Witchcraft? Wizardry? No, these badass women lived in an era where Black people needed a sense of safety, and these women stepped up and showed out.
#1: Marie Laveau. In the 1800s, New Orleans city officials called the Vodou community an unlawful assembly of color. But that didn’t stop Lavaeau. She used her home as a temple for special ceremonies, and was revered for the spiritual services she rendered for more than 50 years. Today, people still leave offerings at her tomb, asking for blessings.
#2: Aunt Caroline Dye. A seer since childhood, Dye never publicly claimed to be able to predict the future, but across late-19th-century Arkansas, people believed she had second sight. Blues pioneer W.C. Handy dedicated many songs to Dye and her work.
#3: Mother Catherine Seals. After a spirit visited Seals in the early 1900s and told her to create and heal her own organization of “sinners,” she built a spiritual temple in New Orleans. It was purposely built in a marshy area that was difficult to reach, and offered the members some protection.
Racism and white supremacy are all too real, but when we unify and protect one another, we can reach liberation at supernatural speeds.