Page 10 - Poetic Elevation September 2020 final

One of the first messages that came to me, in the silence, sounded like this.
“Daughter, we made it with our hands chained behind our backs, pinned to the lower deck
of slave ships, with the ocean roaring all around us. You can make it too. If you are hurt-
ing, then so are the other women around you. Connect with them. Don’t try to fight this
alone.”

I jumped into action. The ancestors were right! Every mother I called was in the
same struggle. Many, also had solutions that I had not yet thought of.
My spiritual big sister, Imani knew a good location to get toilet paper at a location
near her. She didn’t wait for me to ask, she volunteered to pick some up for my family.
My dear friend Latoya, knew where dry goods were still in stock. She also suggested that
we call every family in our network and make sure that everyone is okay. We made a list,
we divided the list up, and gave ourselves 24 hours to call everyone. Without exception,
everyone I called expressed some shock, but mostly deep gratitude. They needed to talk.
The pandemic had taken a mental toll on parents who were trying to protect children, el-
ders and themselves. What was particularly beautiful was that every family had some sort
of resource, or bit of information to share. They shared where to always find rubbing alco-
hol, what to do if you develop an itchy throat, and pointed out where to find recipes for
making your own disinfectant. We even developed a virtual pantry. We posted the list of
extra dry goods and a contact number for anyone in need. Over the weeks since, more life-
saving information has continued to pour in. At this point, no one seems to know how long
the pandemic will last, or even what will happen tomorrow. However, I remain grateful to
be an African woman, who has access to such rich, robust, and accessible ancestry and a
community.