Habari Gani? Umoja!
As 2020 continues to kick my booty, I am toughing through what December 26 also means to me: the 8th “anniversary” of the death of my sister Traci. I have tried in vain to keep my hands and brain occupied with other work, like re-editing videos and lining up my projects for 2021, but I cannot shake the void that her sudden death left in my life. I actually miss our “Shrek and Donkey” dynamic, and I would give anything to hear her pester me just one more time.
This year, on a lighter note, my kinara display had to go in the living room, since our dining table is currently being used to hold our Quarantine stockpile. Yes, Jenise and I are still in Lockdown Mode, because more and more people in PA are testing positive for–and dying from–COVID 19. Neither of us can afford to be next.
I felt it appropriate to position my kinara in front of my doll collection, since it is now the focal point of my household.
Yes, that is a “Kwanzaa Barbie” in the back!
Appreciating unity in 2020 means being grateful for family that I have created for myself, for a community that takes care of our own in a pandemic, and for the nation that got together en masse to vote out that Orange Pig that is still trying to kill us all.
Today, as I light the first candle and meditate on the principle of Umoja, I pray that we bring the unity that we displayed concerning the election into the New Year and beyond. There is power in unity. That power belongs to the people. Let’s take back our power in 2021!
