ASHE...

ASHE!

ASHE?

Pronounced 'ah-shay' and, at times, spelled AJE, ACHE, or even AXE, this Yoruba term embodies electricity. ASHE characterizes a spiritual essence, I suppose.

Quite ethereal, I know.

Many interpret ASHE to mean voodoo or, if you're from the islands, obeah. Others use the term to simply describe energy. Certainly, I'm not endorsing the practice of witchcraft, nor any spiritual journey absent of Jesus Christ. When I refer to ASHE here, I mean an epiphany. Just as mature Christians would have difficulty capturing the experience of being filled with the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues, so it is with ASHE. One is rendered speechless.

This Black History Month, I'm stoked and privileged to help produce a theatrical event called ASHE: Voices of the Pan-African Literary Diaspora. Bibliophiles will gather in honor of Black literary giants. Performers will recite pieces by Zora Neale Hurston, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, August Wilson, Amiri Baraka and others. Dancers will leap and prance to Black rhetoric. Steppers will rattle the stage and strut to oft-celebrated Black poems

We, Africans.

We, Afro-Caribbeans.

We, Afro-Hispanics.

We, African-Americans.

We all will grant homage to the likes of Afro-Cuban poet, Nicolas Guillen; South African sage, Alan Paton; Bajan novelist, Paule Marshalle and even Jamaican scribe, Claude McKay.

We recognize their vastly different realities, yet cherish their one commonality: stories.

Stories...manuscripts that echo the richness of the Pan-African Diaspora. Oh, and it's a fab time to revere the diaspora, since the world is cheering for America's first Black president while simultaneously cry with our suffering Caribbean kindred in Haiti. Truly, the former's slogan-Yes, we can!-is apt to boost the latter's spirits.

This Black History Month, let's applaud all Black advancements, big or small. Every step is reason enough for riotous jubilee. At the typing of this column, Blacks are breaking records at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Blacks "got it goin' on," like renowned Miami-based radio and TV personality, Bo Griffin, who succumbed to cancer just a few days ago, said.

Many are questioning whether Black History Month is still relevant in today's globalized, multicultural, hodge-podge society. To that, I say that this season will never grow stale. The strains of yesterday are inextricably linked to the liberties of today. And while we no longer live in the highly-charged, hyper-polarized segregated era that our parents and grandparents recall, we cannot become cozy. Racism is no longer the root of our problems, but, certainly, we still face disadvantages. My hope is that Blacks will always set aside a time of reflection and festivities.

The celebration, however, should start inwardly. Why not learn facts about little-known Black heroes, or dive into a Black literary classic, or cook an African recipe, or attend a free event sponsored by your local civic hall? Whatever your route, simply strive to be intentional and sincere when celebrating Black History Month this year.