“I know we are not the forgotten. We are the remembered. We are the truth in their lie. The power of blackness, is shouting freedom at the top of every mountain, on the peak of every hill, on the corner of every block, on the crack of every hood, on the turning point of every revolution and on the heart of every soul. The power of black is being deemed strong enough to be dragged, dragged across shark infested waters, and surviving 400 years of mental and physical torment, only to be hated for eternity. Not many can say their ancestors have that, and with resilience so graceful it never aged. Not many can say their ancestors were the strongest living people in the history of people. Not many can say their ancestors spoke in tongues and dialects so rich in sound, that when their cries fell on deaf ears, there still stood hope. There is hope for us. We live as proof of their survival, of their tenacity, their courage, their bravery.”

QUEEN JOSEPHINE