When the Ancestors Speak…(A Brief Observation)
CTVNews.ca
I haven’t watched much of the coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. But this morning when I got up and turned on the television, the reception service at Westminster Hall was on and the choir was concluding a beautifully performed song. Immediately afterward, the Archbishop of Canterbury solemnly “pronounced the blessing” [exact description of the act from the scripted Order of Services]. He began:
“Unto God’s gracious mercy and protection we commit you: the Lord bless you and keep you: the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you: the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace…”
At that exact moment, when the word “peace” was spoken, it was as if the archbishop experienced some sort of spasm — his right arm appeared to be caught in an involuntary, violent jerking motion. One swift and undeniable seizing of tendons and flesh.
It was quick, and to many, may have seemed innocuous and a normal “tick” of an elderly person, or someone in a stressful situation. Understandable.
But the double-consciousness, which Black people live with, generated a second, very different interpretation within me.
I saw that yanking as millions of Black ancestors — my ancestors, pulling the archbishop’s sleeve saying, “Your wishes for peace and absolution have met the wall of truth through which no light that attempts to carry a beam of lies can penetrate. Each person’s truth must be resolved before passage is granted.
I saw it as my ancestors, strengthened by the power of God, maintaining their promise to protect that most perfect peace in the place where whiteness has no power to demand anything.
I took it as a sign from my ancestors to remind me that lies of the oppressor cannot live forever.
I believe in the requirement for atonement. I believe in grace — also forgiveness. And I believe that ultimately, those are gifts that, in the final judgment, are orchestrated and bestowed by God. In the end, I whole-heartedly believe that each person receives that which their life’s work has earned them.
Ase.
Amen.
And so, it is.
And so, it shall be.
#protectingperfectpeace
#ancestralpower
#nopowerthere
#wherewhitenessends
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#godknowsbest
