You celebrating Bodies of Culture?

This weekend is Juneteenth. Liberation Day.

We celebrate the end of slavery in the US. It’s a day to celebrate independence, but also to celebrate culture.

Black culture is a beautiful one.

One that has transformed years of struggling and pain into strength, resilience, art, beauty and so much more.

We can’t celebrate this day without acknowledging the deeply rooted racism that has infested US American history. 

New York Times Best-Selling author Resmaa Menakem speaks to how racism is rooted in the body. 

I love how he defines People of Color as Bodies of Culture. 

As Bodies of Culture we get to celebrate a richness that fills our blood, but we also have to work to maintain that richness.

White people in the US, the dominant group, often lack culture.

They often miss stories, rituals, practices or artifacts that unite them. So, they erase and steal other cultures. They steal through cultural appropriation, they erase through genocide. They eliminate the parts they don’t like, but appropriate the parts that provide them some advantage. 

So, as we approach Juneteenth, let's reclaim our culture and let's celebrate it. All parts of it, in all of its richness. 

As People of Color, we have beautiful backgrounds that comprise how we live and see the world. We are bodies of culture. Let's embrace that sentiment. 

💛 If you are someone who has lost your culture, it's time to reclaim it. 

💛 If you know your culture, honor it. 

💛 If you’re White, express appreciation by naming the culture you are using and ensuring its people are recognized.

Happy Juneteenth and much love to my Black friends. Your spirit and your culture will live on forever.

Hug Hug

Nora