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GOOD TROUBLE

 

Picture this. A little black girl comes across a photo of an African woman, her ancestor, bound with shackles on her hands, her feet, and around her neck. She has scraps for clothing to cover her womanhood but is completely naked from the waist up. She’s dirty, exposed, and put on display for sale to a white man; someone who was supposed to be a human being just like her, but from the picture and the stories she’s heard, he wasn’t; he was far from that. He was her tormentor.

 

In the woman’s eyes which were, unmoving, blank, with no life in them, the little girl sees the pain of oppression. In her eyes, the girl sees the fear of the unknown of a black woman brought across the globe at the bottom of a slave ship, the destination unclear. She’s picturing the woman’s terror and trepidation of what's to come of her and those with her who cry out in the night for help, words that fell on deaf ears. From those eyes, unbeknownst to her at first, this little girl feels an enlightened sense of purpose; she gets the message; she understands what she must now do. She can’t be asleep any longer to how the past is somehow creeping back up into the present. The fight in her is strong; her will to never experience shackles and chains overrides her desire to just get through life unscathed. Awareness! Ah, she’s aware! She’s woke!

 

Can you imagine the thoughts going through this little girl’s mind when she finds herself woke?

 

I am imagining her saying that her jar will never be half-full or empty; it will overflow with love, joy, and endless possibilities because the plight of the woman in chains from the past has led to her dreams for better in the here, now, and forever.

 

I am imagining her saying that she is sorry for the pain and suffering of the past, but she will fight the good fight, and face good trouble with her eyes wide open to make sure that her path leads to greatness, never allowing chains to have her bound.

 

I am imagining her saying she will RISE and walk with her head held high because she is POWER; she feels the strength of the struggle that she, herself, is too young to have lived through. She knew her ancestors never stopped fighting for her future and she won't let them down; ever.

 

I am imagining her saying that she will never forget how women were paraded around naked against their will; their bodies, their curves being used and abused every single day in every single way. She will cherish and respect her own identity; she knows that she is more than her flesh and she will demand respect from every person she encounters. She knows that she is strong in every way, not just in her looks; she is more than her flesh.

 

I am imagining her standing, walking away with a sense of purpose knowing that she is more than what the world still wants to portray her as - worthless, uneducated, invisible, ugly, valueless, no-good.

 

I am imagining her realization that she now is a torch carrier, a dream chaser, a divine storyteller; she has a job to do and nothing in her way will become a road to destruction or a lack of self-worth; yeah, she understands her assignment.

 

She will forever carry the image of her ancestors in chains with her as she works out her life’s game plan. She will charge ahead with fierce determination. Her mission in life will be one that is empty of doubt about who she is and whom she can become. She will never fall back on striving to achieve her next level. There will be no stopping her.

 

She is committed to proving to her ancestors that she understands the assignment of her generation and she will, with EVERYTHING in her, refuse to let their lives, their heartache, and their anguish have happened in vain.

 

She's kicking down doors. She's breaking through walls. She's building bridges, walking across them with grace and a fighting spirit. She has the blood of her people running through her veins. There are days she feels the fire in that blood and it pushes her to never forget what she’s fighting for. She fights for that woman, bound in her mind, body, and spirit. She won’t dare allow that kind of vibe to enter her space. She’s blocking that with karate chops she hasn’t yet learned, found in her mind, body, and spirit.

 

She will attack aggression with the royal stateliness of a lion. She’ll have the kind of tribe that will walk with her, in front of her, behind her, and beside her. They will fight together. She’s not letting fear stop her; she’s not allowing naysayers to deter her. She won't take no for an answer when she already knows the plan for her life is a resounding YES!

 

She is telling the world to kiss her blackness and get out of her way. She is busting out - ready or not, here she comes. She knows that the woman in the picture had her power completely stripped away, but she won’t allow that to be her present or her future. Some may try, but they won’t succeed because she carries the beating heart of a people who died so that she may one day walk free. She will never have to explain her self-worth; she will let it be seen in her life’s journey.

 

...Don't question your worth or your ability to break every chain that attempts to hold you from what is greater, after our ancestors were restrained, tortured, and separated from their families. As a proud BLACK woman, you are worthy of so much more. You ARE everything that the struggles of the past have protected you from in the present. You are a woman of purpose.

 

THIS woman of purpose was once a little girl with questions and dreams. She had doubts that plagued her future. When her past became her present, she learned to fight for her tomorrow. She is me; I am her; We are one. We are Black. We are proud. We are not our ancestors. Don’t come for us like we are. We are what they prayed for and hoped to be; Free! We intend to stay that way.

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Get ready for this dynamic release coming your way in 2022

Copyright © 2022 Cheryl Barton 

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