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Showing posts from January, 2025

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The Trap of the "Self-Made" Myth

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  The Trap of the "Self-Made" Myth https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-power-of-umoja-breaking-the-illusion-of-isolation--70376622 We’ve all heard it: “I got it out the mud all by myself.” It sounds good on a track or in a motivational speech, but is it the truth? For too long, our community has been sold a lie that glorifies extreme individualism. We are conditioned to grind alone and suffer in silence, believing that asking for help is a sign of weakness. But this mindset is exactly what feeds the heavy, quiet burdens of blame, shame, and guilt. When you isolate yourself, your struggles feel insurmountable. The reality is, our ancestors never survived by acting as islands. Their superpower was the collective. The deep, intentional work of true unity requires us to look in the mirror and then look at our community. What happens when we stop competing with our brothers and sisters and start combining our strength? The answer just might change how you approach your entire lif...

Question 2: What Does a Warrior Do?

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Peace, Tribe! We’ve made it to the second day of exploring the Gye-Nyame Questions , and today we’re diving into Question 2: What does a warrior do? Before we jump into that, let me give you some history about how these questions came to be because understanding their roots is essential to fully grasping their meaning. The History Behind the First Seven Questions The first seven questions—like “What is a warrior?” and “What does a warrior do?”—came about during an important chapter in my journey. At the time, one of my elders, Mama Malika, hired me to assist her with a project at the Africentric High School. She loved what I was already doing in the community, but she wanted to create something similar that wasn’t directly connected to other initiatives like the Underground Railroad (UGRR). Why the separation? There was concern that if the school’s funders became aware of our other grassroots projects, it could jeopardize their funding. So, I developed the first seven questions specif...