July 1 – 7 · A Sacred Celebration
Sacred Roots
FBA Lineage Week
A 7-day celebration honoring Foundational Black Americans - our heritage, our contributions, our resilience, and our future.
“Through all we've endured, we still stand.”
Our Identity
Who Are Foundational Black Americans?
Foundational Black Americans (FBA) are the proud descendants of the Black men and women who endured and survived one of the greatest atrocities in human history - American slavery. Our history did not begin in 1619. In 1526, the first enslaved Black people on American soil revolted against their Spanish captors and integrated with Native American societies - the first act of Black resistance in America. Through an extraordinary process of ethnogenesis, a new people and culture were forged - a distinct identity rooted in building, resilience, resistance, and an unwavering fight for justice. FBA is a lineage-based designation representing over 43 million descendants of the Freedmen who built this nation from the ground up.
July 1 – 7
The 7 Days of Sacred Roots
The Diamond Analogy
Pressure Makes Diamonds
Like diamonds forged under immense pressure deep within the earth, Foundational Black Americans have been shaped by forces that were meant to crush them. Many of our people were already here - on this very land - before the first ships arrived. Others were trafficked from Alkebulan. All endured centuries of enslavement, Jim Crow terror, and the destruction of thriving communities. All of this was pressure. And through it all, something brilliant emerged: a people of extraordinary strength, creativity, and resilience.
Spiritual Practice
Calling Back Our Power
Sacred Roots is grounded in spiritual practice - meditation, prayer, song, and gratitude. Throughout the week, we engage in sacred rituals that honor our ancestors and call back the energy and power that was taken. On Day 1, we wear all white as spiritual armor, standing in divine protection.
Through All We've Endured,
We Still Stand
Join the celebration. Honor our ancestors. Embrace our identity. Build our future together.