South African sweet melodies

Griot chant genealogy

so this is the griot chant that i wrote for the Gathering Around the Unhewn Stone conference. i wanted to have it fully memorized..but maybe for another day. i found the research of our ancestors really encouraging. i hope you find it encouraging as well.

Creator of heaven, earth, sea, and all that is in them.

Our hope is in You

You uphold the cause of the oppressed

Give food to those who hunger

The Lord sets prisoners free

opens sight to the blind

lifts up those who bow down

His love reaches the righteous

Comforts the outcast, the isolated.

Sustains the fatherless, the widow

Frustrates the ways of the wicked.

He does not forget

The Lord God is.

Our Father

O Zion for all generations.

Through our past. Now. Tomorrow. Leading us. His children.

Let us remember our ancestors. The cloud of witnesses.

The faithful. The oppressed. Mirrored in all cultures.

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

We ask the same Spirit to be among us now

Bleeding Gods power through the hands of her followers.

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

Adamah --- the earth man

Eve --- mother life

Abel

Enoch --- the one who walked with God

Noah --- alone is his faith, made room for the rain

Abraham

Isaach

Jacob

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

“We are strangers here,” they say, “Longing for another way.”

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

Esau

Joseph --- “fruitful tree whose branches climb over the wall”

Moses

Musicians of Jericho --- may their faith through song resonate in our pulse

Rahab

Daniel

Samson --- whose strength was given by God

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

“We are strangers here,” they say, “Longing for another way.”

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

Esther --- boldly refused the genocide of her people

Shadrach

Meshach

Obendego

David --- chosen one to speak his name as warrior, poet, musician, & leader

John the Baptist --- calling for renewal and God’s fist

Mary

Joseph

Magdalene

The twelve who left everything and followed

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

“We are strangers here,” they say, “Longing for another way.”

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

St Francis & Saint Claire --- through poverty, the kingdom is among us

Sojourner Truth --- “The Spirit calls me, and I must go.”

Harriet Tubman --- Moses among the slaves searching for freedom

Leo Tolstoy --- anarchist, pacifist declaring the kingdom is within you

The kingdom is within you

Geronimo

Crazy Horse

Black Elk

Resisting oppression, preserving traditions as natives of this land

Moved like hinds feet of a deer.

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

“We are strangers here,” they say, “Longing for another way.”

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

Mohatma Ghandi --- resisting tyranny through mass civil disobedience

Miguel Pro --- executed, humiliated, for his constants steps of Faith

Dorothy Day

Dietrich Bonhoeffer --- “we must bandage the victims under the wheel

But we also jam the spoke in the wheel itself”

Mother Theresa

Rosa Parks --- mother of the civil rights movement

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

“We are strangers here,” they say, “Longing for another way.”

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

Oscar Romero --- martyr for his voice of the poor in El Salvador

Faney Lou Hamer --- she would not be silent in the presence of injustice

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Leonard Petier --- still calling for peace behind the whip of iron

Steve Biko --- martyr of the South African aparthid… black is beautiful

And the six leaders of faith recently slaughtered in Colombia!

Their voice is that of Abel--- still screaming the truth from the ground.

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

“We are strangers here,” they say, “Longing for another way.”

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

We listen to that of Jesus

The one who walked this land, teaching the ways of peace and justice from the Father.

His Cry broke the walls of separation

Ready to move in use physically and spiritually.

He died that we may live.

Be not of this world

These systems of oppression

These structures we are taught to follow that make hazy or abilities to be open,

Affected, and ready to move with the breeze.

Lord, let us be your tool.

Carving your name in the hearts of those who hear

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

Hebrews writes that these followers were that of the righteous

Shut the mouths of lions.

Quenched the violence of fire.

Escaped the threat of the sword.

Out of weakness made strong.

The dead raised to walk.

Though they were chained. Tortured. Persecuted.

Wanderers of deserts, mountains, and caves.

The words of the lord remained on their faithful tongue.

“The world was not worthy of them:

Lord help us not be afraid. Give us strength

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

Here we are.

Use us.
Be with us.

We are strangers here. Longing for another way.

Spirit of our Ancestors come move us again

Words of Douglass

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what a people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. Men may not get all they pay for in this world; but they must pay for all they get. If we ever get free from all the oppressions and wrongs heaped upon us, we must pay for their removal. We must do this by labor, by suffering, by sacrifice, and, if needs be, by our lives, and the lives of others."--Frederick Douglass

life project. story of a mother

The life project was a sweet night. many organizations & individuals sharin' what they are doing in the area. it was a lot of work...but i hoped more people could attend and get connected.

here is a story from a lady who sees her mission to share her story with as many folk that passes her way. she was beautiful. vulnerable. and wise.

10-23-09

I was in college. i got pregnant.
my boyfriend and i agreed to have an abortion.
i went to the clinic.
"Ow!" i said. " Shut up! look what you made me do," said the doctor.
i left the room. my body felt like little needles exploding through my insides.
over and over.
"you just had an abortion. what else were you expecting," said the nurse.
something was wrong. but no one was listening.
the nurse handed me pain pills. and guided me to the recovery room.
to my left was a new mother.
to my right was a lady who just had her 5th abortion.
and i was still throbbing in pain.
a week went by, and i still knew something was wrong.
i went to the emergency room. they kept asking so many questions. so many
how many times do i have to say i killed my child.

i found out that the doctor, during the abortion, punctured my uterus
i was 22 and had to have a hysterectomy.

and oh how i would give everything to hold my own child....but knowing i will never be able to.

and so. i continue to tell my story 32 years later.

gathering around the unhewn stone

I am singing and performing a griot chant of our ancestors of faith! so good. this weekend...

psalter drum circle :)

new one that was posted.. sound is amazing.

feeling the rhythms..falln in love

worship will kill the beast.. tear down these walls with music rather than weapons. open. here we are.

...we who believe in freedom

i am going to be singing this for psalters:) comin up. im really excited. definatly drawn in the encouragment.

we must act now.

its interesting. around here in philadelphia..politics are affecting the neighborhoods extremely lately. because the council does not want to pass the crazy budget that the mayor made up, he has planned to close all public free libraries, recreation centers, 1000 street lights, and picking up trash once everyother week. the budget that is wanting to pass will stress communities out even more as well as make it hard for small businesses even to survive.

here's a bit from the library:

All Free Library of Philadelphia Branch, Regional and Central Libraries Closed Effective Close of Business October 2, 2009

All Free Library of Philadelphia Customers,

We deeply regret to inform you that without the necessary budgetary legislation by the State Legislature in Harrisburg, the City of Philadelphia will not have the funds to operate our neighborhood branch libraries, regional libraries, or the Parkway Central Library after October 2, 2009.

Specifically, the following will take effect after the close of business, October 2, 2009:

• All branch and regional library programs, including programs for children and teens, after school programs, computer classes, and programs for adults, will be cancelled
• All Parkway Central Library programs, including children programs, programs to support small businesses and job seekers, computer classes and after school programs, will be cancelled. We are exploring the possibility of relocating the Philadelphia Author Series programs to other non-library facilities.
• All library visits to schools, day care centers, senior centers and other community centers will cease.
• All community meetings at our branch and regional libraries, and the Parkway Central Library, will be cancelled.
• All GED, ABE and ESL programs held at Free Library branches will be discontinued, students should contact their teacher to see if other arrangements are being made.

In addition, all library materials will be due on October 1, 2009. This will result in a diminishing borrowing period for books and other library materials, beginning September 11, 2009. No library materials will be able to be borrowed after September 30, 2009.

Even as we remain hopeful that the State Legislature will act and pass the enabling funding legislation, we wanted to notify all of our customers of this very possible outcome. If you have any questions about impacts to Free Library services, call 215-686-5322, or visit the Free Library of Philadelphia website at www.freelibrary.org. If you have questions about changes to City services, or if you want to be kept informed about this situation, we encourage you to contact Philly 311 by calling 3-1-1 between the hours of 8am and 8 pm Monday-Friday, and 9am-5pm Saturdays, e-mail philly311@phila.gov, or visit the City of Philadelphia website at http://www.phila.gov.

We thank you for your understanding, patience, and continued support of the Free Library of Philadelphia during these difficult times.

Siobhan Reardon, President and Director, Free Library of Philadelphia