Annual Ritual at Ocean Beach, Sunday, October 12, predawn, 5:00 a.m.

October is Maafa Awareness Month
Maafa is a Kiswahili term for disaster, calamity or terrible occurrence. This term has been used to describe the European Slave trade or the Black Holocaust. For the past 12 years, this month is a time for the San Francisco Bay Area community to reflect on the legacy of slavery, its economic, political and social impact on the region and nation, and the residual psychological effects on descendants: perpetrators, victims, and beneficiaries. Maafa Awareness Month is a time to look at how Africans or Black people, in particular, can heal from the trauma. The Maafa Ritual helps us put the situation in a context as we recall those painful memories and lay them to rest, this spiritual return to the ships, plantations, auction blocks … dungeon, deserted beach – cyclical movements turning then releasing the tight bands of subconsciousness which keep us tense, frightened and constrained … stuck. The path to wellness, to health, is both individual and collective. It's also ongoing.

The ritual is an honoring of our past and a prayer for our future. All black people are invited to come and share in this time of remembrance. We ask that for this one event, those who support the well-being of black people respect our desires about the commemoration ceremony and mourning ritual. The ceremony takes place at Ocean Beach, Fulton Street @ The Great Highway in San Francisco, before sunrise, about 5 a.m., Sunday, October 12. People are encouraged to wear white, to dress warmly, bring their children, flowers for the ceremony, vegan or vegetarian breakfast items to share afterwards, (along with dishes to serve them on), hot beverages and cups, drums, chekeres, rattles, and positive energy. Fire wood is useful for the bonfires Sunday morning. We will not be camping out the night before as in year's past. Let us know if you want to drop off a load early Sunday morning.

For more information, please call (641) 715-3900 ext. 36800, mail@maafasfbayarea.com, or visit http://www.maafasfbayarea.com/. If anyone needs a ride or can pick someone up please call (641) 715-3900 ext. 36800 #. We'd like to have stops in several locations in Oakland and San Francisco. We can use monetary donations as we have not had a grant in two years. Businesses can also sponsor an event this month such as an artist reception or the fundraising party at East Side. Donations are tax deductible. Mail to Maafa San Francisco Bay Area, P.O. Box 30756, Oakland, CA 94604. Checks can be made out to Wosé Community Church for Maafa http://maafasfbayarewa.com/ and we have a blog now linked to the website. Please visit it for photos from last year's Ritual, comments and updates. We'd like to hear from you.