An Ode to Juneteenth and Girlfriends

I am an adventurous person. I love to get out and see new things. Even with COVID-19, I am eager to plan a safe adventure. My dear friends and I have been itching for a girls trip full of fun, food, friendship and of course shopping. Did I mention food? We decided to go to Lake Norman outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte is our meeting point for anything “us.”

The weekend of our trip happened to be Juneteenth weekend. I can honestly say that we all have celebrated in the past, but this time it felt different. This Juneteenth would be a Juneteenth to remember because of all the recent, but no new events in the news. The agony and pain we hear in our unconscious consciousness when Mr. Floyd called out for his mother, reminds us of how how we have to fight to raise our kids to know that they matter. We are all mothers of black children on this trip. We have to strive everyday to remind our kids that their blackness is beautiful.

We strive everyday to remind them of their magic, and to remind them that their magic can bring about negative experiences too. As black mothers, we are exhausted. We are exhausted from all aspects of our lives, and carrying the exhaustion of prepping our kids with the proper armor to not hide and be proud of their magic, ancestry, kinky hair, full lips and African blood. This trip was to get a quick break from the exhaustion.

Yes, we needed a break as I recommend for all parents. We needed to remind ourselves that we are human as well as super moms. We needed time to eat a ton of carbs, have a few drinks, play uno in a hotel room, and ride around in the car rapping Crunk music and emphasizing “Pastor Troy and The Eastside Boys.”

We needed time to rejuvenate, and to come back to love, and to the beautiful madness our children gives us. I become really emotional thinking about our trip to downtown Charlotte as our feet walked over the BLM mural, because it reminded us that this fight is not over. But that day, on Juneteenth, that special day, it was okay to admire the beauty of this magnificent art.

For some, it is just words, letters, and colors. But for us, it was a reviving mural that we must come together and fight for justice and equality. An ode to Juneteenth for allowing me some R&R with my girls! I recommend finding a reason to celebrate you for being you. Celebrate your hard work and dedication to yourself for the strength of your children by taking a break. As always, celebrate with your girlfriends because they make things much better.