From the Ground Up

FROM THE GROUND UP By, Leilani Fu’Qua

With one of the nation’s most popular clothing and footwear stores, Urban Outftters, selling sage sticks for only $11.00 US dollars, the accessibility to spiritual practices have spiked in younger demographics, especially in Black adolescents in an efort to recenter themselves on Afrikan-based spiritual paths. Spirituality and nature in Black communities have deep roots from the motherland, but many of the traditions were forbidden and lost during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade or diluted over the enforcement of Christianity in American slavery. With the advanced access to the spiritual practices of our ancestors and detailed historical evidence, many Black youths have distanced themselves from the limitations of major religions and began to include a connectedness to nature into their established devotions. A study from the Pew Research center shows a major percentage point change between 2009 and 2018/2019 in people in the United States who identify as “Black, non-Hispanic” and their afliation with Christianity. Since 2009, the Christian afliation has dropped by eleven points, and unafliated has grown by 7 percentage points. Nature has been the focus of media and charitable giving, specifcally regarding the deteriorating state of the environment. It has also reemerged as the focus of a Black spirituality resurgence, using rituals and jewelry from Africa in combination with meditation to connect with Earth and higher powers. First-year African American Studies major Justin “STR33T” Scott said, “I use nature to ground me, re-center myself, refocus, and connect with ancestry. Nature is as important as anything else in life.” Scott practices nature spirituality in concurrence with his devotion to Islam. He has a small garden of fowers and succulents growing in his dorm room, wears bracelets and rings from Ghana, and practices meditation in solidarity with prayer further his

spiritual connection with nature and Allah. His roommate Reggie Myles, a frst-year Pre-Psychology major, states that college allowed him to escape from “draining spaces” and further his spiritual journey through practices like his roommate’s. Myles said, “You have self-expression and personal freedom. College helped me discover parts of myself just by being allowed to have plants in my room, and meditating opened my eyes to [a greater] awareness.” Myles comments on his heightened interest in nature as a slight departure from Christianity, which he recognizes as a tool for the subjugation of African people during the global commerce of slavery.

The “#decolonize” movement of the 21st century encourages oppressed communities to unlearn the systematic and environmental racism that colonization is founded on; the beginning of that path to physical and mental liberation starts at reconnecting to roots and reclaiming the practices that were stolen from marginalized groups. Myles says, “People of color, especially Black people, come from deep roots and now we have every tool to regain what colonization stripped from us.” “African Americans under the age of 30 are three times as likely to eschew a religious afliation as African Americans over 50,” Te Atlantic reported. Tey attribute this change to the change in the center of revolutionary movements. Rather than centering the Black church in the revolution, it is centered on challenging sexism, homophobia, white supremacy and misogyny, including Black church institutions in the line of fre. With the technological advancements of this generation, this liberation is achieved expeditiously. “Growing up in an open-minded time, people have the power to construct their own narratives, learn about the practices of their ancestors, get information, and it’s also becoming a trend to be in touch with your spirituality and gain a new understanding and connectedness that

was once demonized,” Scott said. Ease and popularity have become signifcant in personal connectedness with nature. Spirituality and nature extend beyond incense burning, indigenous jewelry, and meditation. “I believe being spiritual is showing compassion, love, and being the energy that people need to see in themselves by giving them genuine afrmations and showing love: everything you say to others refects on you,” Myles says. By perpetuating positivity, kindness, and expanding your mindset, we can be analytical of the beauty in the world around us. Myles says, “A change of thinking is an act of self-love, understanding, and discovery.” Any efort towards discovery is a step in the right direction; buying succulents at Trader Joe’s, spending the afernoon under the sun in the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden, and meditating on a vacant balcony overlooking the hills of Westwood are small and simple steps to take in the search for personal authenticity. Whether you’re looking to become more in touch with your roots and nature, spread love for the planet, or explore diferent modes of spiritual thinking, start from the ground up.