My grandmother's grandmother (dad's side) was born into enslavement. My great-grandparents were from South Carolina, and my grandmother moved to New York during the Great Migration Era(around the same time my maternal grandparents came to NYC from the Caribbean). I never got to know my her well, but I wish I had. The history I could have learned from her and the ancestors I could have known through her ... her, included.

So much has been taken from Black folks through circumstances so hugely beyond our control ... and it keeps happening and we keep fighting ... and keep not being seen as human even after everything. As less-than for not having immediately bounced back from generations of trauma compounded by Jim Crow that never went away, only got a little smarter and sneakier.

I don't have much insight to offer or a super intelligent take. Just my thanks for this and for the reminder of what we've come through and are still coming through. We're not perfect folks, but we're here. Our hearts are broken but we're here. STILL STANDING, and with good reason. Thank you for that reminder that we've come by our strength, fortitude, and adaptability--our cultural vibrance and fierceness honestly.