An Open Letter to Taffi Dollar, the Mother of an (allegedly) abused teenaged daughter

OPEN LETTER TO TAFFI DOLLAR ABOUT CREFLO, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND CHILD ABUSE

Date:    June 12, 2012

To:        Taffi Dollar

From:    Deborrah Cooper

Re:        Creflo Dollar's Arrest for Child Abuse 

Though we have never met Mrs. Dollar, we have two very important things in common… we are both black women, and we are both mothers of daughters.  I believe that makes us and millions of other black women more alike than dissimilar, and it is on the basis of those similarities that I am writing to you. 

In front of me lies a copy of a Fayette County Sheriff’s Office report. The report recounts the events which took place at your home on Friday, June 8^th 2012 between your 50-year-old husband Creflo and your 15-year-old daughter Lauren. The reporting officer was quite thorough. It seems Officer Everett took extra care to be so, probably due to the celebrity status of the accused perpetrator. 

I’m sure none of this is easy for you, Lauren or Alexandria, and it’s probably very confusing for the rest of the children as well. I’m positive even your extended family is filled with shock, dismay and fear of possible changes coming due to this accusation. Those are all things to think about at some point, but my primary focus right now is on Alexandria and Lauren. As a Mom, it is very easy for me to see them both as my own children, which is why I have to ask you some hard questions. 

Let’s just get to the point: What are you doing, Taffi? Why are you protecting Creflo and allowing your daughters to be condemned by the world as belligerent, wild, liars, troublemakers and tools of Satan? Why are you not speaking up to counter those claiming your daughters are out to destroy their father by calling the cops? How can you stand idly by and allow Creflo’s violent temper and controlling behavior to terrorize your children? 

Yes, I know of your husband’s world fame and mass fortune. I understand that this happened in your home and that you might consider this a private matter; however, the fact that your husband is a world-famous public and religious figure removes any possibility of privacy. Reality is that Creflo and your entire family are considered public figures, which makes you unable to escape public scrutiny. What happened in your house that evening is the business of every African American, every Christian that follows Creflo, and every person curious about what steps the law will take in this matter. 

Sitting Creflo’s fame aside, let’s look at this matter as if his name were really Michael Smith, and he was any other father in a physical altercation with his 15-year-old daughter 

1. It’s completely normal for a 15-year-old girl to want to go to a party, be with her friends, and to begin exploring the opposite sex. It is also normal for a father to tell his daughter that since her grades are not up to par she cannot attend fun events (like a party) until next report card. It is totally normal for a father to ground his daughter until grades show marked improvement. However, let’s look at the calendar. This is mid-June, when schools around the country are out for summer vacation. Kids Lauren’s age are having graduation parties and year-end "whoo hoo we’re out of school" bashes. Since students won’t be returning to school for months, there is really no need to worry about grades until school resumes in the late summer. If the child’s grades show her to be worriedly behind, why not secure tutoring over the summer to make sure her grades are up to par by fall? Not attending one party is not going to make her grades improve by September. Why not drive her to the party and pick her up two hours later on the dot. She would be grateful that she was allowed to attend and make a "brief showing," but she wouldn’t be there as long as she wanted. Parenting is not always focusing on punishing but showing your child that there are repercussions for their behavior.
   
   
   
2. Repercussions and punishment do not include putting a female in a chokehold or body slamming her to the floor. According to the Deputy’s report, your husband followed your daughter into the kitchen after she chose to deescalate their ‘argument’ by removing herself from his presence. Yet, he trailed after her looking for trouble. He’d already won – she wasn’t going to the party. Crying tears of disappointment, frustration, perhaps even anger at herself for not doing better in school, Lauren was away from your husband. She was in a space where she could commiserate with her sister. What else is there for Creflo to say to the child when he’d already won the battle? So why ask her why she was crying when he already knew? It seemed he was just being a bully, looking for a fight with someone smaller and weaker. He came into the kitchen to taunt your daughter and to vent his rage.
   
   
3. Charging across the room to put his hands on your daughter’s throat, bending her over a table, punching her, then beating her with his shoe? This is a young lady with a woman’s body – breasts, buttocks and hips. Why would her own father assault her in such a way? Why would he bend her over a table and throw her on the floor, placing himself in positions of sexual dominance while he beats her? Don’t you think such a reaction is over the top, distastefully aggressive and more similar to a jealous and possessive boyfriend than a father?
   
   
4. Why did you not come to investigate what was going on when you certainly heard all the commotion? I’m wondering why you didn’t intervene long before Alexandria had to fetch you. You told the police that you didn't SEE anything, but long before you physically entered the room, you certainly HEARD something. However, you conveniently neglected to volunteer that information to the responding Deputy. Even after coming into the room to see your daughter lying on the floor in the aftermath of a violent attack, your reaction was shockingly serene. That tells me that you are conditioned to such acts, and that violence in your home is normalized for you. That is why you didn’t bother coming to see what was amiss. That is why neither you nor Alexandria called 9-1-1. However Lauren, tired of being treated like a dog, had enough and sought help outside the clan. I applaud her bravery and sense of self-preservation. 

About Domestic Violence and Abuse of Black Children 

Domestic violence and child abuse (emotional, verbal, physical and sexual) are not uncommon occurrences in the black community; it’s just not talked about. At all. 

It’s interesting how many women think that only ghetto thugs and low lives beat on women. The batterer is often the man no one suspects because he is a pillar of the community - well respected, and successful. Men and women alike believe such a man is too educated, wealthy, and too on the ball to hit women. It is not uncommon for the wives of judges, attorneys, doctors, ministers and pastors, professors and even police officers to be terrorized by their husbands with threats of or actual violence on a regular basis.

Sexual abuse of young black girls is also common and normalized in the black community. According to a survey of more than 300 women conducted by Black Women’s Blueprint, sixty percent of Black girls have experienced sexual abuse before the age of 18. Department of Justice figures estimate that for every white female that reports being raped, at least 5 white women do not report theirs.

For black women the figures are even more depressing, with a 1:15 ratio (this means that for every one black woman that reports a rape to law enforcement, 15 others stay silent). Most often the female victims feel that no one will believe them, or that they will be blamed for being assaulted, so they don't report the crime. Black women also get guilt tripped into silence by their family and community, deterred from reporting a sexual assault lest she be accused of “sending another black man to jail when we already have enough black men locked up.”

For these reasons it's common for black women to turn their backs on victims of child molestation or physical violence, refusing to acknowledge that the girls in their family are being abused. By refusing to acknowledge abuse, black women effectively eliminate all reasons to do something about it. Instead, black women protect abusers and accuse the victim of "wanting it," being in the wrong place, wearing the wrong clothing, asking for it, teasing the guy, being "fast," or of not being Christian enough. There are dozens of tools used by black women to make young black girls feel responsible for being victimized by an older, powerful adult black male. Should the crime be discovered and an arrest made, it is not unusual for black women to protect the rapist or molester, covering up for him with lies and demanding that the female victim go along with their story. 

Black Women Contribute to Sexual Assaults of Teens 

What does this teach men? It teaches black men that they have power and are immune to prosecution… that they don’t have to be accountable or responsible to women and girls. Just blame the female and the other women will fall in line and blame her too, letting you off the hook. Very often the black woman will eliminate a sexually abused child from her life, even her own daughter, to keep the man around. Such codependent protective behavior by black women keeps a large number of violent men and sexual abusers circulating unchecked in the black community. 

This is especially common when the man involved is a man of means and influence, like a pastor. Religious black women worship their pastors; in their eyes their pastor can do no wrong. So when a young black girl is victimized by a popular and well-loved black spiritual leader, even if he is her own father, black women care nothing about her. Black women instead rally around to support and protect the BLACK MALE, leaving the child to be revictimized by the same or other perpetrators because they know she has no protector.

I’m saddened to see that you apparently operate under the same belief system. You have fallen silent, refusing to come forward to validate your daughters and provide them with your support and motherly protection. What is it that you are so afraid of Taffi? 

Growing up and living in an environment of abuse teaches children that violence between men and women is normal, acceptable behavior. Violence against a female child perpetrated by her father is especially horrific. Daddy is a little girl’s first love, the standard by which she measures all relationships with men as an adult. If the relationship with her father is twisted, inappropriately sexual, or violent, a girl will be doomed to experience unhealthy relationships with men throughout her life. 

Your daughter revealed on the 9-1-1 call that this incident of choking and hitting wasn’t the first time Creflo had done such a thing to her. The fact that millions of black women grew up in environments filled with violence, physical and sexual abuse is evident all over the web in posts about this case. Typical responses by females: 

“If she needs a pop back to reality, then give it to her!”

“Beat her butt good and make it worth your while to go to jail!”

“My grandmother raised me and what this kid got for what she did would have been like a ‘time out’ for me!”

“I would whoop her ass for calling the cops on me!”

“Creflo you cannot leave any marks, that is what the officers told me. So slightly hurt and superficial injuries means you did good!”

Black women’s willing acceptance of vile behavior by black men towards children and women is frightening. There is a deep seated sickness and an apparent need for emotional and physical pain in black women that I don’t understand. Black women romanticize violence against them, which means they won’t have a problem doing the same when violence is levied against their offspring. Your family’s situation has brought the sickness to the surface. All change begins at home, and that is where you must start Taffi. 

In spite of the fact that Creflo set himself up as a spiritual leader and someone to emulate, your husband beat your daughter down like any street pimp does a ho that has been holding out on him. After experiencing and/or witnessing repeated violence, it would be impossible for you or anyone in your family to be angry at a boyfriend or husband that pounded on Lauren or Alexandria. Though Creflo is the abuser, your silence makes you a willing participant in the violence against the girls… you are what the police call “an accessory.” You modeled tolerance and acceptance of this attack by covering up for and defending Creflo Dollar, an alleged man of God. 

Food for Thought:

If a man of God would do such things to his own babies, what might he do to someone else’s when their parents weren’t looking? Parents of daughters about Lauren’s age that are around your husband really need to think about that. Don’t be surprised if Lauren’s call to the police gives other young ladies in your congregation the courage to step forward and share information that has previously been a well kept secret. Brace yourself, because the spiritual tide is turning and it is not turning in Creflo’s favor.

With all this said what I want to ask you Taffi is to please see that your daughters get needed psychotherapy. I understand the importance of a woman in your position presenting the face of a good Christian family, a family that is together and perfect. I understand that as the wife of a world famous pastor you are used to living a very high level lifestyle, and that a divorce or certain revelations would cause you shame and embarrassment. 

But worrying about those are things means you are thinking with your pride, and that greed, not love is your motivator. You must not worry about what it will ‘look like’ to other people, but instead about your daughter’s mental and emotional health. 

You must not worry about Creflo; he got himself into this mess, he can worry about how to get himself out. 

You must not worry about your marriage, but instead what you can do to help your child. 

It is not the time to worry about how to save face Taffi, but instead about how to save your daughter.

Best,

Deborrah Cooper
Relationship Expert and Author of
The Black Church: Where Women Pray and Men PreyLog onto www.womenpraymenprey.com or
www.survivingdating.com

With proper attribution, permission is granted to copy this letter in its entirety and repost it on your website or blog. Please create a clickable hotlink back to this site (www.womenpraymenprey.com) or the dating site Surviving Dating (www.survivingdating.com). Thank you for sharing this vital message with your readers.
 

Men In the Battle Against Domestic Violence

 Professor Ulester Douglas of Emory University

 http://www.idvaac.org/assemblingthepieces/articles/meet/douglas.html

Sixteen undergraduates made history this spring by completing MSV’s first-ever academic course offering at Emory University. The course, Male Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: Critical Issues and Concepts, taught by Ulester Douglas (UD), was the vision of the late Dr. Rudolph Byrd. At the time of its offering, there was no course within Emory College that focused on male intimate partner violence against women or used a community-engaged learning approach to this issue. Students gave their seal of approval by unanimously rating the course as excellent in their final evaluations.
- It is the best class I have taken at Emory and I am a senior.
- Very rarely do students get the opportunity to learn from someone who can speak not only to textbooks applications, but also to real-world and real life experiences.
- Ulester and Dominick (TA for the course) were two of the best teachers I have had at Emory.
UD: “Teaching this course provided an exciting opportunity to reach today’s and tomorrow’s leaders. When students are exposed to this kind of material it raises the stakes that they would do something, take action, to help prevent violence against women. There is still a high degree of indifference to male violence against women, in part because of the lack of knowledge about the issue”
- Almost everything I was taught in this class was new information and I learned to think of abuse in completely new and different ways.
- Before (the class on stalking) I didn’t take stalking very seriously, and afterwards I was aware of its severity and importance.
- I never before thought about the ways in which immigrant women constituted a vulnerable group for domestic violence. [This course] helped me expand upon the ways I view Intersectionality.

continue reading

 

Abuse and the Miracle of Recovery

by Joyce Meyer

During my childhood I was abused sexually, emotionally, verbally and physically. Many of you have also been abused, or you deal with someone in your life who comes from an abusive, dysfunctional background

What does abuse mean? It means "to misuse, to use improperly, to use up or to injure by maltreatment." The effects of abuse can be devastating and long-lasting. Many people never recover from it. Let me give you a brief definition of the four types of abuse.
Sexual abuse: considered to be the most degrading and offensive; consists of rape, molestation, incest, exhibitionism, voyeurism and obscene phone calls.
Emotional abuse: consists of withholding attention, loving touches and words of acceptance. Love is only given based on acceptable performance. Abandonment is a type of emotional abuse and can occur when one or both parents leave the child physically or mentally. Adults can also experience abandonment if important people in their lives leave suddenly or violently.
Verbal abuse: can be overt or covert. Overt: aggressive, angry words that say you're flawed or unacceptable. Covert: loving words of acceptance that help you develop properly are withheld.
Physical abuse: consists of beatings, unfair discipline, being locked in closets or dark rooms and withholding food.

Although I appeared to function normally in society, I had multiple inward problems and complicated personality disorders. There were several things going on in me at the time that prevented me from receiving and experiencing the righteousness, peace and joy of God's kingdom (see Romans 14:17). But Jesus came so that we could have and enjoy kingdom living.
I was bitter about my past and had a chip on my shoulder, which caused me to have the attitude that everyone owed me preferential treatment. I was full of self-pity, especially if things didn't go my way. I was controlling, manipulative, fearful, insecure and harsh. I was just plain hard to get along with and often downright obnoxious. I was judgmental, suspicious and very negative. I experienced a lot of guilt and condemnation. I had a shame-based nature; therefore, everything I attempted was poisoned. Since I didn’t like who I was, I spent many years trying to be like someone else. I'm sure you get the picture—I was quite a mess!
Now, what I'm getting ready to say is important. I was born again and actively involved in church life. We attended church regularly and did church work. Our lives revolved around the church, but I was not getting victory over my problems. In fact, the really sad part was that I didn't even understand that I had a problem. I thought everyone else had a problem and that if they would change, I would be happy.
In 1976, I received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 speaks of receiving God's power to be His witnesses. Notice it does not say to do witnessing but to be witnesses. The Bible says we are to be living epistles and read by all men (see 2 Corinthians 3:2), light in a dark world, and the salt of the earth (see Matthew 5:13-14). Doing is a different thing than being. I had my outside polished up, but my inner life was a wreck. Quite often the inner turmoil exploded, and then everybody could see I wasn't quite what I appeared to be.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in my life gave me a real love for God's Word and an ability to understand it like never before. Second Corinthians 3:18 says looking into the Word of God is like looking into a mirror which transforms us into His image from glory to glory. I have been changing ever since. I have changed and changed and changed. And I'm still changing! Most of those problems are completely gone, and the rest only flare up occasionally. I even look different—younger, happier, more peaceful.
Second Corinthians 5:17 says that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away; and all things are made new. But that really doesn't mean everything from the past just vanishes. The Amplified Bible brings it out this way: Behold, the fresh and new has come! In other words, without Jesus there is no hope for newness of life. The past always affects the future without the power of God to overcome it. But even with Jesus, we are not automatically free from the past. When the fresh and new comes, there is opportunity to be free. But we must give the Word of God an exalted place in our lives. We must face the truth as it is revealed to us in His Word, and then the truth will set us free as it is acted upon.
I want to encourage you to keep pressing on! Philippians 1:6 says that He who has begun a good work in you is able to bring it to completion. You will keep changing if you stay in God's Word and keep looking to Jesus, who is the author and the finisher of your faith (see Hebrews 12:2). Now I am enjoying the kingdom living of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And no matter what you've experienced in your past or how many problems you have, God will do a miracle for you! He will change you into the image of Jesus Christ and give you a new life worth living!

http://www.joycemeyer.org/articles/ea.aspx?article=abuse_and_the_miracle_of_recovery

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This article is taken from Joyce's DVD teaching, Trusting God When You Don't Understand.

 

Our Sisters Only Gathering

A.T. Streets Disciples getting the Word out!  Hood Internet in action

The Gathering was held in our J. Alfred Smith Fellowship Hall, and there was a full house of beautiful Sisters attending.  God smiled beautiful sunshine down on us, and the ladies' spirits were high and smiling sunshine back up at God.  The minute I stepped through the doors I could feel the warmth and beauty of the Sisters.

I went right to work at the clothing table setting it up, and our sister organization and co-laborers, Love Never Fails lived up to their name and came in with bag after bag of clothing and shoes for the ladies.  I dug into the huge pile of goodies trying to sort and fold and organize.  The Sisters came and started buzzing busily around me, looking through and choosing from the large assortment of shoes, baby clothes, T-Shirts, jeans, skirts and other clothing.  It was beautiful for me to listen to the ladies as they sorting through the things and asked each other if so-and so would like this one or that one.

Then our ministers Anne and Barbara started the gathering off in prayer and with the Biblical story of Tamar.  Even though Tamar had a tough life, and was negatively used by men, God used her for a higher purpose.  And we all, no matter what our circumstances, are valuable to God and are made according to His plan and purpose.  Sister Barbara reminded us that even the so-called prostitute is of value to God.  After all, Tamar became a part of the lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The story of Tamar teaches us that no matter what we have done in the past, we are redeemable by God.  We simply put our life in God's hands and watch Him bring forth beauty out of ashes.

We served the food, and the sisters ate as they listened to the sermon.  Then sister Barbara blessed the ladies. She told them about the situation the Streets Disciples endured, where the toiletries we gathered for them were stolen right from the church itself.  A fews gasps went up from the ladies when they heard this, but they were reminded of how much the community loved them.  Within a short notice, calls were made and more toiletries gifts poured in.  Praise God!  It's a shame that someone was moved to steal the gifts dedicated to those in dire need, but it happens. 

As we were talking about these things, I watched as a few women remained focused like hawks on the clothing.  One or two of them remained at the table sorting through on the fly, even as Minister Barbara asked them to take their seats because, "the clothing would be there".  I didn't try to stop those sisters.  I understand that kind of focus, and could only smile inside my heart.  If those sisters' circumstances were different, they'd be the CEO's of top earning businesses!  Laser focus on the bottom line! 

A.T. Streets Disciples and Love Never Fails

God creates beauty out of ashes.  Our Sisters are an example of it.  They come to get a free meal, free clothing and shoes and toiletries.  But they also get love and upliftment, caring, comeraderie and fellowship.  As Sister Barbara J made the alter call, and the call for prayer, the sisters came forth.  They got up and acknowledged their need for Jesus' love in their lives.  The Sisters came and formed a circle and held hands.  We Streets Disciples formed a second circle of prayer and love behind and around them.  We had their backs in love.  Sister B. J. prayed love and protection and peace and help from on high, blessing and touching each sister's head.   And then tears of healing started flowing.  The living waters of God's healing flowed in the tears of the women, and it was a beautiful sight in my eyes. 

As women, we often are beaten down emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually.  The hardships of life are right out there, and often people will heap their hatred, fear or disdain upon us.  The black woman is the mule of the world as "Janie" of Zora Neale Hurston's great novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God has said.  And it's true.  Often, the pain, burden, disdain, neglect and hatred of the world is heaped upon our shoulders.  We try to stand up under the weight and pretend that it's not there and we are OK.   But we are not OK.   In despair, we try to deal with it.  We might get a little help from alcohol, or cigarettes.  We may overeat or do drugs or jump from bed to bed.   Sometimes what we use as a crutch ends up being a trap in our lives.  We all make mistakes.  But God is there for us.  He is able to break down the pain and refashion it into a beautiful testimony that is filled with His healing Balm.  God does this, but only if we allow him to do it.  If we take the first step towards God and His healing, He meets us the rest of the way. 
The tears flowed.  They flowed, tracing healing paths down beautiful cheeks.  They flowed down long fluffy lash extensions, gently sliding to the tips and falling.  The tears flowed and puddled on the sunlit floor, reflecting love into my own heart for our Sisters.  We laid on hands of healing. We called on the name of Jesus, We stood in the presence of the Lord's blessed Spirit of healing.  Then we sang!  We sang songs of freedom, redemption and love.

The Spirit was high!  Sister Anne called on the ladies to bring forth their testimonies, and they did.  They spoke of how God's grace saved them from drug addiction, from the streets, from the track, that's still out there, not even 3 blocks away.  God did it!  And the Sisters praised Him for it.  They praised and sang the house down and lifted up beautiful praises to our most high God.  Jesus!

For Sisters Only 4-21-12

For Sisters Only Gathering for April 21, 2012. 
Today was a beautiful day!  Sun is shining, weather is sweet.  A perfect day for holding our For Sisters Only gathering. 

So today we were in the J. Alfred Smith Fellowship Hall, a smaller, more intimate room, rather than the large gymnasium. Another gathering was taking place there. We had a few new ministering faces  as Dr. Eunice Shaw joined us today and preached a motivating sermon of self help and self esteem to our Sisters.  She talked about making decisions to do better in life, in spite of hardships.  It's not always easy but it is necessary.  The pain of staying stuck in a bad lifestyle is much more strident than the pain necessary to get moving toward self improvement.  What's so beautiful is that once we make the decision to move forward, God will make ways out of no way.  Things will shift in your favor once you have the faith to start the shifting.  We are co-creators with God, and our imput is important.

So the food was set up, and again we had the favorites of fried and baked chicken, sweet potato salad, greens and soft drinks.  We also had home made chow mein as well.  It was quite delicious!  In addition we had our free clothing give away as usual and our friends who do the fantastic manicures for the ladies. 

Last month we had a small number of ladies, but this month we probably had about 25 to 30 ladies.  More and more they are starting to trust and have faith that they are loved.  I personally spoke with one sister who was surprised that she hadn't heard about our For Sisters Only.  She said there was a point when she really could have used our services, so I told her to make sure to come back next month and bring her friends as well. She said she would.

I was so happy to have my friend of 35 years join the Streets Disciples.  The ministry is growing and let us continue to hold it in prayer, that we can reach more and more ladies in need.

21st Century Abolition Meeting

Today's meeting was powerful! 

Many came out to share and be a part of the growing movement to eradicate human trafficking. We had prolific speakers.  One young sister gave a Powerpoint presentation that got right to the heart of the issue - giving us a statistical informational view of just how deeply the human trafficking pandemic is entrenched, and just where our nation and the world stands in fighting it. 

The numbers are staggering.  We know that the conservative estimate is 70% of the victims are female and 50% are children.  We know that the average age is now 14 years old, and the victims can be as young as 10 years old.  Possibly younger. We know that the human trafficker is often known by the victim.  We know that there is a high level of coercion and mind manipulation.  The language used by the perpetrators often obscures the vicious reality of the crime, even to the victim.  She often doesn't even understand what's happening to her.

The 21st Century Abolitionists are attacking this slavery on many fronts.  They are going out and snatching the children right off the streets and whisking them to safety.  Some are creating safe havens for young mothers and children, some are working to help them overcome drug addictions and self esteem issues.  Some of these modern day Harriet Tubmans are becoming the surrogate parents of a few at a time - loving and supporting them throughout their teen years. Others fight to educate and empower in order to prevent.  It's quality over quantity in many instances; its a supporting hand up towards self sufficiency for a period of time; it's shouting in the urban wilderness to let everybody know that slavery is truly happening; it's spiritual and Godly support and teaching; it's attacking the problem from every conceivable angle!

There are numerous facts and statistics that delineate this heartbreaking practice of human trafficking.  But thank God there is a fast growing number of Abolitionists stepping up to the plate and doing the work necessary to fight against it.  The A.T. Streets Disciples Ministry is becoming the information hub in the Bay Area. We are helping to connect the dots by forging alliances with all who are working - whether quietly or loudly and fiercely in their chosen places.  Our aim is to chip away at this boulder of social sickness until it finally cracks and crumbles into dust.  

We are working to be that light shining in the darkness. We are also working to connect with and support our comrades who are doing this work.  The work belongs to God who is bringing the victory.  And each time freedom is won, we cross back into slavery to free even more from bondage.  We Modern Day Abolitionists quietly lead God's precious people along the New Underground Railroad, away from the kingdom of darkness and towards the Light and True Freedom.

For Sisters Only #4: 3-18-12

The week leading up to Saturday, 3-18-2012, was a stormy one.  It rained off and on.  I started visualizing our For Sisters Only posters sliding off the places they had been strategically posted.  On the day of our fourth gathering, we Streets Disciples were hard at work setting up the various stations for the event:  in the gymnasium, we had a large clothing area that the ladies could browse, which included shoes and handbags.  There also was our jewelry area as well set up with beautiful pieces.

 

There was Rev. Barbara's sacred prayer area, which was beautifully appointed with dramatic African artwork and woven kinte cloth.  Surround the sacred space were plants and set upon one of the tables was a beautiful cascading waterfall artwork. Many sisters went over to the place to receive prayers and love, and to unburden themselves of their troubles - to have an open ear to bear witness to their trials and tribulations.

On the opposite side, was an area stocked with toiletry filled goodie bags - shampoo, soap, lotion, and other necessities.  Then there was a station for doing the ladies' hair, with a hair dryer and many magazines to read, making it a nice salon style setting.  As an added perk, we had our manicurists on site and ready to give the ladies beautifully painted and manicured hands.  I saw one sister unable to stop looking at how beautiful her simple manicure was.  She was so pleased.

Not to leave out the children, there was the section just for them with coloring books and games.  Children were free to play and run in the space of the gymnasium. Right in the midst of their mothers' watchful eyes. Children ranging from babies to 11 or 12 years old. They ran, they jumped they tussled and tossed balls, they tackled and played in safety and peace in the large space of the gymnasium.  

Then the manicurists, doing a wonderful job by painting the Sisters' nails and making them pretty.  Allen Temple has a full shower area, which we also made available to our Sisters, and quite a few of them took advantage of the opportunity for a hot shower.

Then the centerpiece of the meeting:  A wonderful meal was prepared by Minister Lana's mother - succulent fried chicken, tamale pie oozing with cheese, green salad, and other goodies as well as a variety of cakes.  There were also refreshments and water.  I wasn't able to serve this time, since I had a horrible cold.   But a cold was not enough to keep me from coming out and supporting this wonderful outreach and connecting with our Sisters!  I stayed off to the side to avoid infecting anyone though.

This day, there were not as many sisters present as the previous event.  Yet many of us noticed that this time, the Sisters were more open and free with us.  We can see the connections being set.  The relationships are coming together and the love is starting to flow.  The ladies felt more relaxed and so did we.  We can see their beautiful spirits starting to emerge.  Their personalities are starting to shine through.

Glory to God!