A hyphen is a small mark, almost invisible, yet it carries whole worlds. In the phrase African–American, that slight line holds memory, rupture, improvisation, and the unbroken thread of a people who remade life out of what tried to undo them. I have returned to this hyphen for years, asking what was forced onto it, what was carried across it, and what might be waiting to be reclaimed beneath it.
Read MoreI was born a Ayisyen (i.e., Haitian) in Belgium. I acquired my parents' nationality, and, in many ways, I was raised as a Haitian child, too, partly in Belgium and France, partly in Senegal, moving "back" to Haiti as a young adult.
Later on, as an adult living in Ayiti, it felt natural and easy for me to dive deep into the world of Vodou ceremonies, close encounters and intimate communications with spirits, and to embrace the underlying Shamanic mindset that honors the great mystery through which everything that exists on the visible and invisible dimensions is interconnected.
Read MoreOriginally published in 2019, this reflection marks the beginning of our collective journey. We return to it now with gratitude for how far we’ve come—and for the healing still unfolding. In this piece, our founder, Rev. Diane Ford Dessables, opens the conversation that became Gemstones in the Sun. Her words invite us to pause, breathe, and remember that the path to freedom begins with truth and ends in community.
Read MoreWhen I look back on my memories on the city of Santiago, Chile in the 1960’s, every person in our little town really shared the same values because they reflected the cultural customs of our town. I call the values that we shared there the “colectivo,” (i.e., commonly held interests) mostly because the ways we were taught to act, the things we were taught to believe, and connections that endured in our community were a part of the fabric that wove us together and enhanced our lives, even when we were not aware that this way of our being drawn together was happening.
Read MoreA lot of father’s were prevented from doing that because for their families to receive a small amount of financial support from the US government of get social services support, the man in the household was required by law not to live in their homes with their families. And that destabilized those families and their entire communities! My grandfathers didn’t have father’s that were present…for whatever reasons. Later in life, once I began to grow into who I would become, I understood the importance of a male figure being able to live in their household with their family members.
Read MoreI did not start off in this country feeling like America was lucky to have me here. When I first arrived in DC, I do remember, however, being taken by seeing people from all over the world coming together.
In my Sudanese culture, if I have money, I can't abandon someone that is homeless in the street without sharing it and helping them. That would almost be unheard of! Community for us living in a personally owned home that is still connected to everyone else’s home. Families in our community live together in proximity. It's always been this way of being in our community of origin because we are people that are known for living with our extended families.
Read MoreMy Mom has shared a lot with me and my sister about her youth and the struggle of being a Mexican American girl in a predominantly German town in Texas. As a girl, she knew she was being treated differently than her classmates. They liked her well enough but in public their differences were defined by others. When Mom was in junior high (middle school), she was invited to a friends birthday party that included a trip to see a movie at the Brauntex Theater – a segregated business where people of Mexican and African descent were relegated to the balcony.
Read MoreI am a 35-year old Pakistani American woman with a mundane job and a comfortable life. I attend a great church. Yet, I cannot say that I have ever thoughtfully or thoroughly considered faith and money, together. Though, I’ve put my money where my faith is many times, giving to causes and people that align with my values and religion, as I perceive them. I have also put a lot of stock in the power of money to ward off trouble and to provide for my needs and wants.
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