SUBJECT: If you’re not counted, you’re invisible 👻
DATE: March 29, 2020
Mambo (hello in swahili) Tribe!
KELLY'S KORNER
"Symbolically and literally, the sacral chakra is the birth canal." Through the second chakra we have the capacity to give birth to a life we want, to harness our physical and personal power and create a life we most desire."
Last week, we began our journey together in understanding the Chakras. If you're just now joining us, check out last week's email where I gave an overview of our first (root) chakra. In brief, a chakra is an invisible center of spinning energy through which we are able to receive and transmit social, sexual and spiritual energy. There are 7 chakra locations throughout the body and over the next few weeks, I am providing a brief look into each chakra and crystals that can help to provide balance to those chakras. I highly recommend you dive deeper and use the following overview as a guide towards your research.
SECOND CHAKRA (SACRAL CHAKRA)
Overview: The sacral chakra is influenced by how emotions were expressed or repressed in our family during our childhood. It allows us to discover what we enjoy and the power to realize and utilize our talent to express the life we want to lead. The energy at the second chakra relates to our sexuality, creativity, sociability in creating loving and exciting relationships and overall desires. The energy at this chakra fires up our desires and gives us the energy and enthusiasm to achieve them.
Location: 1-2 inches below the navel or branching to left side of spleen
Characteristics
Balanced: optimistic, intuitive, imaginative
Excessive: manipulative, emotionally explosive, over-indulgent
Deficient: self-negating, buries emotions, distrustful
Crystal Healing: Orange stones are used for the second chakra. For healing, place a crystal of your choosing 1-2 inches below the navel at your sacral chakra. Carnelian has a strong masculine energy and is a stone of creativity, motivation, endurance, leadership and courage. It will give you the courage to project yourself with warm self-confidence while promoting self-esteem and enhancing sexual energy. Tiger's eye has a soft feminine energy and is a stabilizing and grounding crystal. It harnesses the earth's and sun's energies and soothes away worries and apprehensions especially anxieties about love and sex.
FOR THE COMMUNITY - THE 2020 CENSUS
WHAT IS IT?
The population of the United States must be counted every ten years under the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 2. The data collected determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives and how hundreds of billions of federal dollars are allocated to states and localities for key programs, many of which are administered through nonprofits.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
The census is integral to our democracy. The data collected affects our nation's ability to ensure equal representation and equal access to important governmental and private sector resources for all Americans, including across racial and ethnic lines.
Certain population groups - referred to as "hard-to-count" - are at a higher risk of not being fully counted in the census. Some of these groups have been historically underrepresented in the census for decades; some may experience new or increased vulnerability due to major changes in methodology, such as relying on the internet as the primary way for households to respond to the 2020 Census; and some may be reluctant to respond due to concerns about data confidentiality. Being hard-to-count can lead to unequal political representation and unequal access to vital public and private resources for these groups and their communities.
The African American population has been historically undercounted in the decennial census, disadvantaging their families, communities, and neighborhoods.
HOW IS CENSUS DATA USED?
Census results are used to allocate seats and draw district lines for the U.S. House of Representatives, state legislatures, and local boards; to target at least $800 billion annually in federal assistance to states, localities, and families; and to guide community decision-making affecting schools, housing, health care services, business investment, and much more.
CONSEQUENCES OF UNDERCOUNTING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
When African American communities are undercounted, political boundaries may not accurately represent reality. Undercounting results in African Americans being denied a full voice in policy decision-making. As a result, their community's different needs may not be represented or prioritized according to their real share of the population.
Furthermore, federal agencies rely on census data to monitor discrimination and implement civil rights laws that protect voting rights, equal employment opportunity, and more. This is particularly important for African American communities, which have faced discrimination and have been historically disenfranchised from the voting process.
Help to shape your community and complete the 2020 Census today! (It takes 10 minutes)
AFROHAUS LIVE SESSIONS
SUNDAY 2PM EST - Our #SelfCareSunday will start with another meditation session led by Yemsrach Tekletsadik where she will focus on how to set an intention for yourself while under quarantine/social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
MONDAY 2PM EST - We are bringing you a backyard concert from Keithian who says he is using this time of social isolation to create and truly walk in his purpose. He will be performing a few songs from his upcoming EP titled, "Too My Pain," which he wrote while healing. With the COVID-19 pandemic and so much else going on in the world, he says that healing is exactly what we need right now. He suggests that we should look at this time as spiritual distancing from the social norms of the world.
WEDNESDAY 6PM EST - We're playing "Dinner On Us." Never heard of it? Well that's because we made it up lol. The rules are simple. Founders, Kelly and Gregory will DJ 5 songs at random from our Afrohaus playlist. The first person to DM Afrohaus with the name of the songs in the correct order in which they were played will be treated to dinner from a local restaurant in their community.
THURSDAY 2PM EST - Personal trainer Collis Stutzer will be back sharing more tips and tricks on how to include simple and easy at home workouts while quarantined.