Black History Month and Open Hearts
In honor of Black History Month, I dedicate this post to two young African American women I met at the Philadelphia airport.
Me: Our plane is stranded for at least the next 24 hours. Is this enough time to take my daughter to see sights in the city?
Tour Guide (TG): Yes, you can go to Liberty Bell, Independence Hall….It was apparent that she had recited this list hundreds of times. As she was talking, I was aware that I had visited these sites before, and while I looked forward to sharing them with my daughter, there was a voice inside of me calling forth a visit to somewhere less frequently known.
Me: Is there somewhere you recommend we visit to learn about history in the area that’s less well known?
TG: She paused, her eyes opened wider, and she looked at her friend, saying with palpable risk in her voice, more as a question than a statement, “You could go to the African American History Museum (AAHM)?” I could feel her heart opening as she risked making this suggestion.
Me: Yes – this is just right. How do we get there?
I witnessed an immediate feeling of release as the looks on their faces came to life and the energy in their bodies became immediately engaged at our acceptance of their idea. They quickly looked in a different drawer than where all the frequently asked for brochures were kept, the second woman saying, “No one ever asks to go here,” pulling out an AAHM brochure from the back of the drawer.
TGs: Have a safe trip!They warmly waved goodbye as my daughter and I departed for the train.
I was reminded of this heart opening experience a few weeks ago when learning about Siberian students who were inspired by black American history.
“There are people around the world who want to know our story,” Quintard Taylor Jr., said, “because it is the story of a people who challenged a major power and prevailed. The black-American human-rights struggle transformed a nation,” he said. To learn more, visit The Black Past.
There is much for our human family to be inspired by and learn about when it comes to collective expressions of wisdom and healing.
Amal Sedkey Winte, Egyptian American psychologist, writes about the inspiring collective wisdom of the Egyptian people in her blog My Eye On Egypt. Visit Seattle’s KUOW (NPR) to listen to last week’s interview with Amal.
Just as in the Philadelphia airport experience, all family histories have hidden drawers with brochures of images from the family soul waiting to be seen. Sometimes we need tour guides to help us experience opening our hearts to these previously unacknowledged truths. Feel free to visit Family Constellations West to learn of my upcoming offerings such as “Ancestral Wisdom for Women” and “Healing Images in the Family Soul”. Here’s to all of us in our human family opening our hearts to one another.
I look forward to replying to your comments.
All are welcome.
4 thoughts on “Black History Month and Open Hearts”
I love the image of our family histories being hidden in the backs of drawers. I feel the joy and pride arise when someone asks to visit it. This weekend I saw family histories being rewritten, and family souls being healed. I think I’ll start digging around in the back of some drawers.
Thanks for your comment! It’s such a gift to be with you and others as, together, we open these drawers — remembering that the drawers are supported by the larger structure of the dresser. All best to you and yours until next time, Lisa
Yet another helpful reminder of how connected we are despite the forces which would attempt to make us believe that we’re not. The collective energy in the Northern Africa/Middle East is palpible.
How good to know the story of “the black-American human-rights struggle transformed a nation” is getting its just attention and honor. It’s obvious the struggle continues to cause those with closed hearts difficulty. As more and more around the world learn that oppression is no way to live there may be hope in a collective lifting of this difficulty and opening of hearts.
Love the story of your experience with open (and opening) hearts in Philadelphia. THAT is leading by example that I can totally get on board with. Thank you for being such a good leader.
Thank you for your heartfelt comments, Paul, and bringing the word “oppression” into the light. Since writing this post a few days ago, protests in Madison, Wisconsin, began regarding proposed legislative cuts in public workers’ collective bargaining rights. State Rep. Paul Ryan joked on this morning’s “Morning Joe” news program that “Cairo’s moved to Madison” this week. I’m grateful to be on the journey with you and others as together we find our way toward collective heart opening, truth, and justice. Thanks again.