You are someone worth celebrating! The ancient Kemetic principle of Hetep speaks to a state of peace, harmony, balance, and spiritual wholeness. (Bynum, 1999; Fu-Kiau, 2001) Hetep is not simply the absence of conflict. It is inner alignment. Many people spend years chasing external peace while remaining internally divided. (Bynum, […]
The South African Zulu philosophy of Ubuntu emphasizes collective thoughts and actions. Ubuntu happens when “I am, because we are” is transformed from a phrase into a therapeutic way of living. When we consider recent tragedies in Virginia and Louisiana, alongside the health disparities impacting Black/African people, the call for […]
In the United States, Black women have addressed different intersecting forms of oppression such as racial and gender issues and they have an enormous role in the outcome of mental and physical health disparities such as elevated cortisol levels, chronic illness, emotional disorders, and social problems. Spirituality has always been […]
Living within a society that denies their beauty, power, and existence, Black women can find that recognizing their own joy is an act of resistance. However, Black joy and the African spirit are survival practices perfected under slavery. Throughout generations, Black joy has persisted through both covert and overt acts […]
For nearly two decades, I approached my federal career through the lens of a survivor. I was a dedicated employee who was very skilled at “fitting in” every room where I was the only one who looked like me. I made conscious decisions to carefully choose how I spoke, how […]
