WHY WE NEED MAAFA

About this sermon

MAAFA Swahili word for “disaster, terrible occurrence or great tragedy.” Speaks to the “continual, constant, complete, and total system of human negation and nullification” inflicted on Africans and Africans in diaspora. Trinity Family and Friends, As the African proverb says, “Until the story of the hunt is told by the lion, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” How much of the pain in our communities is due simply to the fact that so many are unaware of the greatness that flows within their blood? Like a roaring river that has been dammed, creating a lake of dislocation, despair, and dissolution, our true history has been both appropriated and erased by the “hunter.” Our true story has been diluted and obfuscated by an education system that was built to provide workers for the capitalist machinery, not to develop critical and creative thinking among the population. While Trinity United Church of Christ seeks to celebrate our history and culture all year round, during Black History Month we take special notice of the African’s journey – from our homelands on the African continent, through the terror of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, to the plantations of the Caribbean and South America, up to the ports of the Southern United States, and on through the Great Migration to the cities of Northern States. Maafa: Journey of Remembrance takes place primarily at our church, and is the theme of our worship services and other experiences. Through written words, dance, mime, drama, music, and of course, the preached word, we share our incredible history. The document you hold is but one component of the Lion telling her own story of the hunt. You will find the poetry of Langston Hughes, the Harlem muse for this year’s Maafa, short bios of little know African heroes, recipes from throughout the African Diaspora, a glossary of important terms, and more. It is meant to provide additional context to the services you will experience during Black History month here at Trinity UCC, and to serve as an educational tool for you, your family and friends. - Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III #StayWoke