Finding the power within to heal

By | Last updated: Feb 2, 2012 - 12:51:12 PM

Sister Ava Muhammad

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (FinalCall.com) - Looks of anticipation, wonder and awe filled the sanctuary of Mercy Memorial Baptist Church as Student Minister Ava spoke to over 100 women on “The Power Within to Heal: Healing the Wounds of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse.”

On an overcast December evening, Black women came from across the city for a panel discussion which featured Antonia Vann, CEO of ASHA Family Services; Dr. Patricia McManus of the Black Health Coalition; Zakiya Courtney of the Ausar Auset Society; Dr. Khyana Pumphrey, and Sister Deniel Muhammad of the Nation of Islam. The event was a joint collaboration and part of Muhammad Mosque No. 3’s campaign to stop domestic violence and the abuse of women.

Panelists discussed abuse Black women face in Milwaukee and nationwide. There has been too much silence about the mishandling of Black women and their pain, said presenters.

Sister Ava, who was the main speaker for the evening, explained how people who operate from the lowest functions of the brain—seeking only to satisfy physiological urges such as eating, mating, or killing any perceived threat—are operating on a reptilian level.

The misuse of the Black woman has been swept under the rug in exchange for a “tough girl” facade, they noted. This evening an awful, painful silence grew into triumphant cries as women from different cultures and backgrounds started on the path to self-healing.

Due to the lack of love for self and extreme emotional and physical pain women have encountered, the issue has been taboo, said panelists. The misuse of the Black woman has been swept under the rug in exchange for a “tough girl” facade, they noted. This evening an awful, painful silence grew into triumphant cries as women from different cultures and backgrounds started on the path to self-healing. Women were able to take off the face of forced strength in exchange for the face of healing. The panelists shared information about resources available to women who wish to get out of abusive relationships and with places to go for psychological counseling. Other activity that evening included having the women get out of their seats and engage in physical activity to promote healing. Women got out of the church pews to learn relaxing African dance moves.

When Student Minister Ava took the rostrum to speak, she offered very precise instructions on how to stop domestic and sexual violence. She talked about the immeasurable value of the Black woman, and how women collectively should not tolerate anything but good treatment. The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches that it is within the nature of the Black woman to demand good treatment, she said. “The first thing God created after Himself was woman,” added Sis. Ava.

She addressed proper dress for women, saying as women dress modestly, they can help men come out of reptilian minds and into higher levels of thinking logic and reasoning. A man who operates on his lower level of thinking is like a snake, she said.

“Men are driven by sight (sexually). Women are driven by hearing and touch. But snakes don’t even have ears … they have something like an ear but it’s internal, but they detect motion,” she said. So wearing tight fitting jeans which show body parts and movement, brings out the reptilian mind, said Sis Ava. The audience of women laughed, acknowledging with levity this hard truth.

At the end of the night, Sister Ava opened the floor for questions. The hands of several women eagerly went up. A brief but extremely full question and answer session covered failing marriages and how women should interact with men who refuse respect to Black women.

After Sister Ava made her exit, a woman and her teenage daughter expressed their great delight with the program. The mother said as Minister Ava spoke, she cried reflecting on her experience growing up in a violent home. The evening helped her on her path to healing, said the woman. Her daughter never expected the program to have such an impact. The teen said she would share what she learned with friends who need such information. This event was a wonderful collaboration of the Nation of Islam, ASHA Family Services, and other community leaders, was able to reach women in need of healing—and maybe even save a life.

(Reported by Crystal Ayad Muhammad)

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