![\"Commentary\"](\"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/commentary2.jpg\")
I remember being a 13-year old acolyte. Only a few weeks earlier I was confirmed and was now being asked to teach catechism. I refused because within my soul things were not at peace and it appeared that everyone around me was being blindly led. I had questions that no one would answer, and through my 13-year-old eyes, it seemed like no one was interested in helping me discover the answers.<\/p>\n
Who am I? What does it mean to be Black, and poor? And why are all the priests White, and Jesus and the Saints and everything associated with goodness? Where were the successful Blacks in history?<\/p>\n
As a young teenager, I felt confused and frustrated. This curiosity led me to discover Rastafari and the Rastafarian Movement. I spent hours reading and speaking with elders like the late Mr. Blow and bredren Ras Julie. During this formative period of my life, I am very fortunate to have been nurtured by Rastafari. I learned about my Blackness, to truly love myself for who I am. Instead of European history, I learned about our Black history and about successful Black leaders. I learned to value myself as a woman. I learned to value the earth, to value health through how I eat. I learned to value community, especially those who were less fortunate than me.<\/p>\n
Too often, this subset of our population is under appreciated and under recognized. Or simply, just misunderstood. When I refer to Rastafarianism, I am not referring to young idle men with dreads smoking marijuana or involved in drug trafficking that is often the image of this Movement because there is indeed a difference.<\/p>\n
The Movement, born in Jamaica in the 1930s is built on love, on the reverence of God, on humility, on the importance of knowing our identity as the Black race and on community. There is a strong emphasis on a simple holistic approach to life especially with regards to the way we eat to prevent illness thereby promoting longevity. Additionally, there is great respect for the earth, with a goal to protect our natural habitat.<\/p>\n
Now, almost 20 years later, I am an emergency medicine physician who has committed my career to serving the poor. I travel the world and meet with people from different cultures, races, religions, socioeconomic statuses. Sitting and reflecting on where I came from and where I am today I realize that some of the most powerful influences in my life were the values I learnt as a Rastafarian youth.<\/p>\n
Influences that continue to shape me and the work that I do. At a time when it seems like many of our young people are wandering without direction, I am writing to say let us not underestimate the teaching of Rastafari. The teachings of deep values on which this community is built and the far-reaching impact it may have on the youth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I remember being a 13-year old acolyte. Only a few weeks earlier I was confirmed and was now being asked to teach catechism. I refused because within my soul things were not at peace and it appeared that everyone around…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":39536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-170299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n