Connecting with our Ancestral Lineages, a series curated by Beya Jiménez, aims to explore our diasporic traditions through community and food. For this special edition, we have partnered with Ifé Franklin, an artist and ceremonialist, to bring the Hush Harbor Processional.

What is a hush harbor?

Hush harbors were secret, secluded places where enslaved African Americans gathered to practice their religious traditions and find solace, often in the woods or other hidden areas, away from the watchful eyes of their enslavers.

Gathering at the Dorchester North Burying Grounds, we will begin by honoring the lives of Betty, Bristol & Cambridge, enslaved ancestors who rest here from the 18th century. This memorial service will offer all of us an opportunity to be in reflection and to call in our ancestors and their stories to life. We will offer songs, poems, and be in community with one another. We will bring the sacredness of ceremony to our gathering. We ask that all attendees wear all-white attire and avoid dark clothing.

NOTE: I will be offering a prayer and sound healing in honor of the ancestors. Eroc Arroyo-Monana will offer a poem, alongside his daughter, Nia.

Meet-up Point: Strand Theatre (543 Columbia Rd., Boston, MA)

For the first part of our processional, we will be walking from the Strand Theatre (543 Columbia Rd.) to the Dorchester North Burying Grounds (585 Columbia Rd.). This is about an 8-10-minute walk.

Following the Hush Harbor processional, we will meet at Comfort Kitchen for a special reception.

About the Connecting with our Ancestral Lineages series:

Across cultures, there are ancestral practices that many of us are longing to reconnect with. Whether rituals, medicines, dances, prayers, or songs, these practices have survived through generations and are a gift to diaspora descendants who are hungry for their sovereignty. This series aims to explore these various technologies by collaborating with local artists and ceremonialists while gathering in community to exchange ideas, remember our histories, explore food traditions, and celebrate the beauty of our diasporic cultures.

Register here, for free