To my BOLD people of Afrikan descent please accept these words I wrote and performed. I felt shame when I watched it because it wasn’t my best, but I had to remember why I wrote them and how much I’m inspired by you and there is no shame in that. My words come from someplace and are important, so I want to share them. Once I commit them to memory its a wrap tho lol! Shoutout to Coco for recording! #lifebeforetheboat #wecomefromsomeplace #girlrillavintage #blacklivesmatter #theeamazinggrace

Remember life before the boat? How we honored each other? Loved on each other? Made a big ole fuss over each other? And how shade was nothing more than shelter to catch some cool? When oiling scalp time was our love time? Or when we would hunt, fish, and gather wild honey? Or sat silent just because. Or how the OLAYOS would be all loud IN THEY BACKYARD SINGING TO THE MOON LIKE, lululululu? And how those thick and small would do the Mapouka in the rain? OR TWERKING IS WHAT THEY CALL IT NOW A DAYS? How those hurricane movements were expressions of the joy we felt at our bodies ability to move like that? Oh and we laughed cause there was no judgment only love and safety? And how we worshipped the sun for how it kissed us? And how we held feasts for the MudjaJi-The Rain Mother, for CALLING ON THE RAIN TO BRING US food? How vibrant the colors of our people? And how we wore little to cover our skin, so we could decorate it, with elaborate jewels, COLORFUL BEADS, SYMBOLIC war paint, and markings? We come from someplace.

To my BOLD people of AfriKan descent sitting here today I thank you! I thank you for existing, for breathing, for living your best life in spite of yourselves. Thank you for letting me speak to you like this. We exist! Each carefully handcrafted by the CREATIVE. We are the foundation of love. And I remember the harshness attached to each one of us and how we HOLD OUR HEADS UP HIGH TO SURVIVE even today, but love still fills our SPACE-Spirits look around, see how we NEVER FORGOT TO gather like this? Give yourselves credit for the the things you do and this Unity peace is beautiful. And though we weren’t acknowledged by our names, more by our frames we were never insignificant. And we exist for every reason. Go ‘head be as brilliant as you wanna be! Be as flawed and ratchet as you wanna be. ‘Cause our stories are now being told from our own mouths and we reclaim our own bodies cause Being of Melanin is A GIFT from God-Our skin is a visual poem from God. To US beautiful people of AfriKan descent born in America, born in Dominican, born in Cuba, born in Trinidad, born in Germany WE AFRIKANS. LIKE BABA KWAME TURE SAID, ONCE YOU JUST AFRIKAN AIN’T NO QUESTION. And I DON’T NEED TO KNOW YOU TO LOVE YOU TO TEARS OR TO HOLD YOU ALIVE IN MY HEART. YOU ARE VALUABLE NO MATTER HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT IT. You come from some place.

Remember life before the boat? How we honored each other and loved ON each other? And IT’S COOL IF YOU DON’T cause that’s what I’m here for, a messenger, a GRIOT, a CARRIER OF OUR CULTURES STORIES, OUR STORIES, MORE ALIVE THAN DEAD. OUR RICH AND AMBITIOUS STORIES-MORE ALIVE THAN DEAD! ESPECIALLY WITH YOU HERE WITH ME TODAY. BEING OF MELANIN IS SO MUCH MORE THAN BEING BLACK. WE GOTTA GET BACK TO falling in love with OURSELVES. TO BEING OUR Own endless possibility. AND CAN YOU Imagine A world where us AfriKan descendants suddenly started speaking our OWN native languages Wherever we are in the world? Like the words just FALL out of the sky and into our mouths? NOW THAT WOULD BE THE DAY-Explosive AND SONIC LIKE THE SOUNDS OF AFRIKAN drums in Congo square, IN PROSPECT PARK. HEALING IS WHAT WE NEED. HUGS IS WHAT WE NEED. LOVE IS WHAT WE NEED. ONE LOVE TO THE PEOPLE! -Gracie THEE AMAZING GRACE Berry