By Brittney Gathen, Special to The New Tri-State Defender
In circle formation, a group of Memphians united by sacred resistance used the park at the Ed Rice Community Center to signal their intent to secure justice and foster peace and love.
The Official Black Lives Matter (BLM) Memphis Chapter organized the April 1 Sacred Resistance event. Faith leaders, healers and various others prayed, sang, chanted, painted and engage in assorted rituals.
As they did, similar activities were folding in several parts of the country. The national Sacred Resistance observation took root in Washington D.C., where organizers and spiritual leaders were asked to come together for 24 hours of ritual and prayers in response to perceived attacks by President Donald Trump and his administration.
“We acknowledge that 45 (President Trump) and his administration are attacking us both physically and spiritually, and we wanted to take some time to hone in on our spiritual resistance,” BLM member Erica Perry said. “His attacks are inhumane in attacking our healthcare and our body autonomy.”
BLM’s Anjelica Ash said, “We’re hoping to bring together the community and healers so that we can create an energy of unity, change and positivity and to call upon our ancestors in the same spiritual energy that they used in junction with other types of action.”
Jei Otis said BLM wanted to make sure that those who attended the event clearly understood that they are not powerless.
“This is to empower individuals to feel like they have an energy and a presence, and they have every right to be bold, bright and to affect the change in everyone that they meet,” Otis said.
Fight for $15’s Xavier Hibler was on hand to support the actions of BLM, particularly the idea of empowering individuals during the administration of Trump.
“We don’t want him to him to just run us over in our tracks or stop us from achieving our goals,” Hibler said. “We don’t want him doing whatever he wants.”
Positioned in a circle, attendees recited poetry, prayed, chanted, sang and called on ancestors for guidance and strength.
At one point, they were invited to use canvasses to paint their visions for the future, reflections of their feelings or what they wanted the world to be like.
Ash encouraged the continued practice of sacred resistance.
“Even after you leave here, continue to put out that energy,” Ash said. “We will defeat our enemies. We will all come to understand and love each other. Hold that vision of what freedom looks like for our people.”
