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It is May 18th. We're at Africa on the Avenue. My name is Daiki Tsumagari, I'm with the Humanities Truck. Could you please tell me your name and where you are from? My name is Sierra Fantroy and I am from Washington, DC, born and raised. And what would you say your relationship to Africa is? Well, being as though I'm from, uh, Washington, D.C., and, um, I am of African American descent–well, African descent. I'm African American by way of, uh, my ancestors being kidnapped from Africa. I don't know what part of Africa, because unfortunately, all of that has been lost in translation. Um, so my connection to Africa would be that of someone who is colonized, um, not just my ancestors being colonized, but I currently am feeling as if I'm colonized because I have, um, no sense of my African roots, my African culture, any African language or religion or any of that has been lost, um, due to slavery and colonization from European powers. So my connection to Africa would be a connection that I know has been broken, but, um, I still know it's there, obviously, because I'm a Black woman. Um, and I wish it was more stronger.

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Do you think you have any relationship, interactions with African culture and community as far as the diaspora in DC? So African immigrants in DC, uh, like the cultural elements like restaurants and food and cuisine, things like that? It's so interesting that you asked that, because I actually just got in touch with the diaspora in DC. Um, me and my family decided that we would start celebrating Kwanzaa instead of Christmas because we're not Christian. And, you know, any remnants of Christianity was taught to us or our family from when we were enslaved, and we didn't want to bring that into our family. And so we've been celebrating Kwanzaa. And during our celebration of Kwanzaa, we went to various different, uh, events, um, at Busboys and Poets, we went to different community events, churches that, uh, that wasn't just about the actual event. It's more so connecting with the diaspora and with like minded people who, um, do realize that we are colonized and that we aren't really free. Um, do realize that we kind of have—we kind of are second class citizens in this country and want better for our people. So that's my connection with the diaspora. Uh, when I celebrate Kwanzaa, I feel more connected with my ancestors. There are different rituals that that we perform. Uh, libation is one of them to to stay connected with our ancestors. And also, um, just the feeling of community that I really never felt before, even with my own family. Um, and so another way I want to stay connected is I want to just make it a year round thing to stay connected with the diaspora. Um, go to different events like this event today. That's my effort in trying to stay connected with my roots. So would you say there's like any you have any favorite spots, favorite places in DC that connect to that? Um, not yet. I don't have any because honestly, it's kind of like an underground community. It's not really on the forefront. And that's very unfortunate. You know, it's it's like in February is, uh, African American History Month. And so—Black History Month, and so like everything's during February and it's not like a whole year round occurrence of these events and these group meetings and community meetings and, and things of that nature. It's kind of underground. And I, you know, that's very unfortunate. So I don't have a spot.

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What would you say your relationship is with the community in DC as far as, like, do you know any— do you have any friends that are from Africa as immigrants? Uh, any, like, interpersonal relationships like that? Well, to be honest, my—my relationship with people that are from Africa, I guess. Like what? Um, immigrants—from my I mean, from my experience, I go to get my hair braided from a lot of African women, and I connect with them while I'm there. You know, we talk and, um, unfortunately, we don't really have, uh, we don't have much in common besides lineage because, you know. Being originally from Africa and coming to America is not the same as knowing that your family was dragged here against their will, and was subject to free labor, and the horrific treatment that that comes with slavery. Um, and then just the overall experience that my people have been that have—that my people have been subject to since then, we don't really we don't really have much in common. So when we do, when we—when whatever friends I do have from Africa or whatever people that are from Africa, I don't feel like they see me as part of the diaspora or they I don't feel like they see us as, um, family or of like mind or, like lineage. So it's a disconnect, to be honest with you. It's a real disconnect. So you know that I don't think they look at us as the same as them. And do you think that there's something that could be done by yourself, by Washingtonians, by people from the US regarding those disconnects? I do, yes, I do, um, I don't. The powers that be, I don't think should are the ones that go and beg for, um, for us to connect with each other. I feel like that needs to come from within each group. I feel like we need to have some type of education on, you know, it's really just lack of knowledge and lack of education that leads us to treat each other this way. Um, they feel like we aren't the same as them, and it's like, "we didn't have a choice." It's not like, um, our ancestors had a choice in the matter. And you know, what we've turned into now has been molded from, you know, years of oppression, systematic racism and different, um, targeted, uh, attacks from—it's not the government, not just the government, but just like the powers that be. And, um, we are our product of that. And I just feel like they are very judgmental and it's not fair because some things wouldn't be like this if, um, we didn't have history of—the history that we had. And, and so I feel like it should be some type of education on both sides, because I don't feel like I don't know enough about Africa myself. But, um, I think they need to be educated on the Black experience in America and not the experience they had because—they're having—because they're not having the same experience as us. They don't know how it feels to not know anything about where you came from, your culture or anything. So that that that's that's a feeling of emptiness and like a black hole that's hard to feel. Um, because you feel like you're just doing this family thing and you're not, you're you're not guided by anything because you don't have any roots. You don't know what to do. Everything you do, you get from what you see the—the current, um, climate in Africa. But that's not how it was back then. So, you know, education. Um. And it should be a community effort, just that we need to get together. We need to educate each other and it needs to be a community effort. That's all I can say about that.

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And then I have one last question from my end. Uh, what part of your culture do you keep with you wherever you go? And that could be physical, that could be metaphorical— Right. So, um, I'm seriously lacking in a sense of culture. Whatever I have, I have, um, taken a bit here, a bit here, you know, whatever American culture tried to mix it with my African culture that I know of. And so whatever culture that I'm—that I'm, um, celebrating or portraying is, um, that of someone who has no idea what—where they're from, and where their family is from, and what language they spoke and what religion they practiced. I have no clue. So I am making it up as I go along. I'm making it up as I go along, and I'm trying my best because I want my children to be educated on exactly where they come from. I don't—And then slavery is not just our legacy. Like we were good. We were really, really powerful and, uh, strong, smart, educated people back then. And I don't want slavery to just be a part of my family's legacy either. And so I'm making it up as I go along, but I'm also trying to make sure that I find out exactly where I do come from so that I won't just be making it up as I go along. It will have a basis on truth to a certain extent. Is there anything you want to add from your side? Yeah. Um, I just I feel like my people, African American people, are in a state of, uh, being broken right now. Um, we I have been subjected to the guidance of other cultures and their belief system for far too long. And, um, at this point, we're not even trying to get in and connect with our roots. And it's like, if it's like a bad thing to be African and, um, you know, it's this bad stereotype associated with Africa right now. And the media doesn't help because they they show Africa with all of these, you know, starving children and, uh, war torn areas and, uh, big deserts with mass nothingness. And I feel like that's not everything and it's propaganda. Uh, I feel like whatever we are as a people now is because we were manipulated to be this way, you know, through various different means. You're talking about slavery, you're talking about after slavery, you're talking about, uh, crack, uh, welfare. Um, how the hip hop industry right now is being manipulated to preach death, violence and oversexualizing our kids and things of that nature. It's just a full on series of attacks, uh, towards our people. And, um, whatever comes out of that, it's not fair to be judged on that, because if you take away all of the things that are going on, we will probably be successful. And it wouldn't be such a financial gap between us and the powers that be. And, um, I feel like every time we've tried to—try to be great, it's always something that tears us down, uh, Black Wall Street. That's just one example. There have been so many times where African Americans have tried to make their own cities and their own towns, and then the government will come in and then they'll just take their land. It's lakes all around this country where there was African, uh, towns where now it's flooded. Um, so many people's land has been taken away. It's just not fair. It's really not fair. And, um, it's just in this country, it's just actively trying to act like slavery never happened and act like, you know, we don't we're not affected by it. And we are still affected by it to this day because we are lost people who really don't know where we came from. And so if any African American women in particular, but people in general is listening to this, I want to let you know that you're not alone, that I feel just as lost as you feel. And I need guidance, just like you need guidance. But I don't need the type of guidance that's going to guide me down the wrong path. I need the type of guidance that's going to guide me to truth and justice and freedom. And I'm with you on that. And there are people of like mind as you and, um, love yourself. Be true to yourself. And it's nothing wrong with having African American roots—I mean, I'm sorry, African roots. Um, it's the American part that that brings the pain. And so that's it.

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Great stuff. Well, thank you for coming by. It was nice to meet you. Thank you. Yeah.