photo by Alex Lear

MAAFA: Remembrance & Renewal

The past we inherit. The future we create.

We ask you to bear witness to your ancestors

            the human bridges that bore you cross

            slavery’s turbulent & troubled waters

            & made a way out of no way 

for our arrival into a diaspora

in another country we have transformed

into home

We ask you to consider those whose bodies & souls created you

            those who made it possible for us

to breathe & be in this time & place

            this space where & when nothing should be taken for granted

            we were not even supposed to survive but we are here 

& should never forget how we first arrived

We ask you to remember that whether in times of feasting or famine

we are never alone, both those departed & those yet to come

are watching over us

            the universe is our witness

Today we say we have not forgotten from whence we came

and we recommit ourselves to cherishing our history

            as we keep the faith & spread it into the future

The spirit & struggle of each & every one of us

always makes a difference

pamoja tutashinda­—together we will win!

—kalamu ya salaam