Thank you for this article.

Speaking as a descendant of those who were enslaved and forced to adopt the religion of their enslavers, I have seen that this is actually the most destructive thing about slavery. To imprison a person's body is terrible, but to cut them off their spiritual traditions hurts them more.

So much of the harm from especially the Christian religion is this idea of original sin and the need to earn the right to happiness through suffering and sacrifice. Yet the deck is stacked and the black person can never do enough to earn this elusive "right to happiness." Meanwhile the "masters" seem to be born deserving.

So much of my work with people of color is helping them to reconnect with their ancestral lines and that wisdom and loving power and come to see themselves with those same loving eyes. It is vital to release the teachings that were imposed because they served the interests of those in power.