Living Waters Ministries Monthly Quote
"We must never forget that Black History is American History. The achievements of African Americans have contributed to our nation's greatness."
Yvette Clarke
Inspiration
Rise Up And Build
By: Jennifer L Smalls
This month we celebrate Black History. The 2023 theme for Black History Month is Black Resistance. Since coming to America, " Black folk have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms, especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial pogroms, and police killings,"
(https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/) Even, now in the year 2023 we continue to resist white supremacy, discrimination, police brutality, an unfair justice system, and systematic racism. But we are a resilient people. Despite all the challenges, setbacks, and disappointments, we continue to rise, we continue to build.
Through resistance Black people in America have overcome; slavery, and Jim Crow Segregation of the South. We have succeeded at increasing political representation at all levels of government, up to President, desegregation of schools, the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, and increased diverse representation of the Black American experience in the media.
These changes came through Nehemiah-minded people who refused to stay in distress and be a reproach, these people like Nehemiah's people decided to "rise up and build". Change came through prayer, protest, faith, education, healthcare, sports, music, and politics.
We have achieved but we have yet to achieve; today we still must resist, we must resist until all men are treated equal. A lot of work has been done but there is still work to do. Let us continue to Rise up and Build.
News from Living Waters Ministries
Happenings Around St. Augustine
Black History Month
The Resilience Family Fest is a celebration of St. Augustine's Black history and culture. The event will feature musical performances, food trucks, historical reenactments, pop-up exhibits, arts and crafts activities, oral history interviews, and more. everyone is welcome to this free community event; young and old, individuals and families, residents and visitor.
Saturday, February 18th
12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Solomon Calhoun Center
1300 Duval Street, St Augustine, FL 32084 I'm
Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series ~ Live from the Historic Fort Mose
First Friday Art Walk, February 3rd downtown St. Augustine 5-9 p.m. First Friday Art Walk takes place on the first Friday of every month, exhibiting creative artworks throughout St. Augustine's fine art galleries.
First Friday Art Walk Concert Series, February 3rd. First Friday of each month, 6-8 p.m. This organ recital at the Cathedral Basilica in downtown St. Augustine is free and open to the public on the first Friday of every month.
Flight to Freedom, February 3rd - 4th, 9 Am - 3 PM, Fort Mose State Historic Park. this is a free event honoring and remembering all those who risked everything in search of freedom and the opportunity to live their own lives. Flight to Freedom tells the story of this dangerous and life-risking journey. It covers 300 miles through forests, swamps, marshes, and waterways as visitors are taken along the "Freedom Trail" south to Fort Mose.
Martin's Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Saturday, February 25th, 2-4 PM at the Lincolnville Museum & Cultural Center, 102 M L King Ave. The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center presents San Marco Chamber Music Society in a production of the children's book "Martin's Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr." by Doreen Rappaport with an original score composer Kevin Day.
The Freedom Trail Tour, Local historian, and author David Nolan along with the Accord Freedom Trail Organization will lead tours on St. Augustine's Freedom Trail on select Saturdays through February 18th. All tours are free except on February 18th. The tours begin at 8:45 a.m. starting from the Willie Galimore Center. https://www.visitstaugustine.com/event/freedom-trail-trolley-tours
The Accord Civil Rights Museum is open in February on Friday the 3rd from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m., and on Saturday, February 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The Accord Civil Rights Museum is located at 79 Bridge Street, St. Augustine FL 32084.
News For Us By Us
"Our time is now to build a state that those who came before us fought for, a state that leaves no one behind."
On January 18th, Westley Wartende Omari Moore (Wes Moore) made history, becoming only the third black governor in US History and the first black governor for the state of Maryland. Currently, he is the only Black governor in office.
He takes office with some bold initiatives and he plans to move forward with progressive policies that include raising the minimum wage, increasing clean energy initiatives, and reforming education. Governor Moore pledges to "leave no one behind".
Florida's Governor DeSantis says "no" to African American Studies/Black History in Florida schools. DeSantis’ administration broadly claims the course violates state law and it “lacks educational value.” Currently, Florida offers Advanced Placement courses on European History, and other cultures but AP African American studies made the chopping block. However, DeSantis is receiving a wave of backlash from across the country from other state lawmakers, and labor unions, and there’s even a potential lawsuit on the horizon. Civil rights attorney, Ben Crump has announced that three Florida high school students are prepared to challenge the decision in court. Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the nation's largest labor union, tweeted, “ when we censor classes and whitewash lesson plans, we harm our students and do them a deep disservice.” Pringle went on to say that she supports Florida educators to demand complete and honest education for all Florida students. #blackhistory #blackhistoryisamericanhistory #blackhistorymatters #thetruestoryistheonlystory #representationmatters
Because he noticed a lack of representation on TV; there weren’t any shows showcasing intellectual children of color like himself, 11-year-old Nicholas Buamah created his own show. With his mother’s help, he hired a team of professional scriptwriters, producers, and a director and began creating the family-friendly sitcom, Nick’s House. The show is about a 10-year-old business-savvy kid running a successful business with his friends in his parents’ home. Things become chaotic when his immature uncle moves in to be his nanny. Nicholas who has taken on the roles of; creator, executive producer, and star of the show says he‘s very proud of the production of the show and gives credit to the team of professionals who helped him create the iconic show.
Nicholas is a very busy ten-year-old, in addition to being a show creator, he also has authored 3 published books and runs his own nonprofit organization, Books Without Borders, Inc. With the pilot season officially beginning, Nicholas is very optimistic and has hopes of being recognized by Nickelodeon, Disney, Netflix, Hulu, or BET. But for now, you can support by watching the trailer for Nick’s House on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MYjUL9q5_EY
For more details, visit Nicholas’ official website at NicholasBuamah.com or follow the show on Instagram @NickHouseTV
Reflections
Well, we jumped right into action at the start of 2023. January was active and busy at Living Water's Ministries. The Women's ministry had its annual vision board party, stating our visions for 2023; "Write the vision and make it plain." This month we studied Nehemia, "Rise Up and Build." Our young Brother Cameron gave us an illustration of laying aside the weight, carrying too much can hinder our building process. Pastor March and Sister Jenny participated in a community panel discussion on MLK Day, "It Starts With Me...Cultivating a Beloved Community Mindset to Transform Unjust Systems." It was a packed house and an awesome conversation. And we closed out January with and awesome Fifth Sunday Fellowship.
"Write the Vision, Make It Plain"
Lay Aside Every Weight
MLK Day 2023
Fifth Sunday Fellowship
What I'm Reading This Month:
This is the last written book by Dr. Martin Luther king. in this book, Dr. King gives us a vision of his thought, plans, and dreams for the future of America. He speaks on the need for better jobs, higher wages, decent housing, and quality education.
Living Water Ministries Upcoming Events
Comments