Sonia Sanchez
This week’s quotation comes from another famous poet, scholar and activist Sonia Sanchez, one of the foremost writers during the Black Arts Movement in the mid-1960s through the 1970s. I love Sanchez, the depth of her messages and the cadence of her words that penetrate your soul and make you think and move. One of my favorite pieces is her “Does Your House Have Lions?” where in eerily beautiful terms she describes the family journey with her brother who is dying from AIDS. I like Sanchez’s writing and her love for humanity. When I saw the above quotation I was struck about her desire to connect with humanity. Considering this quotation alongside Deuteronomy 18:10-11, Isaiah 8:19 and Job 8:8-10, what are your thoughts about what Sanchez has said, particularly the emphasized part? You know there’s more to come from me. Let me know what you think first.
Copyright 2009 by Rhonda J. Smith
I don’t know the context with this quote, but when I first read the quote I didn’t understand Sanchez to mean communicating with the dead. I keep in contact with my ancestors through genealogies and history. I think it is important. And, as long as I am honest and embrace my ancestor’s successes and failures — that is I don’t ignore or glorify their sinfulness, those things can shape and define who I become.
Thanks for your reply. Staying in contact with ancestors can definitely mean what you say.