There is always something sacred and peaceful 1pm |Fridays when ‘The Conversation with Al McFarlane’ convenes ‘The Healing Circle’, co-hosted by Dr. Bravada Garrett Akinsanya, founder and CEO of The African American Child Wellness Institute (AACWI). The show content is described as reflections, bubbles of awareness, and memories, each participant having their own story and lessons learned. We are in a circle where we share power. There is no hierarchy. Our African heritage has taught us to use circles to resolve conflict and pain, and to acknowledge and celebrate our Creator.
Here, together, we bask in glory and hope for our future. “In this place,” said Dr. B., “we can let go of the things we’re afraid or ashamed of, and each one of us has a story or a lesson learned.”
“It was a rough week. I thought about my beloved and powerful mother on what would have been her 100th birthday. In the one room schoolhouse where she taught all grade levels, I remember that cold chocolate milk and her telling me that my purpose was to glorify God and that I had special gifts that only I could have and be able to share with others,” Dr B. said.
Dr. Oliver Williams, Professor of Social Work at University of Minnesota said he believes if we are aware of ourselves, we can get connected to every other thing that exists. “In a training organized by my friend and colleague, Larry Tucker, his theme was how we should value self by using self as a guide in the process of forgiving and educating ourselves.”
“What bothers me about people like Gov. DeSantis, Gov. Abbott, Senator Cruz, and former President Trump is the fact they have no humanity. I ask myself, ‘what God are they responding to’ when they’ve lied to people, ignored the trauma people are fleeing in their corrupt and war-torn countries, and then treat them like criminals when they seek a better life?”
Looking at history, Williams said, “How could these so-called people of faith have raped enslaved every night, but then sit in church the next day? Today, we ask why the browning of America causes so much angst, when the change in demographics could bring the country to a whole new productive and humanitarian space. When does the malice and evil end?”
Williams decried the selfish impact racism has had on America. A huge segment of white voters believes the fact their power is dwindling is a problem. After Barack Obama became the first Black President, hate groups, supported by Trump, like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers began to form, he said.
“It’s a way of knowing and doing with intent of transgression against humanity,” said Dr. B. “It begins very early in life. It’s like they lose their spiritual connection. No one who honors the Creator can see others as less than anyone else, or intentionally want to harm or destroy the life of others because they feel they have the power to do so. I think the root of it is a sense of hopelessness, fear, and anger.”
Williams said thinks about their illogical thinking when he watches the Olympic Channel. The long-distance marathon winners are mostly from Africa. It had long been promoted that Blacks could only train to be sprinters. “It’s these mega Republicans that are indoctrinated with this staunch belief in Manifest Destiny ideology who are just like the Germans were. They felt they had a responsibility to be harmful to Jews because that was just the way things were. But there’s an irrefutable truth on the other side. Throughout slavery, we continued to believe in ourselves, especially during our parents’ times. They tolerated and suffered through a lot. I believe it was their spirituality that continued to support them. It was the importance of a reliability of trust between one another, and they had an undeniable work ethic. Our ancestors sang work songs while picking cotton.”
I had to think about the current state of affairs in Minnesota.
While there’s talk about dislodging and dismantling the inhumane mindset of Trumpists, billions of dollars in surplus funding sit in the State’s treasury surplus.
It seems evil and cruel.
G.O.P. legislative blockers retire to their white suburban silos where few homicides or carjackings happen, privileged children attend private schools with after school tutors, while Black, Brown, and Indigenous students are 10% proficient in math and 20% proficient in reading, the homeless build more tents throughout the Twin Cities, and immigrants fleeing the fears and trauma of separated families arrive in the U.S. and are abandoned.
I’d certainly like to ask how these people sleep at night and what type of conversations they have with their children regarding their racist ideologies, especially the offspring that recognized their parents storming the Capitol on January 6th 2021.
As we were about to bid adieu to yet another thought provoking and inspiring Healing Circle, Dr. B. remembered her dear friend, Naomi Tutu, the daughter of the late Bishop Desmond Tutu. “She’s always believed that people don’t know because they don’t want to know. And then there’s a line in this Navajo proverb that says ‘you can’t wake a man who pretends to be asleep because he’s already awake! How can they not know with all the strife our country and the world has encountered? And then it hit me. The last thing Jesus said on the cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” she said.
For generations, Black Americans have faced challenges that appeared insurmountable, but our ancestors survived harsher circumstances. We must figure out how to reframe that wisdom and resilience so we continue. Our families and our supports have eroded over time, especially over the 2 years of COVID. So we must remember the 6 million humans who left this world in a little over two years.
We have to nurture and expand the willful determination to heal our own communities and by extension, humanity.
