Many Blessings of the Ancestors

I feel what has happened recently can only be described as Many Blessings of the Ancestors.

Since the Remembrance ceremony at Buckroe beach, I have been invited to partake in four radio interviews, to write and co-author articles, contribute to books, consult and create rituals for an International organization and co-create a ritual with the talented Professor Artisia Green, President of the Black Theater Network for a 1619 conference; The Making of America at Norfolk State University lead by brilliant scholars Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander and Dr. Joanne Braxton, Founder and Director of the Middle Passage project at the College of William and Mary.

Over the past few months, I have been working closely with Dr. Braxton, who has taken me under her wings and provided me opportunities to spread my own wings. To her, I am incredibly grateful. I consider the work involving the ancestors sacred work and I am honored to work on their behalf as I create rituals, write articles and attempt to fill in the missing pages of the historical records of the contributions Africans have made across the globe.

For the past three months, Dr. Joanne Braxton, Dr. Rachel Harding, Professor at the University of Colorado, and I have been working on creating a template for an International ritual of remembrance ceremony to be used throughout the African diaspora by the Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project (PMP) over the next 9 years.

The first ceremony for the PMP will be held in Baltimore next Thursday, August 23rd. I will be in Baltimore participating in the ceremonies so if you are in Baltimore come, join us. If you want more information, email me: chadrapw@gmail.com

These are truly exciting times!! I thank all of you for the love and support you have shown me over the years as you have encouraged me to get back to the work that I love... and the work that I came to this Earth to do. Watch out doctoral programs, here I come!!!

Obrigado...asante sana to you all!!! (thank you in Portuguese and Swahili)
peace, love and many blessings,
Chadra


Works Cited:

Adkins,L.E. (2009). Burial in the African Diaspora-Burial, African Practices in the Americas. A. Pinn(Ed.),African American Religious Cultures.(667). ABC CLIO.