Motivating Monday (on Wednesday): Addendum 2

Black Love Celebrations

Nya Akoma! It's another amazing day in paradise. Thank you so much for joining me for this special Wednesday edition of Motivating Monday. We are just a few days from celebrating Black Love Day Weekend and the beginning of Akoma Days. And that's what today's edition is about: Black Love celebrations!

It's Black Love Day weekend and the start of Akoma Days too. Regardless of what your cultural background is, this post is for you. We can all do better to know one another.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I Love Love! I especially Love Black on Black Love for My People. When I say "my people", I mean All My People. Click those links and hear what that kind of Love is like. 

To think there are inspired individuals who have been led to create wholly days to celebrate Black Love officially, gives me great pleasure. Here on MY L.U.V. platform, I get to support them. Let's start with Black Love Day. 

To give some personal background, even though Black Love Day has been celebrated for 28 years this year, I first learned about it in 2018. Yes, that's just three years ago. I attended a Black Love Day event. I didn't really know what it meant. I just wanted to be there. It was worth all the effort to attend. 

As I was led to develop the NEW Emancipation Proclamation, it was essential to incorporate not just Love, but Black Love at its core. That's when I really began to investigate what Black Love Day was all about. 

The greeting I used to open this post, Nya Akoma (pronounced N-yah Ah-coma), is the official greeting of Black Love Day, according to the official website. It means "get a heart", "be patient", "return to Love". 

Akoma is an adinkra symbol. It is represented by the universally known heart shape. The greeting "Nya akoma" is from the Akan language, spoken by tribes found primarily in Southern Ghana. It literally translates into "get a heart" or be patient as those who have no patience are considered to be without a heart. 

Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi is the founder of Black Love Day and the African American Holidays website. According to her bio, she is described as a storyteller. She is also known as a Breath Master, more specifically, "The Breath Sekou" and operates PostivEnergyWorks. She was led to create Black Love Day in 1993.

At its core Black Love Day is a "[wholly/holy] day of observance, celebration, reconciliation, atonement and demonstration of Love within and for the Black community using 5 tenets or Loving acts:

🎔 Love for the Creator
🎔 Love for Self
🎔 Love for Family
🎔 Love for the Community
🎔 Love for the Black Race (Hue-man)"

These five tenets are one of the pillars of the NEW Emancipation Proclamation. 

What fascinates me most is Black Love Day is NOT just for Black people. One of the four goals sought for on this day is to invite White people (and I'll add, those of other cultures) to put "Love in action" towards Black people. I'm relaying this from the African American Holidays website where this information is found. I invite you to go there and further educate yourself. You will not be disappointed. Make sure you scroll all the way down.

I'm stunned personally. I deeply appreciate that Black Love Day isn't just supposed to be a non-commercial alternative to Valentine's Day. It is designed to be a beautiful and healing day for all mankind to unite with their brothers and sisters of the African Diaspora in Love. What a wonderful world it would be if people really celebrated it as it was meant. If it carried beyond one day we might actually reach peace.

This year you can be a part of the celebrations with Mama Ayo herself. She is hosting a virtual conference on Saturday, Black Love Day. The theme is "Healing the Wounds That Divide-Re-uniting Our Strengths Through Black Love". You can hear her speak on it or go ahead and register. You can find out more on the Facebook event page as well. 

If that's not enough, check out her YouTube Channel where you can also hear her read from the book she wrote about/for Black Love Day. And you can hear her share her thoughts on Why We Need Black Love NOW. 

Honestly I really didn't expect to take up this much time speaking about Black Love Day and I've only scratched the surface. It really is a day worth thoroughly investigating then investing time and money into its growth. Seriously! Who couldn't use a little more Love right now? 

There are so many people hurting in regards to Valentine's Day (it's the third anniversary of the high school shooting in Parkland, FL). Black Love Day has created a space for Loving energy to be directed. The bonus is no romance is involved. You don't have to be in a relationship with anyone BUT YOU to genuinely celebrate Black Love Day. That's remarkable!

This is getting long but I want to mention another celebration of Black Love coming up this weekend as well. Akoma Days are a continuation of the Black Love-fest. It begins on the 14th and is a 7 day celebration following Black Love Day. Founded by Montsho & Nwasha Edu, their mission is to promote unity and enhance relationships.

Personal Note: I'll be honest with you. I had no idea Akoma Days existed until Mama Ayo shared it with me just a couple of weeks ago.

Please check out their Facebook page for live presentations, several times a day from Sunday February 14-Saturday, February 20. You can also visit their website to get more information on how to celebrate the 7 days.

And the time has come to submit my final thoughts.

It's Black History Month!!!! Let me repeat, regardless of what your cultural background is, this post is for you. We can all do better to know one another. The invitation to Love has never been stronger with so much attention on the Black community and all it has been going through. The battles are not over yet. The war is not won.

Racial injustice, health and education disparities and economic inequality is nothing new to the Black community. Black people, as a whole, have been resilient for centuries. But this fight is exhausting.

I'm going to take the opportunities presented to enjoy the Love that uniquely comes from Black Love. That will empower and strengthen all I am engaged in doing to truly resurrect L.U.V. and guide her to where she is destined to go. L.U.V. is being positioned to take her place with these other great minds and cause Black Love to flourish globally. I'm a little overwhelmed by the tasks, yet I'm thoroughly excited.

Thank you again for taking the time to be here with me. Enjoy creating today. May your choices make it the best day ever. Peace...