Did you know that September recognized as International Underground Railroad Month?
Me neither!
Thanks to the Boston African American National Historic Site with the National Park Service, I do. Turns out BOTH Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, escaped from slavery this month (in 1838 and 1849, respectively).
Why Boston?
Turns out both leaders had close ties to Boston. Boston was the home of strong free Black communities and was a hub for Underground Railroad operations. The site reminded us that both Douglass and Tubman regularly spoke at antislavery events and supported the efforts of both Black and White abolitionists.
This could not have been easy work for them having read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845), Douglass documents the brutality and injustice of a slave’s life.
Faith Over Fear
I’m on Day 27 of One Day My Soul Just Opened Up. Todays principle was FEAR. As we confront an escalating polycrisis each day, I have been bobbing and weaving fear, doubt, and confusion. My personal, professional, and political lives are all at ‘11’ (re: Spinal Tap). And yet, I remain deeply rooted in truth, trust, and faith.
Today I was reminded that the light of truth will overshadow fear and that F.E.A.R. is really – false expectations appearing real.
Faith starts fear.
Auntie Harriet is My North Star
When I’m feeling blue, I remember the audacity of Auntie Harriet to believe and to act towards liberation even when they could not see it. Even when the world keeps showing me the atrocities, I train my mind to center on the known courage of my community near and far, past and present. I guide my thoughts to remember I cannot see everything or know everything.
Faith is a discipline.
We must be disciplined with our thoughts as they are frequency. So I remember again and again those who navigated shark infested waters.
In Uprooting Qahr! I reclaim my own ancestral lineage being curious about which homelands my ancestors were stolen from, which ports they disembarked onto stolen land. Which soil they tended for the benefit of another’s American Dream.
I also honor the freedoms gained along hard fought freedoms gained along the way. Freedoms stripped away then gained then stripped then gained again and again and again.
How are you changing the world around you?
Pushing past fear, worry, and doubt, we continue on this Uprooting Qahr! Journey. Todays Lineage of Change Tarot card asked “how are you changing the world around you?” Reminding me that with each courageous step, we deepen
the roots and capacity to adapt, be courageous, and transform.
I am happy to report that we are beginning the final round of previews and potluck performances. Edging closer to our premiere in early 2027!
Wonderful to return to the stage with renewed stories that weave across space and time. Reclaiming the intergenerational continuum towards collective liberation.
Rehearsals begin again this weekend. New monologues, new songs, new musicians. We are getting so close.
Thank you for your support.
Join us on October 24th
Hope you are able to join us on October 24th in Boulder Canyon Theater for our next preview experience! This public preview is part of the CO Here annual gathering in Boulder.
CO Here Boulder stokes Boulder’s culture and engagement by connecting residents, organizations, artists, leaders, and innovators during a 10-day container. Through a curated calendar of values-aligned events and memorable opening & closing gatherings, we strengthen community ties, highlight our city’s vibrancy, and inspire action toward a more regenerative, resilient future.
Grab your FREE ticket to the Uprooting Qahr! Preview here!
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for!
