Black

BLACK

As part of Novice Sister Gwenn N Dowtte's Novice Project, we offer this blessing of the color BLACK:

In the shadows, in the darkness, lurking behind in mystery.  Black represents all things spooky, and odd, and scary.  

Black is the color of darkness, of everything combined together yet nothing visible.  Black represents the end, the final destination, death.  

Every day we are alive is a blessing, but only because we know we will not live forever.  Life is precious because it can disappear into the darkness at any moment.  

Through the AIDS crisis in the 80’s… through Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in the 90’s… through the tragic death of Matthew Shepard in the early 2000’s… the queer community has a long history of death and darkness.  

We fight every day for our right to exist and feel safe from the darkness that others try to force upon us.  We fight for our very survival.

But in the darkest of times, we remind ourselves that as a community, we survived the AIDS crisis; We overcame Don’t Ask Don’t Tell; We rallied our strength after Matthew Shepard.  

And in the face of continued oppression, we stand together in the fight to preserve marriage equality; We stand together in opposition of the Transgender Military ban; We stand together to fight for the right to use the bathroom in public.  

Because we are strong, our community is strong, and we will not be kept down!