Our past informs our present to inspire our future!
Each week our dedicated
@RustinCenter Queer History Archive premieres a powerful video to edify (& hopefully entertain!) all y’all here to further our journey together to be empowered & inspired by the intersectional life & legacy of Black Queer Civil & LGBTQIA+ Rights Pioneer Bayard Rustin
We proudly share this meaningful moment from our Social Justice Power Hour featurin' acclaimed children’s book author Kwame Mbalia
@mbalia1 who joins BRCSJ Chief Activist Robt Martin Seda-Schreiber to explore the profound symbolism of ancestral objects. Totems imbued with ancestral power shared both in Kwame’s wizard’s staff & our own Beloved Bayard’s walking stick. On the staff is a Sankofa which literally translates to "it is not taboo to go back and fetch what you forgot”, a concept he integrates into his storytelling to bridge the gap between historical trauma & future glory much akin to our vision of our Queer History Archive. It allows him in his writing & all of us in our own journeys to lean on the collective wisdom & strength of those who came before us
Robt Martin complements this by presenting a historical staff once belonging to our namesake Bayard Rustin, gifted to him by the people of Zimbabwe during his mission to support free & fair elections. This extraordinary exchange between them highlights a shared "wizardly" appreciation for how material objects can embody the responsibility of passing on power to the next generation. By holding these staves, they signify a connection to a long lineage of activists and thinkers, from the 19th-century struggle against slavery to the modern fight for social justice, suggesting that our current power is amplified by every generation standing behind us
As always we acknowledge BRCSJ Chief Curator the sensational Shaquana
@mrs_quanidee who works in communal collaboration with our Protest Powerhouse & Non-Violence Advocate,the sagacious Sam with significant support from
@brcsjqueered Dr.
@sarajwass along with a whole buncha' other courageous cats who all imbue this powerful platform with their strength, energy & spirit!
Angelic Troublemakers Assemble
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