

When elder Black women gather, magic happens.

They/We become a spontaneous combustion of spirits & wisdom.

Knowledge that only can come from living a long life.

When elder Black women gather, we ignite each other. We stand together in unity of a vision—like the “Redemption Voyage”—

We are a collective of souls and spirit.

When elder Black women gather, we inspire change, transform ourselves and others, reconnect to heal us & our environment.

What has brought these Black women here; who or what has called forth these global walkers to this space/place called Africatown?

Redemption Voyage.

STOP.

The ancestors are speaking; they say: “We are calling you. Listen.”

She shakes off help, moves away from supporting arms and hands that reach out to steady her. What truths can elder Black women spin amidst the harsh sounds of big wheel trucks pounding a concrete bridge & the clanking of speeding cars? We must heal…

ourselves… each other… the earth… the ocean… Redemption Voyage will set sail from Africatown| Plateau | Alabama the site of the last known slavery atrocity.

One elder Black woman twitches from convulsions; What truths can elder Black women reveal as they bow in homage to the ancestors, touch the hallowed ground of the Africatown cemetery, call forth blessings in long forgotten (and newly-learned) tongues of Yoruba, Swahili, Benin (amidst the adopted words of Christianity)? Asé & Amen?

The ancestors are speaking; they say: “We are calling you.

Listen.”

One elder Black woman coughs, chokes, & clears the phlegm, sediment & pollution of oppression from the memories of an enslaved past caught in her throat and infecting the body.

She spits out toxins, amidst the pouring of libations— purified water to cleanse, to offer.

The ancestor spirits are touching us all.

Tears flow, more cries emerge from other elder Black women in the group.

The drummer begins. He calls forth the ancestral spirits that inhabit Africatown. She chants,

speaking in forgotten languages that the ancestors once spoke. Then reminds us in the language these ancestors were forced to adopt—English:

Hear them calling to us? We are you. You are Us. Pause.

Now.

Listen to our ancestors emanating from the graves. their whispers woven into cemetery silences. Listen to them speak of the ship that brought them from Benin to Mobile.

In the quiet of a graveyard, sounds of the Africatown past intertwine with the present, like the moss entangling itself on the branches & trunks of Bama oak trees.

Listen.

None of us will profit if all you seek is for “I.” Join together. Collaborate.

Share. It is the “We” that must be prioritized.

Some elder Black women fall to their knees, others bend touching two hands to the ground. The drumming continues.

“We are calling you. Listen.”

There is a symbiosis happening. This Redemption Voyage will prove the truth of the Ancestors’ stories.

We are you. You are Us. Learn from our journey of pain.

They caution us— so many, too many fragments; all with good intentions The Alabama wind gathers up the dust of forgetfulness and scatters it.

In this moment, Rememory, long buried, explodes. Redemption Voyage will heal America. Africatown/April 14, 2023

Irma McClaurin Africatown Cemetery 2013. It is said that those who arrived on the Clotilda asked to be buried facing East, so they could see home, to which they could not return.

© 2023 Irma McClaurin Irma McClaurin (https:// linktr.ee/dr.irma) is an activist anthropologist, the Culture and Education Editor for Insight News, a columnist, and occasional radio and television commentator and recently appeared in the PBS American Experience documentary “Zora Neale Hurston: Her Own Way.”

She is the CEO and senior consultant for Irma McClaurin Solutions, a past president of Shaw University, and former Associate VP at the University of Minnesota and founding ED of UROC. Recognition includes 2023 Honorary Degree

from Grinnell College, 2021 American Anthropological Association’s Engaged Anthropology Award, 2015 “Best in the Nation Columnist” by the Black Press of America, and 2002 “Outstanding Academic Title” for Black Feminist Anthropology: Theory, Politics, Praxis and Poetics. McClaurin is a digital author on Medium and for Ms. Magazine. Her collection, JustSpeak: Reflections on Race, Culture & Politics in America, is forthcoming in 2023, and she is working on a book length manuscript entitled “Lifting Zora Neale Hurston from the Shadows of Anthropology.”

By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

RYLAND

By M. Taylor

It’s Pride Month, and that includes Black Love. Many of the SGL (same-genderloving) romance novels I have read have taken place in large urban settings. M. Taylor’s Ryland, however, is set in the small town of Sterling Springs, South Carolina, giving us a pleasant change of pace and reminding the reader that LGBT folks are everywhere. Gabriel Hendricks is a partner of an investment firm. A bisexual brotha who has had countless hookups with men and women, his heart was encased in ice, belonging to no one. Now 35, his pragmatism has him deciding to take a wife and have children. However, there are a few flies in the ointment— his avaricious, money-hungry fiancée Natalie has jilted him at the altar by marrying his business partner/former lover Alan. The newlyweds further humiliate Gabriel by telling him to his face that he had ice in his veins. In the aftermath of this betrayal, his cousin persuades him to get out of town for a while to lick his wounds and heal.

Ryland James Adderly runs a B&B and a plant nursery, having walked away from the corporate world a wealthy brotha in exchange for the simple pleasures of small-town living. At 27, he is getting over a relationship with toxic, selfhating boyfriend Henry, who dumped him and married a woman in order to hide his true self, leaving Ryland questioning

his self-worth. Normally, he has his BFF/tenant Sandy to talk to—until she takes off for an elopement, mentioning that her cousin will be paying a visit to get over a breakup.

Drowning their sorrows in booze, the brothas unexpectedly meet at a local bar in Sterling Springs, which turns into a night of passion. But that’s not all—when they wake up the next morning, there are wedding rings on their fingers. Between meddling relatives and friends, and despicable exes out to undermine them personally and professionally, will Ryland and Gabriel stay married? Will the ice around Gabriel’s heart melt? Will Ryland find the person who truly values him on all levels?

In addition to the powerful, smoking-hot chemistry between Ryland and Gabriel, Taylor (aka Tria David)

blends other issues into their love story, such as stereotyping, self-worth, and the damage people do with the words that come out of their mouths. Another message in her story was the following: “Be mindful of how you treat people; you never know who you’re talking to.” I loved Taylor’s flip of the script by having Ryland and Gabriel wake up married and then witnessing the process of them falling in love, leading to a happily-ever-after. Ryland is available on Amazon. Thank you, M., for your message of love, authenticity, and your embodiment of the words of Toni Morrison: “If there is a story you wish to read, and it hasn’t been written, then you must be the one to write it.” Black Love wins!