Every day I get the privilege to serve as an ancestral ambassador for my loving + wise + well ancestors.

They bless me with their love, presence, power, protection, wisdom, and life stories.

I receive them with gratitude and pour libations in their honor through my creativity.

I created this digital collage entitled “Pouring Libations to Great-Great-Grandmother Sarah Ann Montgomery Jones’ Lineage and Legacy.” It represents sacred generational wealth!!!

While reading her death certificate and other documents on ancestry.com, I learned that Great-Great-Grandmother Sarah was born the daughter of Mary Jane Collins Montgomery Washington and William John Montgomery on July 14, 1857, in Helena, Arkansas.

Her mother Mary Jane Collins Montgomery Washington was born the daughter of Lilly Webb (born in North Carolina) and Carter Collins (born in Alabama) on July 14, 1832, in Alabama. She died on January 1, 1912, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her father William John Montgomery (known by his middle name John) was born in Arkansas.

According to her obituary, she attended Freedman Schools in the south before earning a college degree in the north that prepared her for a teaching career. She taught school in Arkansas for several years.

She married my great-great-grandfather John Henry Jones (born in California in approximately 1830) between 1870 and 1872. They had eight daughters and three sons in Arkansas, Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. She made sure all of her children had an opportunity to get educated.

When he died at the age of 70 in 1900, she became a widow and began working as a laundress while raising her children in Louisville, Kentucky.

When she died of pneumonia at the age of 80 on February 18, 1933, in the home of her daughter Lillian Jones Brown, she had survived the death of her second husband Alendas Hoke in 1911 (approximately) and married her third husband Henry Hughes in 1928. She had been living in Indianapolis, Indiana for over 40 years and was active in her children’s lives and church community.

I included two photos of her and photos of her daughters Lillian Jones Brown (a wife, mother, drama school teacher, nonprofit founder and leader, and honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority), Lavinia Jones Toles (a wife, mother, and social worker), Jessie Jones Gentry (a wife and mother), Florida Jones Leeke (a wife, mother, social worker, school teacher, principal, and member, national officer of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, and my great-grandmother), Betty Jones (died as a girl), and Susan Jones (a writer and nurse) in the collage. I did not have photos of Edna (died at 19) and Sanoma Jones.

I placed photos of my grandaunt Lillian Jane Leeke Schell (a wife, mother, French teacher, and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority), the daughter of my great-grandmother Florida , and myself at the bottom of the collage.

I used my painting “One Drop of Black Blood #2” as the background for the collage.

I am super happy that I completed the Februllage challenge a few days early. This creative journey helped me establish a weekly and sometimes daily art-making practice. It helped me practice digital mindfulness and self-care, reduce stress and anxiety, and experience joy and gratitude.

One of the biggest takeaways is that I learned how to make digital collages for FUN without judging myself. I also expanded my knowledge of Canva.

Most of the digital collages I made during the challenge have honored my loving + wise + well ancestors and living family members. I am including some in my new Ancestral Medicine Collection.

Last, the Februllage Day 28 prompt, made me think about the last children born in families, including my grandaunt Nancy Catherine Gartin Cobb (ancestor; my grandfather Robert’s baby sister), aunt Veronica Ann (“Ronnie”) Gartin Montgomery (ancestor; my mother Theresa’s baby sister), and first cousin Gail Lynne Gartin (my uncle Bob’s baby daughter). Each of them are the last daughters in their families. I created a digital collage to celebrate them. It is called “The Last Gartin Daughters: Nancy Catherine, Veronica Ann & Gail Lynne.”

I selected a vintage background and rose and changed some of the filters on the photos I included. The rose represents love and beauty. All of the Gartin daughters are beautiful and have been loved by their families in different ways.

Seven Ghanaian Adinkra symbols were added to the collage. See the list below.

1. Akoma means “heart” and symbolizes love, goodwill, patience, faithfulness, fondness, endurance, and consistency.
2. Ananse Ntontan means “spider’s web” and represents creativity and wisdom.
3. Duafe means ‘wooden comb” and  represents beauty, femininity, and cleanliness.
4. Gye Nyame means “except God” and represents Creator’s omnipotence and supremacy.
5. Odo Nnyew Fie Kwan means “love does not lose its way home” and represents the power of love.
6. Sankofa means “go back and get it” and represents the wisdom of learning from the past so you can build for the future.
7. Osram ne Nsoromma means “moon and star” and represents faith, love, harmony, and femininity.

I’ve always wanted to know more about my great grandfather John William Johnson’s sisters, Mayme and Carrie. To date, I have only one photo of my great-grandaunt Mayme Johnson Mitchell Joyner Jeffries and some basic life facts from Ancestry.com. The photo I have of Aunt Mayme was taken when she was a young woman. Her beautiful eyes and stylish hat and clothing are filled with stories. That’s what makes her so mysterious to me.

Here’s what I know about Aunt Mayme. She was born on January 11, 1893, in Indiana to Mary Elizabeth Litsey Johnson and William Ernest Johnson. She was their fifth child and had one sister and five brothers. She grew up in North Vernon, Indiana, was able to read and write, and worked as a maid when she was a 17 years old. I think she attended elementary and junior high school. I think she may have attended high school too. Aunt Mayme married three times. TO my knowledge, she didn’t have any children. She made her transition on February 18, 1952, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Februllage Day #27 prompt is lace. I imagine wearing lace clothing might have been one of Aunt Mayme’s favorite things during the 1900s and 1910s. That’s why I named it “The Mystery of A Young Lady’s Lace Moments.” I used a lace graphic from Canva and included five copies of Aunt Mayme’s photo. I changed the filter on the photos to create five different photos.

Today, grief woke me up and left me hugging myself as I felt the physical absence of missing my mom Theresa. Mommy ascended to ancestorhood two years and seven months ago. Although I talk to her spirit and feel her love and presence each day, I still miss not being able to call and spend time with her. I miss our conversations, lunches, shopping trips, going to the movies, organizing her closets, travel adventures, and so much more.

I used my grief to make a digital collage entitled “A Daughter’s Grief X-Ray.” It expresses my interpretation of x-ray, the Februllage Day #26 prompt. I found an x-ray graphic on Canva and created a blue background. I added a photo of my mom and I posing together with our Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority hand symbol during my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary in 1986 and placed it in my heart to remind myself that she is always with me. Four of my favorite photos of us are added at the bottom of the collage.

If you are experiencing grief and need a moment to ground yourself with stillness and comfort, click the video and listen to my spoken word song, “G.R.I.E.F.” that is featured on my debut album, Thriving Mindfully As Theresa’s Daughter.

Check out my Februllage collages below.

Februllage Day #21 (Prompt: SOAP)

Cleaning is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about SOAP, the Februllage Day #21. My digital collage is entitled “Ms. Clean.” I started with a photo I took last year as I cleaned my kitchen and added graphics that illustrate my cleaning routine. I placed a duafe, the Ghanaian Adinkra symbol that represents cleanliness, on my yellow glove.

Februllage Day #22 (Prompt: PINK)

The color pink makes me think of breast cancer and my two grandmothers, Dorothy Mae Johnson Gartin (Nanan) and Frederica Stanley Roberts Leeke (Grandmommy), who lived with breast cancer. I created two collages to honor Nanan and Grandmommy. They are entitled “Dorothy Mae’s Pink Roses and Ribbons” (see collage above) and “Freddie’s Pink Ribbon Journey” (see collage below).

I used Canva to create an AI-generated background of pink roses, one of Nanan’s favorite flowers. She gave my mom Theresa some of her pink rose bush to replant in the yard of our home in Landover, Maryland. Breast cancer awareness ribbons are also included with photos of my grandmothers. The first collage features Nanan. The second collage features Grandmommy.

Februllage Day #23 (Prompt: TEETH)

Teeth, the February Day #23 prompt, made me think of the way Black women smile when they feel joy. “Aunt Paul’s Smile of Joy” is the name of my collage.

I decided to use a 1940s photo of my grandaunt Paulyne Roberts smiling. Aunt Paul was a second grandmother to me. Everytime I see her photo, I think her smile is filled with Black woman joy.

I added two yellow Ghanaian Adinkra symbols called Gye W’ani to her clothing. They represent joy of living. Yellow is known as the color of joy.

An affirmation about choosing joy on a daily basis was included to remind me to claim and experience my birthright of joy. I used Canva to create an AI-generated background of a morning rainbow horizon filled with sunshine to mark the beginning of a joyful day.

Februllage Day #24 (Prompt: TITANIC)

To be honest, Titanic, the Februllage Day #24 prompt, didn’t resonate with me. After I looked up some information about the British luxury passenger liner that sank in April 1912, I realized my grandmother Dorothy Mae Johnson Gartin (Nanan) was born the same year. I chose to celebrate her birth year in my digital collage entitled “1912: The Beginning of Dorothy Mae, God’s Child.”

I started the collage with two baby photos of Nanan and used Canva’s “luna” filter to change the look of the larger photo. I used blue numbers to create 1912. Blue Nsoromma Adinkra symbols are included to affirm Creator’s love and protection of babies. Nsoromma means “child of the heavens.”

Februllage Day #25 (Prompt: WITCH)

Februllage Day #25 (Prompt: WITCH)

Witch is the prompt for Februllage Day #25. I believe witch is another word for healer. I also believe many of my ancestors were African and indigenous healers or the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of healers. As a result, they guide me in my journey and healing arts work.

My collage is entitled “Womanline Healers.” It celebrates three generations of unique healers, including my great-great-grandmother Francis (Fannie) Daniel Thomas who shared her gifts as a midwife; my grandaunt Paulyne Roberts who served as a nurse at Freedman’s Hospital in Washington, D.C.; and me playing sound healing bowls. I placed an Aya Ghanaian Adinkra symbol on my great-great-grandmother Fannie’s chest. It represents healing.

I used my painting “Love’s Mentalism” as a background because it features the seven chakras (the body’s energy centers).

While I was writing my debut novel, Loves Troubadours – Karma: Book One, I created a painting entitled “Love’s Troubadours” that celebrates the TRUTH I expressed in the lives of my characters: Black folks ain’t monolithic.

I wrote a longer statement on the painting.

“Black folks ain’t monolithic. No folks are. You dig! When Deno and I started writing the novel, we wanted to show the depth and breath of Black folks loving themselves and each other in and out of life’s joys and pains… in and out of our identities… gender… class… religions… ages. We wanted to tell the truth that Black folks are love’s troubadours.”

During that time, my mom Theresa told me stories about my grandaunt Odessa Mae Gartin Anderson and granduncle Joseph (“Joe”) Henry Gartin. They were the children of my great grandparents, Frank Louis Gartin and Ida Mae Farmer Gartin, and the siblings of my grandfather Robert Warren Gartin, Sr.

Mommy told me Aunt Odessa and Uncle Joe were both gay and lived in a Black gay community in Dayton, Ohio, in the 1940s and 1950s. She was close to Uncle Joe who encouraged her to learn and play classical music on the piano. He was one of her favorite uncles.

Ever since I learned about them, I have felt their ancestral love and presence. Aunt Odessa and Uncle Joe are two of the reasons I included Black gay and lesbian characters in my novel, Love’s Troubadours. I wanted to honor them by imagining and celebrating how they might have lived and loved in a society that was more open and accepting of their sexual orientation.

When I think about family, the Februllage Day 20 prompt, the family members that may not be discussed or celebrated because they lived lives outside of what society deemed acceptable come to mind. Every time, I look at Aunt Odessa and Uncle Joe’s photos, I see two brave human beings who did the best they could with what they had while they walked Mother Earth. They deserve to be discussed and celebrated because I believe they loved themselves enough to try and live their truth by moving to Dayton. I decided to use my Februllage Day 20 digital collage entitled “Aunt Odessa and Uncle Joe, Two of Love’s Troubadours” to celebrate them. They remind me to love myself enough to live my truth.

I started the collage with a brown background and several black Ghanaian Adinkra symbols. My “Love’s Troubadours” painting was placed on top of the Adinkra symbols. Black and white photos of Aunt Odessa and Uncle Joe were also included.

YOUR INVITATION

As you reflect on the question below, click on the video and listen to my song, “Ancestral Medicine” that is featured on my debut album, Thriving Mindfully As Theresa’s Daughter.

Think about your loving + wise + well ancestors who are not discussed and celebrated by your family. What can you learn from them?

Recently, several people asked me why I’m making digital collages. I told them making collages that celebrate my ancestors, life, dreams, and passion for Afro Brazilian spirituality, art, culture, food, music, and history is one of the ways I practice mindfulness and self-care during these changing times. It helps me release stress and tap into the love, presence, power, wisdom, and protection of my loving + wise + well ancestors. Also, I get to learn more about them. It’s also fun to create and brings me lots of joy.

HOW ARE YOU TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF DURING THESE CHANGING TIMES?

ABOUT FEBRULLAGE DAY #19 COLLAGE

Pigeon is the Februllage Day 19 prompt. This prompt caused me to do some research on the spiritual significance of pigeons. I learned that a white pigeon is a sacred bird called eyele funfun and associated with peace, purification, and Oxalá in Candomblé, the Afro-Brazilian religion. Oxala (Obatala) is the Orisha (deity) of creation, light, and wisdom and connected to the color white and number eight.

“Remembering Oxala’s Sacredness in the World” is the name of the collage.

I used Canva to create the light grey background of the digital collage with cowrie and other sea shell. Cowrie shells are called búzios in Candomble. They are used for divination. I added eight white pigeons to honor Oxala.

Heart is the prompt for Februllage Day #14. My collage is entitled ” The Heart of Father + Daughter Love.” It celebrates the love shared by my grandfather, Robert Warren Gartin, Sr. and my mother, Theresa B. Gartin Leeke.

I used a photo from my mother Theresa’s wedding day on November 25, 1961, at St. Rita Catholic Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. The photo features my mother and grandfather walking down the aisle to meet my father, John F. Leeke at the altar.

St. Rita Catholic Church was established in 1919 as the first African-American parish in Indianapolis. It was her family’s parish. She and her siblings attended elementary school at St. Rita Catholic School. When she was in junior and senior high school, she served as a pianist and organist at the church.

I used Canva to change the background of the photo to an AI-generated blue pattern. Gold Ghanaian Adinkra symbols that represent love were added to my mother’s dress and the blue background: Akoma, Odo Nnyew Fie Kwan, and Akoma Ntoso. The name and meaning for each symbol is contained below.

The colors blue and gold pay homage to my mother’s love for and membership in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., an African American sorority established by seven educators on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana. My mother joined the Alpha Chapter at Butler in 1959. I joined the Beta Tau Chapter at Morgan State University in Baltimore in 1983.

YOUR INVITATION

Click on the video below and listen to my song, “Ancestral Medicine” that is featured on my debut album, Thriving Mindfully As Theresa’s Daughter as you reflect on the question below.

1) What ancestral relationships remind you of the love shared by a father and daughter?