Welcome to February, my friends!
This month is pretty special to me because it mark’s the 100th anniversary of Black History Month (which is celebrated every day of every year).
That’s right Dr. Carter G. Woodson, an African American history scholar, established Black History Month as a celebration of African American life, History, and culture in February 1926. Scroll down to learn how I am using Februllage, an annual collage challenge to celebrate my ancestors during Black History Month.
How is your February going?
My February is best described by three words: SLOW, STILL, and LISTEN.
I am going SLOW as I start my days by intentionally checking in with myself. I use mindfulness (a birthright we all share) to get grounded with my self-care practices of meditation, prayer, affirmations, reiki, yoga, and/or journaling.
Going SLOW helps me lay the foundation for getting STILL a few moments during my morning, afternoon, and evening to reset and stay aware of what is happening inside and outside of me.
Taking time to go SLOW and be STILL opens my entire being to LISTEN to the wisdom that Creator and my loving + well + wise ancestors have planted in my spirit, heart, mind, body, and life.
Going SLOW, being STILL, and taking time to LISTEN to the wisdom inside has helped me honor, appreciate, and deepen my connection to and daily conversation with Creator and my ancestors, including my mom Theresa.
The time I spend with them helps me tap into their legacy of resilience. I claim and call it my ancestral legacy of resilience. Ancestral legacy of resilience is the strength of the people in our family, community, and culture who overcame adversity, faced challenges, and navigated change. They are our sheroes, heroes, and theyroes.
My ancestral connections and legacy of resilience are helping me take better care of myself and navigate the changes that are happening in America. They increase my confidence and trust in myself because I know that I know that I know I am guided, protected, and provided for by Creator and a cadre of ancestors.
Their presence reminds me to give myself more grace, release the judgments from my inner critic, face some areas of my life I have felt stuck in or shamed about, ask for help, and improve the way I manage my home and financial well-being with support from my financial advisor.
One of the most surprising parts of this experience is how inspired and energized I have been to write and create without censorship. My creativity is beautifully and joyfully SLOW. It is born when I am STILL and LISTEN to my inner wisdom. It is showing up as a new collection of digital collages called Ancestral Medicine. They represent the visual manifestation of my spoken word songs, “Ancestral Medicine” and “Theresa’s Daughter” that are featured on my debut album, Thriving Mindfully As Theresa’s Daughter. Click the buttons below to listen to both songs as you check out my digital collages below.
ANCESTRAL MEDICINE COLLECTION OF DIGITAL COLLAGES
I started creating these digital collages in January and decided to participate in Februllage, a collaboration between Edinburgh Collage Collective and the Scandinavian Collage Museum that invites collage artists to make a ‘collage a day’ throughout February using the OFFICAL WORD PROMPT CALENDAR. Read more here (based on Instagram).
I am using Februllage to create collages that honor my ancestors of African descent and the 100th anniversary of Black History Month.
Special thanks to my soul sistalove and godmother Toni for encouraging me to participate in the challenge.
I am posting my collages on Substack, LinkedIn, and Bluesky (since I stopped using Instagram last year). In a few days, I’ll start posting them on my blog.
Collage #1: Mothers and Daughters of My Rickman, Goins, Bolden, Johnson, and Gartin Womanline
This collage honors five generations of my womanline on my mother Theresa’s side. They include photos of my great-great grandmother Ida Mae Goins Bolden, great grandmother Iona Hazel Bolden Johnson King, grandmother Dorothy Mae Johnson Gartin, mother Theresa B. Gartin Leeke, and me.
It includes the Ghanaian Adinkra Fafanto symbol (resembles a butterfly) that represents gentleness, tenderness, vulnerability, fragility, and the delicate nature of life. It reminds people to take great care of themselves, especially when they experience change. I am using it to honor the importance and the fragile nature of the mother-daughter relationship. I also want to remind women of African descent to mother themselves with love and great care, especially when they feel vulnerable.
Collage #2: Polly Mary Rickman Goins’ Daughter – Ida Mae Goins Bolden
This collage honors my great-great grandmother Ida Mae Goins Bolden as Polly Mary Rickman Goins’ daughter. It includes two Ghanaian Adinkra symbols: 1) Obaatan Awaamu represents a mother’s love, care, protection, and selfless devotion and 2) Fafanto (resembles a butterfly) represents gentleness, tenderness, vulnerability, fragility, and the delicate nature of life. It reminds people to take great care of themselves, especially when they experience change. I am using these symbols to honor the importance and fragile nature of the mother-daughter relationship. I also want to remind women of African descent to mother themselves with love and great care, especially when they feel vulnerable.
Collage #3: Ida Mae Goins Bolden’s Daughter – Iona Hazel Bolden Johnson King
This collage celebrates my great grandmother Iona Hazel Bolden Johnson King as the daughter of Ida Mae Goins Bolden. It includes two Ghanaian Adinkra symbols: 1) Obaatan Awaamu represents a mother’s love, care, protection, and selfless devotion and 2) Fafanto (resembles a butterfly) represents gentleness, tenderness, vulnerability, fragility, and the delicate nature of life. It reminds people to take great care of themselves, especially when they experience change. I am using these symbols to honor the importance and fragile nature of the mother-daughter relationship. I also want to remind women of African descent to mother themselves with love and great care, especially when they feel vulnerable.
Collage #4: Iona Hazel Bolden Johnson King’s Daughter – Dorothy Mae Johnson Gartin
This collage celebrates my grandmother Dorothy Mae Johnson Gartin as Iona Hazel Bolden Johnson King’s daughter. It includes two Ghanaian Adinkra symbols: 1) Obaatan Awaamu represents a mother’s love, care, protection, and selfless devotion and 2) Fafanto (resembles a butterfly) represents gentleness, tenderness, vulnerability, fragility, and the delicate nature of life. It reminds people to take great care of themselves, especially when they experience change. I am using these symbols to honor the importance and fragile nature of the mother-daughter relationship. I also want to remind women of African descent to mother themselves with love and great care, especially when they feel vulnerable.
Collage #5: Dorothy Mae Johnson Gartin’s Daughter – Theresa B. Gartin Leeke
This collage celebrates my mother Theresa B. Gartin Leeke as Dorothy Mae Johnson Gartin’s daughter. It includes two Ghanaian Adinkra symbols: 1) Obaatan Awaamu represents a mother’s love, care, protection, and selfless devotion and 2) Fafanto (resembles a butterfly) represents gentleness, tenderness, vulnerability, fragility, and the delicate nature of life. It reminds people to take great care of themselves, especially when they experience change. I am using these symbols to honor the importance and fragile nature of the mother-daughter relationship. I also want to remind women of African descent to mother themselves with love and great care, especially when they feel vulnerable.
Collage #6: Theresa B. Gartin Leeke’s Daughter – Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Cheryl Leeke
This collage celebrates the relationship I have with my mother and ancestor, Theresa B. Gartin Leeke. It includes two Ghanaian Adinkra symbols: 1) Obaatan Awaamu represents a mother’s love, care, protection, and selfless devotion and 2) Fafanto (resembles a butterfly) represents gentleness, tenderness, vulnerability, fragility, and the delicate nature of life. It reminds people to take great care of themselves, especially when they experience change. I am using these symbols to honor the importance and fragile nature of the mother-daughter relationship. I also want to remind women of African descent to mother themselves with love and great care, especially when they feel vulnerable.
FEBRULLAGE COLLAGES
Day #1 Prompt: BOOM
My “Ancestral Boom” collage celebrates what the ancestral boom sounds and looks like in my life. It features Ghanaian Adinkra symbols, black and white family photos of ancestors on my mom Theresa’s side, and photos of two dancers from Balé Folclórico da Bahia’s performance honoring Iemanja (Yemanya), the Afro Brazilian Candomble Oxisa (orisha) that governs the sea and motherhood, and Oxum (Oshun, the Afro Brazilian Oxisa that governs sweet waters, love, and beauty.
It also features a photo of the Iemanja sculpture in Rio Vermelho, my favorite neighborhood in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. Here’s a fun fact: the woman playing the piano is my mom Theresa when she was a young girl.
Day #2 Prompt: TOAST
My “Iemanja’s Toast to Mommy” collage is a toast to the love, friendship, and ancestral connection I share with my mom Theresa B. Gartin Leeke. It includes my drawing of Iemanja (Yemanya), the Afro Brazilian Candomble Orixa (Orisha) that governs the sea and motherhood, and photos from my graduation ball at Howard University School of Law and 2025 trip to Salvador da Bahia, Brasil.
Day #3 Prompt: BALLET
My “Bale de Iemanja e Oxum” (Ballet of Yemanya and Oshun) celebrates my connection Iemanja (Yemanya) and Oxum (Oshun), Afro Brazilian Candomble Oxisas (Orishas) that embody aspects of water and feminine power.
Oxum is the orixa of sweet waters, love, beauty, and fertility. She is often associated with the colors gold and yellow.
Iemanja is the oxisa of the sea, motherhood, and family. She is often represented by the colors blue and white. They guided my womanline ancestors and introduced themselves to me in my creativity (poetry, creative writing, and wire sculptures) in 1992.
In 2023 and 2025, I traveled to Salvador da Bahia, Brasil to celebrate Festa de Iemanjá (Yemanya’s Festival on February 2) with Ronnell Perry’s AfroBuenaventura Transformative Travel experience called Ancestral Spirits. During both trips, I went to see Balé Folclórico da Bahia‘s performances which celebrates the Orixas. The Portuguese word Balé means ballet.
I took several photos of the dancers that portrayed Iemanjá and Oxum. I added their photos to the collage below. I also included a photo of an Afro Brazilian woman who was standing near me on the beach during Festa de Iemanjá in Salvador last year.
Day #4 Prompt: BROCCOLI
My “Grandma Ida Mae Farmer Gartin, My Wellness Shero” collage celebrates my great grandmother’s commitment to eating healthy which was rooted in her spiritual life as a 7th Day Adventist in Indianapolis, Indiana. Great Grandmother Ida Mae is one of my wellness sheroes. She reminds me to live a healthy life by taking care of my body with healthy food and regular exercise.
Ananda Leeke 