We acknowledge the Creator, known by many names. And all those names are a legitimate expression of a people’s relationship with an unknown source of ultimate power.
Take a moment and connect with your source of ultimate power.
And as we connect with our source of ultimate power, we pour libations,
And, we say Asé.
We also acknowledge the Creator, who brought into existence the first people to walk this planet, who are our ancestors. They lived in Northeast Africa and developed the oldest known civilization. And because of them, we are here today. So, we acknowledge the Creator’s creations and pour this libation,
And, we say Asé.
We acknowledge our ancestors who were the first to think and reason, write books, create culture, and build civilizations. They set in motion a process that has benefited humanity for over 300,000 years. We acknowledge their contributions to our development and pour this libation,
And, we say Asé.
We acknowledge the African men, women, and children stolen from their homes, whose bones lie on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, from the West Coast of Africa to the East Coast of the United States of America. These are the bones of our people whose names we will never know. I encourage you to take some time during this Cruise and, in your own way, acknowledge that we have ancestors on the ocean’s bottom. We pour this libation and honor those nameless souls whose lives, deaths, and spirits matter to us,
And, we say Asé.
We acknowledge those who survived The Middle Passage and worked hard to build a nation, families, and community. We acknowledge their contributions and their many forms of resistance against the people who would own and subjugate them. Their lives matter to us too. We recognize them today as we pour this libation,
And, we say Asé.
We acknowledge those who survived Jim Crowism and all its insidious forms.
- Through Justin Pearson, we honor our ancestors “who refused to quit.”
- Through Angela Reese, we celebrate our ancestors who refused to fit “the narrative.”
- Through Calcea Johnson and Ne’Kiya Jackson, we reconnect with our ancestors’ mathematical
genius.