Bear Witness… and just keep creating.

I don’t have pictures for what is happening now.

I’m not so sophisticated that I can explain geo-politics. I just watch and listen—yes, to the news, to the independent news online, and content creators who seem to have a better grasp on things than I do. The pictures that we see are surreal—no frolicking on white sand beaches, or rooftop cocktails toasting a vibrant pink and orange sunset. They’re dropping bombs on the world like it’s—Tuesday.

“Don’t watch the news.” They say. “Stop doom scrolling.” They say. But, unless you have your head in the sand, it’s just simply hard to ignore. We melt into our Spiritual foundations, believing, “This too shall pass.” And when it does how many of us will left to tell the tale?

The world feels very small right now. Though I am far away, my mind and body still feel connected to the center of chaos. I have to write this if for no other reason, to mark my presence in turbulent times. I have to bear witness. And while I can’t write intelligently about world events, to say nothing would be to shirk my responsibilities as an artist. Current events make me anxious. I am weary. I want to eat the chocolate cake for breakfast.

But I must keep writing.

I could go on a rant about how we, the 92%, understood the assignment. But that moment now is just a blur in a rearview mirror. I could talk about how Black women were the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement, and how historically, Black people have always emerged socially, Spiritually, and morally intact. Yes, we are a strong people. But I also think about what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said to Harry Belafonte about “integrating into a burning house.”