Recently a discussion ensued via email about Euro-Americans practicing an African based tradition. The age-old question arose regarding why are “they” part of “our” spiritual traditions?

Why are people of African descent so affected by white faces among the practices originating from the African continent?

I sum it up in one  phrase – Historical Trauma. Or you may call it Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, Inter-generational Trauma, Soul Wounds or whatever name the researchers have given it.

If you don’t know what that means, perhaps this talk by Dr. Joy Degruy will help. It’s long, but well worth the watch.

Now, some of the white folks were quick to point out that nearly every race/tribe of people experienced pain and suffering at the hands of others. True. The discussion however, was specific to white/black America. Dr. Joy would call that type of diversion “cognitive dissonance”.

And, if we want to understand even more why the question keeps coming up, it’s because the we are in an never ending story where #blacklivesmatter.