Greetings My Sistahs!
I discovered Black Love Day, which is celebrated on February 13th. Last year a close friend of mine gave me information about this significant holiday. Black Love Day is an alternative to Valentine's Day and is a day of observance, celebration reconciliation, forgiveness, atonement and demonstration of love for the black community. The concept of Black Love Day was established in the year 1993, by a woman named Ms. Ayo Kendi. She felt the strong need and desire for more expression of "Black Love" among the communities. She had organized the first Black Love Day publicly in Northeast, Washington, D.C. Her ideas were widely accepted by the public and media in an inaugural celebration with success and it became an official day of recognition, observance and celebration by Mayoral Proclamation in D.C.
It is meant to celebrate black relationships, from self love first, to love for family to love for community and our race and love for your Creator. Instead of wearing pink and red people should wear purple for spirituality or black which is a blend of all the colors put together.
The object of Black Love Day is to establish a day to focus on love in order to rejuvenate all our relationships, to demonstrate love in your actions and in your service by performing at least (5) love acts which are love for the Creator, Love for Self, for the Family, for the Community and Love for the Black Race.
The difference with Black Love Day as opposed to Valentine's Day is that Black Love Day offers more than romance, gifts and tokens of affection, Black Love Day is expressed through service, celebration, rituals of forgiveness and public reconciliation with others. People should involve themselves in performing these within 24 hours of February 13th, however, you may express your love when you can.
There is a Black Love Pledge which is as follows:
To show love for the Creator
To love myself first and erase all traces of self-hatred for when I love myself, I therefore can love others.
To develop moral principles to stand for
To forgive myself for past acts of unloving behavior and move on
To show love for my family
To show love for my community
To show love for myself, community and race
To commit to the "Nquzo Saba" (7 principles of Blackness) and practice principles daily and year long.
This is not a holiday just for people of African Heritage, all people are encouraged to consider celebrating "Love."
I hope this blog can help touch someone and help them on their journey of healing!
Peace and Love,
Shalove
