“I am the dream of my ancestors—walking, breathing, remembering.”
I come from a people who knew freedom long before captivity.
My blood carries the rhythm of warriors and midwives, landkeepers and storytellers. My spirit remembers the soil of Mississippi, the wisdom of Choctaw ancestors, and the resistance woven into the roots of North Carolina. I am a Black woman reclaiming what was never truly lost—only buried beneath centuries of displacement, pain, and silence.
This is more than a journey. This is a spiritual homecoming.
Mound Bayou, Mississippi: The Legacy of Black Sovereignty
Nestled in the heart of the Mississippi Delta lies Mound Bayou—a town founded in 1887 by formerly enslaved Black people who envisioned a community free of freedom on their terms.
Here, Black doctors, teachers, farmers, and entrepreneurs created a thriving town of self-sufficiency and dignity. This wasn’t just survival—it was sovereignty. My ancestors were part of this radical vision.
Mound Bayou is a reminder that I descend from builders of legacies. Their courage fuels me today.
“We built what they said we couldn’t. We became what they said we wouldn’t.”
The Choctaw Lineage: Spirit of the Earth
My Choctaw heritage is an equally sacred thread in my ancestral tapestry. The Choctaw people—original inhabitants of what is now Mississippi—lived in harmony with the land, in matrilineal societies rooted in ceremony and respect.
Reclaiming this lineage has required deep listening. It has meant studying the moundbuilders, learning about our cosmology, embracing spiritual practices, and honoring my ancestors who were both erased and enduring.
I am not either/or. I am both/and. Black. Indigenous. Bold. Remembering.
North Carolina Roots: Resistance and Rootwork
From the red clay roads of North Carolina, my ancestors walked paths of resistance and resilience.
Here, in the heart of the South, they carried African traditions, mixed them with Native ones, and passed them down through rootwork, midwifery, and prayer. I’ve come to understand that medicine wasn’t just found in bottles—it was found in hands, herbs, songs, and sacred words.
To reclaim this power is to walk in faith and legacy.
Reclaiming Isn’t Reinvention—It’s Return
I’m not creating a new identity. I’m returning to my true self—the one my ancestors always knew I could be.
This journey is about healing, unlearning, remembering. It’s about rejecting the shame that colonialism, racism, and systemic oppression have tried to place on our traditions. It’s about honoring the altars in our spirits.
Living in Ceremony
Today, I live in ceremony. I:
Build altars.
Burn herbs for cleansing and grounding
Speak affirmations and ancestral names aloud
Study the old ways, and live them anew
This isn’t performance. It’s power.
To My Sisters on the Journey
If you’ve been feeling called—trust it.
Your blood knows. Your bones remember. Your ancestors are waiting to walk with you.
You don’t need to “prove” your lineage to embrace your legacy. Begin with intention. Begin with gratitude. Begin now.
“You are not lost. You are rising.”
Libra Sol Aura 