Slavery’s Obituary has been written and Black People say enough is enough

Mayor Tamara James

Associate Dean Kisha King

In laying to rest the intergenerational effects of chattel slavery, it became clear that a summary of the lifetime of lament had to be written.

DANIA BEACH, FLORIDA, USA, August 19, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — It’s Official. Slavery’s Obituary has been written and Black People say enough is enough.

In considering how to advance healing by symbolically laying to rest the intergenerational effects of chattel slavery, it became clear that a summary of the lifetime of lament caused by the syndrome had to be written. Fire Forged Recovery has done just that: composed an obituary for slavery. Its impact affected fifteen million people of African descent, according to the United Nations (https://www.un.org/en/observances/decade-people-african-descent/slave-trade#:~:text=International%20Day%20of%20Remembrance%20of%20the%20Victims%20of%20Slavery%20and,darkest%20chapters%20in%20human%20history.) .

Truly, the phenomenon has been worse than the savage wrath imposed by the most brutal abuser. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), abusers often see the abused as their property, externalizes blame, and minimizes the effects of violence on the receiver and others (https://ncadv.org/signs-of-abuse).

A memorial service at Von D Mizell/ Eula Johnson State Park in Dania Beach—First Annual Requiem for Slavery– marks the official end of Black people’s efforts for survival consuming the attention that needs to be focused on healing.

Complementing the active climate in the community to affect change at policy and political levels, the Cultural Wellness Movement and the occasion focus on healing. The movement calls on people affected by skin color bias and the intergenerational effects of chattel slavery to turn a healing gaze inward –to self and community—to repair the damage done.

Although all of the effects of this atrocity won’t magically disappear on August 20, Requiem for Slavery is a ‘period at the end of our sentence’ of being prisoners of the chattel slavery war. The sentiment surrounding the date marks a new direction for people of African descent– and for people of all races and ethnicities who reject skin color bias, structural racism, and caste principles within ourselves and our community. It is a point in time when we formally embrace a new dawn, a new beginning, to establish personal and collective wholeness.

The event on August 20, 2022, at 10:00 am, takes place at Von D. Mizell/Eula Johnson State Park in Dania Beach, 6503 N. Ocean Drive, Dania Beach, FL, 33004 at the Pelican Pavilion. The date marks 403 years since that identified by the 1619 Project’s acknowledgment of the first enslaved person’s arrival on U.S. soil that year. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Recreation and Parks, has waived park entry fees from 10:00 to 10:30 am for Requiem participants on the day of the event.

Mayor Tamara James of Dania Beach will lend remarks regarding the historic event. Mayor James is a proven leader and community advocate. Born and raised in Dania Beach, FL, Mayor James is a University of Miami alumna, a retired WNBA athlete, world traveler, and mother, and is in her second term as the mayor of the City of Dania Beach. Mayor James is the youngest mayor in the history of Dania Beach. Mayor James has a fervent passion for providing Dania Beach residents with transparent leadership, safe practices, and viable community programs to create a thriving, unified environment for all citizens.

Kisha King, Associate Professor of History and Associate Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Broward college, who has been teaching African American History for more than 25 years, will provide perspective through her remarks. She will also lend concepts on which participants may continue to build a foundation of healing.

Shango Ra, a leader, and honored elder who upholds and preserves Afrocentric values in the local community, and a long-term resident of South Florida, will reflect on his ‘lived experience’ of racial injustice in the area. He operates the House of Kuumba in Dania. He also hosts a drumming circle every Sunday at 3 PM to teach the art and history of the African drum to modern-day blacks of any age and to pass the tradition to young people and others who value its healing properties and its place as a tool of leadership.

So, what is Requiem For Slavery, exactly? How can you embrace wholeness?

“Working together, African descendants can heal ourselves from the intergenerational trauma of slavery. As a country and as one world community, we recreate our world as a place of justice, where every citizen is empowered and thriving,” says Sonia Bailey of Fire Forged Recovery.

The organization offers this guidance:

• Mark August 20, 2022, as the turning point to a new beginning. Attend the Requiem for Slavery as you would attend any other landmark life event.

• Acknowledge the Requiem for Slavery in your home and community on August 20 to mark this turning point to our new beginning.

• Examine your mind, body, soul, and spirit to find the places that need healing from internalized bias. Join us in finding ways to heal this bias for good.

• Help yourself and others to heal by growing the Cultural Wellness Movement in your community.

Fire Forged Recovery is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. The event is supported by grant funding from Resist Foundation and sponsorships from Chef Jones Inc, CJ Healing Arts, Fireburn Foundation, and Lightfoot Entertainment. Your donations are welcome and are tax-deductible under IRS rules.

Find out more about the Cultural Wellness Movement at www.theculturehasthecure.com. There, you can become an Ambassador for the movement in your town, sign up to attend an upcoming workshop, take the 30-day wellness challenge, or take another action step.

Get your ticket to attend the Requiem For Slavery at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/requiem-for-slavery-tickets-313255855697, or RSVP at TheCultureHasTheCure.com/requiem-for-slavery. Call or text (754) 777-0806 for more information.

Sonia Bailey
Fire Forged Recovery
+1 7547770806
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