It was empowering to see all of us beautiful and brilliant people at our Zoom meeting. In my mind you all are there in the “Village” (the Black Liberation and Community Development Workshops) that we have built together all these years. Thank you, Barbara (Barbara Love, International Liberation Reference Person for African Heritage People), for leading us and for being a good example of how a woman of African heritage can be. Thank you for inspiring me, for inspiring us, and for reminding us of our goodness, our connection, and how important it is to reach out to others. We know that nothing will be “normal” again. We can be big and create the lives we want. 


After the meeting I had a big session. I discharged sadness, fear, and about taking care of my health. I could remember my goodness and strength and that I’m not alone. I need to keep having sessions and reaching out for that little girl who gave up on herself when she was very young.


Yesterday I led two Zoom meetings, one with the People of the Global Majority in the Netherlands and another with the People of the Global Majority in continental Europe. I encouraged people to feel their sadness, fear, and isolation. We cried about our families living in different countries, far away from us. It was also good to have a hopeful perspective, that we can be big and love ourselves and others. 


In my birth island, Curacao, there is also a lockdown. This is hard for many people and certainly for the day laborers, who can’t earn money to buy food. People are hungry. More than twenty-four thousand people from Venezuela are illegally on the island of Curacao, without healthcare and without an income. This is hard. My family in Curacao is trying to support people. People are also afraid that despite the COVID-19 there will be military action toward Venezuela led by the United States and supported by the Netherlands. It is not the kind of fight we want. 


We can discharge and make connection with the hopeful perspective of being big and with each other.