As I bear witness to the connection that Black people subconsciously have with one another through our ancestry, it proves that we are so much more than we have had the opportunity to imagine.

For perspective, ancient Egypt was ancient to the ancient Romans during their reign. Read that again. If you want to go even broader, kingship of any historical context can’t be discussed without mentioning the Mali Empire. Thousands, if not millions of years prior to the “pre historic” era, there was (still) thriving Black life. All of the documented prophets were Black from the hottest soil on the planet, said to perform miracles and deliver scripture and insight directly from God. Somehow, we still manage to honor those before us through the African pendants hanging off our gold chains, the beads in our braids, and the rhythm and vibration that was intricately incorporated into our human experience. This also poses the question, have we more than just inherited mental illness and pain? What about our constant ability to create the culture around us, mourn, be joyful, be resilient. What is your true power? Who are you?

I walk down the street, I’m stopped by another Black woman with natural hair or a head wrap, we congregate about it, celebrating each other. This may seem simple, but we are constantly looking for ourselves. For every Black death, we see ourselves die and collectively grieve. Aren’t you proud of yourself? Look at you healing in ways not previously imaginable.

Have you ever wondered why throughout history, beginning with the first human fossil, pigmented people have been gifted the tools to innovate, build the first architecture, make medicine from the earth, and construct civilization itself. Genetic material is not just external, you inherit gifts. There is no coincidence that Black people have survived a constant attempt at genocide from 100 angles and it has not prevailed. Somehow, your rhythm was sustained, your connection to spirituality and even the way you hold your head. Today, Black creativity and talent is the most profitable market in the world. The world. When you are programmed to believe that you ought to be grateful that you can be employed based on the culture they stole and sell back to you, you are in bondage. We get caught up in the trauma we hold, that we ignore the fact that we are here and still the most imitated race of people on the Earth. This poses the question, what is power? Do you embody power by existing? Writer & poet James Baldwin once said, “There is nothing else to prove…you’ve already been bought and paid for. You can love yourself now.”