it's going to be okay

In addition to finding out where in Africa her ancestors were abducted into slavery, Mary Moran discovered the meaning of the Mende song: a processional hymn for the final farewell to the spirit, it was sung in Senehun Ngola by women as they prepared the body of a loved one for burial.

The full story of search connecting Amelia's Song to the Mende is told in the documentary The Language You Cry In. The distributor's site is here if a public library near you doesn't have it available already.

The story of Harris Neck, GA and the seizure of land by the U.S. War Department removing 75 African American families from their homes is also part of the Moran family's story and part of the ongoing injustice faced by Black communities in the U.S. South. You can find out more about the fight to reclaim Harris Neck in the short documentary film Descended: The Fight for Harris Neck, which is currently fully available on YouTube.

The above scans have one of the most fascinating explorations of Starfire’s character I’ve found yet, I’m honestly amazed I’d never seen this before.

Context: Trigon has taken over Raven and is using her to enact his evil plans. The Titans come to stop him and save Raven. The Titans are incapacitated, and Raven sets them fighting their inner demons in their minds, confronting them with their worst thoughts and fears, planning to make them effectively fight their own souls to self-destruction so she can make them Trigon puppets. Standard comic-book stuff right?

So, what ideas, insecurities and fears does Starfire’s inner darkness present her with?

Her people and family enslaved, plus it being her fault in some way (amusingly Blackfire is missing from this scenario).

The worry that Robin is ultimately scared of her, of her power and rage, and that he will never commit to her in the same way she would to him. 

The idea that she’s forsaken her people and her planet by choosing to stay on Earth, especially since Tamaran had gone through so much trouble recently.

The fear that she wouldn’t be strong enough to let herself return to slavery if it were the only way to save the people she loves, that no matter the stakes, she would simply be too weak and cowardly to do it. As someone who firmly believed she would do anything for her loved ones, being forcibly confronted with this idea is the one thing that breaks her apart the most.

Yeah…

As some additional trivia, on a lighter note: these issues served as the main inspiration for the scene in the Teen Titans TV show where Trigon pitted Beast Boy, Cyborg and Starfire against their inner evils. The cartoon even copied the design of the dark-sides being black and white, with solid red eyes.