that white gaze

Hoodoo isn’t voodoo. Hoodoo isn’t a racist stereotype. Hoodoo isn’t the commercialization of black culture.

Hoodoo is sweetening and souring, crossing and uncrossing, 

drawing and banishing, domination, fixing, 

conjuring, candle reading, casting candle spells, jar spells, 

petition papers, hot foot tracks, war water, mojo bags, 

and nkisi bottles, but the Hoodoo itself can’t be bottled up…

Hoodoo isn’t just a certain set of magical techniques.

Hoodoo is becoming a tree whisperer, speaking to the plants, the trees, the herbs, the dirt, the roots.

Hoodoo is remembering those little traditions your auntie or your pops taught you when you were a kid, and realizing they have so much power.

Hoodoo is making do with whatever ingredients you can afford between paychecks so that you can get more paychecks.

Hoodoo is our silence when we’re listening for the whispered guidance of ancestors, spirits, or deities to teach us our path.

Hoodoo is reclaiming agency by cursing those who seek to take our power, our pride, and our self-determination away.

Hoodoo is following in the footsteps of our enslaved ancestors, in awe of their strength and in remembrance of their pain.

Hoodoo is tuning into our DNA and channeling black magic of the diaspora.

The magic isn’t just how we do it,

The magic is us.

No

Wait

Stop 

(These are full sentences! You do not need to say any more) 

I am not comfortable. 

I am not comfortable, I would like… 

you to wait a moment.

another person in the room. 

everyone else out of the room. 

a doctor/nurse of my same gender to preform this test/procedure. 

the person who came with me to this appointment in the room. 

you to explain everything before you begin. 

you to tell me what you are doing as you go. 

to do this another day. 

I want to get a second opinion before we proceed.

I don’t understand, please repeat that. 

I don’t understand, please explain more simply. 

Please say that slower/spell that, I want to do some research myself.

I would like to talk to [someone in my life, ie my parents to SO] before making this decision. 

No, I do not need to talk to [anyone] before making this decision, I am confidant on my own and am ready to proceed. 

What are the side effects of this medication/procedure? What are the potential complications? 

Why are you recommending/prescribing this specific thing? 

What other treatment options are there? Why are you choosing this?

Would your treatment plan be different if I were a man/woman older/younger had kids, etc? Why are you choosing this one then?

IS there anything I should know about this treatment you have not yet told me?  

I understand you say not to, but If I choose to do X, against medical advice, what risks am I running? (ie taking recreational drugs while on medication)

How much will this cost? 

Are there any less expensive options/tests we can run first? 

Is there a generic of this medication you can prescribe instead?

I think you are not understanding me, I said…

You are not listening to me, please let me finish describing my symptoms. 

You are not understanding how much pain I am in, let me clarify… 

I do not think it is anxiety/depression/my weight/etc, what else could it potentially be? 

I think by assuming it is anxiety/depression/my weight/etc you are ignoring some symptoms. Please listen again and let’s discuss what else it could be. 

Please write in my chart that you are not testing for X and why not. 

I am in enough pain/this is detrimental enough to my life that non-treatment is not an option. If you can not treat this/figure out what is wrong, to whom can you refer me?

Please write (or help me write) a summary of what we did today so I don’t forget 

What are our next steps? 

If [what you are recommending] is ineffective, what would my next steps be? What other doctor should I talk to? 

What is the best way to contact you if I have additional questions or issues? 

We need you to explain to us what you want, what you don’t want, what you need explained, what you’re afraid of, etc. because the whole reason we got into this was to help people.

Your voice matters in medicine. Your health is more valuable to us than anything and if your physician is acting like it isn’t, leave them.

Myth: Trans rights are not human rights