When people discuss slavery, one of the things that is often not spoken about is Black folks' coping mechanisms and how we survived. What actions did we take? What did we need to tell ourselves and each other? How did we seek solace amid hell? Some of our survival tactics were individual and other methods required collective work and responsibility. Some enslaved people formed spiritual bodies that historians call an 'invisible institution.' These hidden gatherings took place away from white people and oftentimes at night. According to a Brown University Dept. of History article, "Most enslavers, and some state laws, prohibited enslaved people from gathering for religious purposes without white people present. Enslaved people sometimes attended church or religious gatherings with enslavers,
and there were some churches led by free black people with enslaved members. But these religious spaces were
usually supervised by white people and followed forms of Christianity that white people practiced." The article goes on to state, "Enslaved people also met secretly for their own religious gatherings. They used signals and codewords to
call each other to the woods, ravines, swamps, or slave quarters on the edge of a plantation—locations that were
sometimes called “hush harbors.” Enslaved people mixed Christianity with indigenous African traditions involving singing, dancing, clapping, drumming, and spirit worship. In addition to creating a spiritual refuge for
themselves, enslaved people sometimes used these gatherings to plan acts of resistance.
Not many written sources exist today about the secret gatherings among enslaved people. Historians rely
largely on slave narratives written in the nineteenth century and interviews conducted with formerly enslaved
people in the early twentieth century for written information about enslaved people’s religious practices." It is through these narratives of enslaved people that we also learn that these invisible institutions served as the African-centered root of Liberation Theology; the interpretation of biblical scripture as resistance against slavery and its social death. In his book A Black Theology of Liberation, Cone explains: "In a society where men are oppressed because they are black, Christian theology must become Black Theology, a theology that is unreservedly identified with the goals of the oppressed community and seeking to interpret the divine character of their struggle for liberation."
It was through the establishment of invisible institutions, and the lens of Liberation Theology, that revolts, rebellions, insurrections, and escapes were planned. It was through the establishment of invisible institutions that survival tactics were forged and coping mechanisms shared to contend with the horrors of slavery. It was also through this establishment of invisible institutions that Black religious, cultural, civic, art, health, social, political, and economic institutions eventually formed away from white people for the purpose of Black solidarity and empowerment. Through each generation of Black people who experienced several generations of slavery in North America, one hundred years of American Apartheid [Segregation], and modern-day systemic racism, it was explicitly and implicitly understood that our liberation required/requires a sense of self-determination; to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves. When you take just a cursory glance at Black movements in America, be it religious, cultural, civic, art, health, social, political, or economic, you will see this common theme of self-determination running throughout each of them. Defining ourselves, naming ourselves, creating for ourselves, and speaking for ourselves away from white people. Invisible institutions were the soil where the seedlings of Black Liberation Theology were planted, and the flowers of self-determination grew.
When this country was founded, it was the intention of its forefathers to make Black people a permanent servant class based solely on our race. Considering enslaved people being restricted and violently punished for gathering outside of the white gaze of enslavers, Black institutions being historically harassed by white citizens, law enforcement and infiltrated by agent provocateurs to dismantle them, and groups of Black males being classified as gangs, Black self-determination has historically been viewed as dangerous, militant, and a threat to this country's national security. In fact, the intelligence program COINTELPRO was established to surveil, discredit, and disrupt Black groups perceived to be anti-government. Because of this history in America where Black leaders within religious, cultural, civic, art, health, social, political, or economic movements have been openly targeted, demonized, ridiculed, attacked, incarcerated, and murdered for advocating these 'invisible institutions', many Black people today are afraid to follow in our predecessors' footsteps or chart our own course of Black self-determination. Along with that fear, often exists the presence of mistrust. A mistrust and lack of confidence in each other to work it out, and a childlike dependency on others to be present and paternalistically help us, help ourselves. As I shared above, enslaved people were restricted and violently punished for gathering outside of the white gaze of enslavers. This often created a trauma bond with enslavers where enslaved people would form a deep emotional attachment to them, similar to what we see among victims of human trafficking. This attachment between enslavers and the enslaved reinforced a White supremacist and Black inferiority Parent-Child power dynamic. Many enslaved people, formally enslaved people, and we as PTSD descendants of enslaved people, struggled and still struggle with self-determination and having a sense of independence. Because of our historical proximity to white authority parental-like figures, some of us Black folks either fear or mistrust our solidarity and have no confidence in our ability to do things by ourselves. Therefore, some of us Black folks can only see ourselves under the parental authority of white people taking up our space. This is the mental block of having an inferior complex and what Bob Marley meant when he sang, "emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds" in Redemption Song.
Holding space for someone is the practice of making space for somebody else's experiences and centering them. "Black" summits, conferences, retreats and etc. means to make space for Black people's experiences and centering our voices in those spaces. If there is a Women's Summit, it should hold space for and center the experiences and voices of women. As a man, it is not my place to take up space there or to tell women what they should or should not be doing as women. The same can be said for Jewish, Chinese, Muslim, or even Autoworkers summits, conferences, retreats and etc.; it is not the place for non-Jewish, non-Chinese, non-Muslim, or non-Autoworkers to take up space and inform these community members what they should or should not be doing.
When speaking about Women, Jewish, Chinese, Muslim, or even Autoworkers group gatherings, it seems easy to understand how intrusive, inconsiderate, and inappropriate it would be for a non-group member to center themselves in these spaces. When it comes to Black group gatherings, non-group members, and even some Black people, often see nothing wrong with centering non-group members in Black spaces. This "others have to be here" mentality that some of us Black folks have can be traced back to slavery, where we were forbidden to meet without the presence of the enslaver. This mentality bred the presence of generational mistrust that I sometimes find myself confronting, and the lack of confidence in us as Black people to work it out by ourselves.
We have never seen Black self-determination or autonomy exist where non-Black people maintain a parental relationship and control the economy, institutions, and resources of Black people. We have never seen Indigenous self-determination or autonomy exist where non-Indigenous people maintain a parental relationship and control the economy, institutions, and resources of Indigenous people. We also see that Palestinian self-determination or autonomy cannot exist where non-Palestinian people maintain a parental relationship and control the economy, institutions, and resources of the Palestinian people. All of these Parent-Child power dynamics are not equitable, and we cannot be independent as a dependent.
The historical and modern-day role of invisible institutions set the foundation of self-determination and the ability to hold space for people. All groups of people need access to these spaces, including Black people. It is also important to understand that if we are not a part of a group, we can still show up for and support other people in many ways without making it about ourselves. We can help others find their way, without getting in their way. I've always been an advocate for woman-centered initiatives without taking up space as a man. I've quietly sponsored programs and projects and asked not to be included in the publicity that would take away from the visibility of others. I've also declined financial opportunities to recommend and hold space for others who need to be centered. In the true spirit of equity, I understand that some things are simply not about me, it is not my place to take up space, and that is alright. The more we understand that, the more we can truly support one another. When it is about Black people or any other group that I am a member of, it is equally alright to hold space for and center our experiences and voices. And as Black folks, we must courageous enough to do this without fear, mistrust, an apology, or an explanation, just like other groups of people have historically done and will continue to do.
Peace,
Saladin
