From the Spiritual Board of Directors
This past summer I partook in a virtual conversation with Dr. Koko Zauditu Selassie and Shantrelle P. Lewis entitled, “Tapping Into Your Ancestral Legacy and Lineage.” As part of the back and forth exchange between respected Elders of spirit and thought, “Mama Koko,” as Dr. Selassie is affectionately called, impressed upon listeners the importance of erecting a Spiritual Board of Directors.
“What is the task of such a board,” you might ask? Simple: the board is a circle of trusted and respected Ancestors who might aid us in the work of our lives. It matters not if these particular Ancestors be of blood, spirit, or tradition, but what does matter is that they call on us to engage in honest reflection and transformation in all that we do. Upon hearing this invitation I almost immediately began pondering those who might, and are, sitting upon my Board. Of those who came to mind were Harriet Tubman, Bayard Rustin, Audre Lorde, and James Baldwin. Names that, for those who know me either personally and professionally, will come as no surprise.
With the inception of this virtual space, a clearing of sorts akin to that of Baby Sugg’s in Toni Morrison’s Beloved, I hope to engage in public conversation with my Spiritual Board of Directors and with those of you who read these words. And in all of this, I write to take seriously the role of the spiritual and religious in a 21st century world that is literally on fire. Both in hopes to speak to what a resilient faith might be for any us right now and in the honest striving to fulfill the mandate of our Ancestors’ to be free in the here and now.
With this framing put forth, let us begin by hearing a word from a member of the Board:
“If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of Him.”
― James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time
