by Cinque Ogun Akoma
“And I prayed to God to make me strong and able to fight, and that's what I've always prayed for ever since." “God’s time Emancipation is always near; He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.” - Harriet Tubman
Queen Mother Harriet Tubman’s sense of spirituality was grounded in nature; she navigated her way from North to South, taking some routes that are still unknown today. Sista Tubman and Black Abolitionist William Still referred to these paths as the Underground Railroad and they used railway metaphors as code to discuss escape plans. Slave catchers stated that when New Afrikans were on those trails they seemed to just “disappear underground.”
Sista Saint Harriet relied on God to teacher her naturally – through nature; she relied on the illumination of the moon to light their paths - gazing up at the vast night sky to identify the Big Dipper and the North Star. As a Root Doctor she foraged for herbal remedies and food; she studied bird calls and mimicked them to communicate danger and safety; she learned escape tunneling and back-tracking from observing rabbits ‘hares’. She used her relationship with nature to guide her to freedom; she did not wait on anyone to free her from the bondage of physical captivity.
Indeed, Sista Saint Harriet did not wait on a leader to rise up - she became the leader! She proclaimed herself free! She was equipped with a steadfast determination that freedom was granted to her by God and no human had a right to take that away from her. Queen Mother Harriet Tubman teaches us that as New Afrikans we must first free ourselves (self-liberation) from internalized oppression by any means necessary in order to lead others – before We can “bring into the Movement and into the Community mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters left by the wayside” (New Afrikan Creed point #15).
In closing, the following lyrics from Earth, Wind & Fire’s song “Keep Your Head to the Sky”, reflects from my perspective Sista Saint Harriet’s sense of being guided from above:
Keep Your Head to the Sky
Master told me one day
I'd find peace in every way
But in search for the clue
Wrong things I was bound to do
Keep my head to the sky
For the clouds to tell me why
As I grew and with strength
Master kept me as I repent and he said
Keep your head to the sky
Keep your head to the sky
You gave me the will to be free
Purpose to live is reality
Hey and I found myself never alone
Chances came to make me strong
Step right up, be a man
'Cause you need faith to understand
So we're saying for you to hear
Keep your head in faith's atmosphere, ooh
(Keep your head to the sky)
Keep your head to the sky so the clouds
(Keep your head to the sky)
So that the time you are alone
Keep your head to the sky
Surely, the clouds are gonna tell you why
Give me the will to be free
Purpose to live is reality
When I found myself never alone
'Cause chances came, they came to make me strong
Hey, step right up, be a man
You need faith to understand
Or someone just saying for you to hear
Keep your head in faith's atmosphere
(Keep your head to the sky)
(Keep your head to the sky)
Don't walk around with your head hung down
(Keep your head to the sky)
(Keep your head to the sky)
(Surely, surely, surely, surely the clouds are gonna tell you why)
Keep your head to the sky
Keep your head to the sky
Keep your head to the sky
“And I prayed to God to make me strong and able to fight, and that's what I've always prayed for ever since." “God’s time Emancipation is always near; He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.” - Harriet Tubman
Queen Mother Harriet Tubman’s sense of spirituality was grounded in nature; she navigated her way from North to South, taking some routes that are still unknown today. Sista Tubman and Black Abolitionist William Still referred to these paths as the Underground Railroad and they used railway metaphors as code to discuss escape plans. Slave catchers stated that when New Afrikans were on those trails they seemed to just “disappear underground.”
Sista Saint Harriet relied on God to teacher her naturally – through nature; she relied on the illumination of the moon to light their paths - gazing up at the vast night sky to identify the Big Dipper and the North Star. As a Root Doctor she foraged for herbal remedies and food; she studied bird calls and mimicked them to communicate danger and safety; she learned escape tunneling and back-tracking from observing rabbits ‘hares’. She used her relationship with nature to guide her to freedom; she did not wait on anyone to free her from the bondage of physical captivity.
Indeed, Sista Saint Harriet did not wait on a leader to rise up - she became the leader! She proclaimed herself free! She was equipped with a steadfast determination that freedom was granted to her by God and no human had a right to take that away from her. Queen Mother Harriet Tubman teaches us that as New Afrikans we must first free ourselves (self-liberation) from internalized oppression by any means necessary in order to lead others – before We can “bring into the Movement and into the Community mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters left by the wayside” (New Afrikan Creed point #15).
In closing, the following lyrics from Earth, Wind & Fire’s song “Keep Your Head to the Sky”, reflects from my perspective Sista Saint Harriet’s sense of being guided from above:
Keep Your Head to the Sky
Master told me one day
I'd find peace in every way
But in search for the clue
Wrong things I was bound to do
Keep my head to the sky
For the clouds to tell me why
As I grew and with strength
Master kept me as I repent and he said
Keep your head to the sky
Keep your head to the sky
You gave me the will to be free
Purpose to live is reality
Hey and I found myself never alone
Chances came to make me strong
Step right up, be a man
'Cause you need faith to understand
So we're saying for you to hear
Keep your head in faith's atmosphere, ooh
(Keep your head to the sky)
Keep your head to the sky so the clouds
(Keep your head to the sky)
So that the time you are alone
Keep your head to the sky
Surely, the clouds are gonna tell you why
Give me the will to be free
Purpose to live is reality
When I found myself never alone
'Cause chances came, they came to make me strong
Hey, step right up, be a man
You need faith to understand
Or someone just saying for you to hear
Keep your head in faith's atmosphere
(Keep your head to the sky)
(Keep your head to the sky)
Don't walk around with your head hung down
(Keep your head to the sky)
(Keep your head to the sky)
(Surely, surely, surely, surely the clouds are gonna tell you why)
Keep your head to the sky
Keep your head to the sky
Keep your head to the sky