Post Wedding. And Nakumbuka Day.

So the wedding was really nice. Fun. Stress and drama free. Bonaventure. Downtown L.A. Open bar. Nice touch. Very nice touch.

Seems like everyone had their own kind of open bar on Saturday night, because at the Sunday morning event I had to go to, everyone was in a sluggish post-drinking kinda mood.

Definitely not the kind of energy you need for a Nakumbuka Day ceremony on a Sunday morning.

Nakumbuka Day is a dedication ceremony to acknowledge those lost during the Mafaa, or Middle Passage, which is commonly known as the Global African Holocaust, where at least 100 million lives were lost over a period of 400 years. Nakumbuka is a Swahili word for "I Remember."

It is an annual ceremony that I've helped plan and attend over the past few years, when I first became aware there was a Nakumbuka Day. It is November 11 every year.

So we wore our white. Did our rituals. Reflected on our collective global loss, but gave thanks that we are the descendants of survivors of the Global African Holocaust.

Many people say that black people in the United States don't have their own rituals, traditions, or ceremonies. We do. I think Nakumbuka Day is a start, so that we remember from which/whom we came. As well, it's important to remember that before slavery, the slaves as we call them were human beings -- Africans -- with daily lives, hopes, lives, dreams, jobs, chores, and fears -- all disrupted by the arrival of kidnappers and free labor talent scouts.

Often, we just look at and call them "slaves" without looking at the humanity and human-ness of our people. As well, we rarely look at the psychological makeup of a people who would perpetuate an institution such as slavery on another group of people.

Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary starts with her Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome work.

Today, if it's your off day, maybe you can start with some reflection too.
fs