Welcome to Black Girl Burnout.

Kelly here.

Today we are going to talk about opting into the lessons of our ancestors.

It is Black History Month,

and it's time to kind of think about one beyond the fact that it's just a month and all those things that are kind of irrelevant. It is a time of reflection, even if Black History Month

should be every day. It's a moment for us to

think about culture and what that means for us and what we can learn from our culture. And no matter

who you are as a black woman in the diaspora, we all have a connection to Africa. We all have a

connection to that continent in varying degrees, but we do.

And so this episode is all about a celebration of African culture, but even beyond that,

it is about what can we learn from African culture that is kind of a roadmap for us

in opting out of struggle and opting into our inheritance.

And how can we go back to our inheritance?

I will say that I am still woefully undereducated about Africa.

We as black people who are not in Africa have been stripped of our history,

of identity from there, just understanding the nuance of Africa. And even if as I studied it and

have studied it, it's still something that I need to learn more about. But here's what I do

know, despite the fact that there is a complex and devastating aspect to the history of Africa,

especially through the lens of colonialism and imperialism and the absolute taking advantage of a beautiful continent,

there are still things to learn. And particularly when I say learn, I think about the things that

give us joy, music, art, dance. When I look at our ancestors and I look at the things

that have come out and still exist, let me be very clear. Africa is still this thriving,

...