Excerpt from the New Healing Curriculum:

Arise and Fly Free!

A Spirit-led

Healing Guide for Post-Abortive African-American Women

By Sylvia Blakely RN, MS

Founder, Arise Daughter and Arise Artists

Arise, and Fly Free: A Holy Spirit-led Guide to Healing for Post-Abortive African American Women

Copyright © 2024 Sylvia Blakely

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT).

All rights reserved.

All material in this book is protected by copyright under U.S. copyright laws and is the property of Sylvia Blakely. You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, publish, display, modify, scan, create derivative works, alter, transmit, exploit in any way, sell or offer for sale any of the content produced in this book over any network without the author’s permission. For permission to use the content in this book, please contact arisedaughter@gmail.com

Please be aware that the nature of this book is dynamic and that the hyperlinks, though working at the time of publication, could break or otherwise become corrupted in the future. The fact that a link may no longer work should not alter your enthusiasm for searching out the material by title.

Hello my Healing Sister,

This book is solely the property of our almighty God. Please share this study with others whom you know have been stuck in the muck for WAY too long! Our heavenly Father loves us so much that He wants us healed, whole and free. Our King Jesus came to minister, suffer, die and rise again because He loves us too much for us to stay stuck in sin and our Comforter, Holy Spirit, loves us way too much to allow us to do life without Him.  

  Share your healing, share this book and together, let’s shame the devil!

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Galatians 5:1 NLT

Disclaimer and TRIGGER ALERT:  The material in this book may trigger unresolved feelings surrounding your abortion(s) or other past trauma so please, read with caution.  The  online resources referenced in the chapters are not meant to be substitutes for licensed mental health professionals. Neither the author nor contributors are counselors or therapists; we offer peer to peer support only. Feel free to consult with a licensed therapist or counselor as needed either before, during or after going through the material in this book. The Suicide Prevention number is 988 which you can text or call.  H3Helpline.org is a 24/7 resource for post-abortive women and men. 

Chapter One

Understanding Our Unique History

“Ain’t I A Woman?”

Speech by Sojourner Truth

*Click the underlined link to hear the audio and read the speech*

Consider this: Maafa 21: Black Genocide in 21st Century America - full documentary.

What were two “takeaways” from the video that left an impression?

1.

2.

Black women have a long and storied history on this planet. Many creationists and evolutionists agree that the first couple who walked the earth were most likely of African origin. That said, oftentimes we start to tell our own story from a purely American point of view without taking into consideration the depth and breadth of our existence or our full value and worth in God’s eyes. 

From a purely American viewpoint, our “worth” as human beings was inextricably tied to our ability to bear new free labor. Generation after generation experienced a complete and utter disdain for the sanctity of life and family bonds. It simply did not matter to those who enslaved us who fathered our children; how old we were when we were forced to start having children; whether or not we wanted children; nor who might ultimately be responsible for raising our children. In short, for nearly 300 years, we had no free will when it came to childbearing or childrearing; only our fertility mattered. The concept of “family” became very fluid as biological families were torn apart for the commercial advantage of our enslavers. 

The abhorrent conditions enslaved people were subjected to, including the rape of both women and men…., the calculated malnourishment and starvation…., the beatings…., the selling of the enslaved…., and the incessant overworking……, meant that we have a lot of trauma to acknowledge as a people and as a nation. 

For a more in depth understanding, please read: 

• The first person account of slavery: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl for free on Google Books and Librivox free audio;
  
• Frederick Douglass’ biography: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Librivox audio and free text);
  
• Solomon Northup's account of his enslavement in  “12 Years A Slave”;
  
• The brief article from encyclopediavirginia.org which recounts the sexual exploitation of enslaved people. 
  

It is a lot to take in so, take your time absorbing it all.

Geneticists such as Richard D. Francis, in his book Epigenetics: How Environment Shapes Our Genes, are beginning to recognize that the effects of repeated physical and psychological trauma such as malnutrition and environmental stressors leave lasting damage to the DNA of oppressed people groups. This genetic damage may contribute to all kinds of diseases as genetic alterations are known to last for generations.  

Once our hard fought for freedom was granted through the emancipation proclamation 0f 1865-67, four million black people were turned out of forced servitude with nowhere to go. In a cruel twist, many families eventually settled into sharecropping the land of former enslavers which kept them in poverty.  One effective tool used to control the black male population immediately after emancipation was the mass incarceration of “vagrants.”    This meant that black men who didn’t want to sharecrop or had no job prospects could be labeled as “vagrants” and legally moved into the newly enlarged penal system.  This strategically planned tactic was meant to  separate black men from the family unit yet again thus weakening it. Each state quickly enacted laws after emancipation to create a new  way of ensuring cheap labor for state building programs which allowed southern states to continue to build wealth off the bodies of black people.  

Some families worked hard to secure land of their own.  Having a large family who could farm the land together was a way of keeping food on the table and making sure that the family legacy continued. The trick became how to live peaceably amongst folks who had previously owned you and didn’t value or see your inherent worth. Former enslavers who watched those formerly enslaved prosper often went on terrorist sprees which, in some cases leveled whole communities. (For a look into this part of the nation's history, the movie teasers for Mudbound, Black Wall Street Burning and Rosewood are great examples to check out.)  

This new and uncharted landscape became extremely difficult and often fatal for black folks to navigate. (Listen to a reading of the Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynching in the United States by Ida B. Wells-Barnett or read: On Lynchings also by Ms. Wells-Barnett). The Emancipation Proclamation couldn’t automatically change a long-standing and ingrained caste system that devalued whole people groups as author Isabel Wilkerson detailed in her two books: Warmth of Other Suns and Caste.  Both books described the historical basis for the oppression and terrorism of Africans in  America and gave context to the antebellum era.   Beginning in the early 20th century, millions of black people escaped from the terrorists in the south in an effort to simply live free. This mass migration of millions of people forever changed the landscape of our country. 

As large families moved northward, finding adequate housing became an issue. Oftentimes, large families came north in waves with the father going first to secure employment and lodging, then the mother and children coming later. The new northern families' homes often entertained southern relatives wishing to move north to “better themselves,” and thus the migration of millions became self-sustaining and family financed. Scores of black families can still mark their migration history by which children were born “down south” and which children were born “up north.”  

Well into the 1960’s, it was rare to see families with fewer than five children. It didn’t matter that there may have been only two or three bedrooms and one bathroom in most of the modest homes black folks could afford. Family was family and somehow those large families managed to make it work! 

But it  became apparent to the new black northerners that the cost of urban living was often prohibitive to raising large families. There was no farm produce or livestock that families could rely on to keep food costs down like in the south. This left many families living paycheck to paycheck: entire households were often tossed to and fro by the whims of fickle employers and landlords. 

The black family began to encroach upon the white northerners once black people began to accumulate wealth and buy homes.  Tensions surrounding jobs and adequate housing grew as redlining and grandfather clauses barring black home ownership in certain neighborhoods were police-enforced. Segregation created ghettos which persisted well into the 1980’s.   It was a strange and cold new environment Southern and Northern blacks were entering into where the rules of engagement with whites were unknowable and precarious.    

Over time, the lucrative northern manufacturing jobs that African Americans were initially needed for shifted overseas and masses of humanity were left to find low-wage, low-impact jobs.  As a result, housing equity, which was and still is the main means to building generational wealth in America, was lost as many people could no longer afford to purchase homes.  Family systems began to fracture as drugs and a second wave of mass incarcerations took their toll on the men who, just a decade before, represented the proud black homeowner and civic participant. Now neighborhoods and mores broke down like never before. The black church, being unable to keep up with the swift and massive changes, became insular and isolated as they were overwhelmed with the societal shifts. White flight and then middle class black flight left our cities decimated and more like impenetrable war zones.  Many folks who were left in poverty felt like their only choice was to get out of the ghettos and move into the suburbs where they found that they most assuredly were NOT welcomed.

Into this societal chaos and confusion slides Margaret Sanger and her selective population control ideas.  The practice of Eugenics or “good genes” was meant to weed out those she and others decided were no longer fit to breed. Ms. Sanger had aligned herself early on with rich and powerful northerners like John D. Rockefeller who were willing to bankroll the development of various forms of birth control.  Mr. Rockefeller and other elites were also concerned about being overwhelmed by the sheer number of  southern blacks migrating north.  These population control plans collided with the hardships of life in the north for second generation black migrants.  What started out as a deliberate plan to limit the size of black families morphed into a casual conversation about helping negro women out of their reproductive “mess.”  

Black women began to become interested in limiting family size out of financial necessity and lack of employment opportunities fueled by carefully marketed population control rhetoric.  This is when the evil of the abortion movement began in earnest. Ideas put forth by eugenicists for controlling the birth rate of blacks using forced sterilization had limited success and drew unwanted attention (read Dorothy Roberts’ Killing the Black Body.)

When it  became difficult to sell eugenics (especially after World War II and all that happened to the Jews in Nazi Germany) population control methods were repackaged as “planning parenthood” by Ms. Sanger. Leaders such as W.E.B DuBois joined in this movement with the aim of giving black women control over their bodies through the availability and use of birth control.  On the surface, this made sense.  Historically, black women had little choice about anything. The lure of controlling your own reproductive destiny  was used by Sanger and her fledgling organization, the American Birth Control League (which later became Planned Parenthood), to evoke a fake sense of personal freedom. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood hid for decades their racist underlying agenda of reducing the number of black births.  My sister, it was a set-up from the beginning. Are you seeing it?

“The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal.  We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the Minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.” – Margaret Sanger, Eugenicist and founder of Planned Parenthood

Thinly veiled attempts to keep the black population from growing were shunned by black leadership of the day. In fact, few in the black community saw government-sanctioned population management as a good idea; after all, there had been enough of that kind of control in the earliest history of this country amongst all minority groups.  Leaders in the black community such as Marcus Garvey, Ms. Fannie Lou Hammer, Dr. Martin Luther King, The Nation of Islam, the Black Panthers and prominent Black pastors heard what was really being said underneath the Planned Parenthood rhetoric which was: If you can control the population of the poor and other “undesirables”, you keep them powerless.

In steps Congress and the formation of the United States Office of Population Affairs (OPA), which was established in 1970, to regulate population growth especially among low-income families.  This move brought legislative clout and urban development dollars to the mix. Peruse their website today and you will be able to find the telling statement that, “OPA and the Title X program is designed to provide access to contraceptive services, supplies, and information. By law, priority is given to persons from low-income families.” This was all under the guise of healthcare access for the poor; what it actually did was fund Planned Parenthood's services. (Title X Program Funding History | HHS Office of Population Affairs)

The newly revamped Democratic Party (which flipped from conservative white southerners to liberal white northerners) in the 60’s tied themselves to organizations such as Planned Parenthood because they seemed to be on the same bandwagon as other groups fighting for human rights.  Reproductive control slowly morphed into reproductive rights which stuck as part of a new agenda. And where did all of this new Title X government money pour into? The black community which was desperate for revitalization and access to services. The wolf was dressed in lambskin and invited to eat at the economic redevelopment table. Segregated cities, with limited access to physicians, became easy targets for “health clinics” and the “right” to reproductive services, including abortion, was spawned.  

The pervasive and persuasive subliminal messages embedded in Planned Parenthood literature were:  

Plan when YOU want to parent which is your right.  Here are the government-funded tools to allow you to regain control over YOUR destiny. Have children when YOU are ready and not a minute before. Consider abortion to be the same as contraception: a simple and safe procedure - just like any other medical procedure. In fact, you won’t need to be hospitalized or risk a back alley hack. We can perform abortion on-demand in the comfort of your own neighborhood “health center” and have you back at work within a few days.  Come back as many times as you can afford - it is your right to do so and the costs will always be subsidized as long as Title X is in place.

What Planned Parenthood REALLY meant was, we don’t want YOUR kind reproducing.  Yes, you read that last sentence right.  From its beginning Planned Parenthood’s agenda has been to limit the reproduction of the negro and other undesireables.  Their true goal has always been population control in certain neighborhoods.  Why was their agenda eventually co-opted by religious leaders and parishioners alike? Because the eugenics message was masterfully rebranded as “health care” in underserved communities by Ms. Sanger.  Why did we, as Christians, allow God to have little or nothing to say about our purity, holiness and reproduction?  Because we wanted control over this aspect of our lives.

Does any of this ring true for you? It did for MANY African American Christian women and men. Not only was the lure of economic mobility for a people who had experienced multi-generational poverty too much to ignore, but the sin of spilling innocent blood was largely brushed aside by some ministers and medical professionals who convinced us that “it” was only a “blob of tissue” without significance. It’s no wonder we took the carefully wrapped bait. 

Financial difficulties have traditionally topped the list of reasons why many women, even Christian women, chose abortion even when they didn't want to.  We never had an infrastructure in place to support our pregnancies other than during slavery.  The church was conflicted when it came to caring for the single pregnant woman.  There were many congregations back in the day, who would shame a young woman in front of the whole church, if she was found to be pregnant out of wedlock. Many girls were sent “down south” for various made-up reasons before their pregnant belly started to show so that they could have their babies in secret.  Countless children have been raised as a “cousin” to their own biological mother.  Please know that there is no condemnation in understanding the ‘why’ of our choice(s). Let us recognize, however, that relatively few government funds actually went towards helping families with an unexpected pregnancy even when that was the desire of the parent’s heart. Isn’t that curious?  Putting it in the most basic terms, the government was willing to help me terminate my child and not so willing to help me parent my child because it is cheaper to abort a child than to raise it.  In short but, to the point, the state sees an unplanned pregnancy as a drain to its resources even as the parents of that child pay taxes to support the state. 

Once the propaganda made the child out to be the crisis and not the limited bank account or resources, it set up an either/or scenario. The underlying message was, Keep your child and stay poor OR abort your child and gain financial freedom. If we don’t catch this subtlety, then we miss how the abortion-mill rhetoric managed to pit women against their unborn children in a society where capitalism has become the newest idol.

After Roe v. Wade was ensconced into law - equating abortion with the right to privacy - we could not only abort our children legally, but we could also keep our secret(s). We were clearly in the grip of the oldest enemy of humankind which is Satan, and his familiar tactics. Yes, the same one that comes to lie (John 8:44), and steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10) got a foothold into our families. The practice of child sacrifice, as in the nations that practiced it millenia ago (2 Chronicles 28:3), became the accepted - no - expected behavior of a new, free generation in America. What was legal versus what was moral were disconnected from each other and we spiraled out of control.

We were now free and had the legal right to kill our own children whenever and however we wanted. I acknowledge and  recognize that for some very young women, the choice to keep or abort their child was outside of their control.  We also have to acknowledge that after 1973, the government did in fact give tacit permission to some adult in that young person’s life to sign for an abortion that they felt was in the best interest of the minor.  Either way, we do want to recognize that everyone's abortion story is different; the one common factor is that our children are gone...

The prophet Jeremiah spoke of the sins of the nation of Israel towards the innocent children of his time. Jeremiah 19:4-5 states: 4 "'For Israel has forsaken me and turned this valley into a place of wickedness. The people burn incense to foreign gods--idols never before acknowledged by this generation, by their ancestors, or by the kings of Judah. And they have filled this place with the blood of innocent children. 5 They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!

God, in His benevolence, was trying to get Israel to see the sin they were committing against children.  Psalms 94: 6-7  They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans. 7 "The LORD isn't looking," they say, "and besides, the God of Israel doesn't care."

God DOES CARE and He is STILL trying to get our attention as it relates to the health and safety of His smallest image bearers. 

Through all of the societal upheavals of this nation, God continued to keep His eye on us! Just like the captives in Egypt and Babylon, God purposed us to “be fruitful and multiply” (Exodus 1:7), bless not curse our new home (Jeremiah 29:4-15) and continue to look for His rescuing arm (Jeremiah 23:3). The caveat is that we must first recognize that what we have allowed society to dictate to us about the lives of our preborn children was and is wrong.

The preborn have been planned for by God (Jeremiah 29:11), and new parents have responsibilities (Titus 2:4; Isaiah 49:15). Once that realization sinks in, there is no limit to how God can bless His people when we return to Him and put our faith and trust in Him regarding procreation (2 Chronicles 6:38; Jeremiah 23:3-8; 24:6-7).

These next 8-9 weeks will be focused on recognizing, repenting and reconciling our choices. It will be heavy work, and I highly recommend that you enlist support from someone you trust who can lift you up through the process. Note that the word process is used. This healing journey most likely will be multi-layered like an onion. Tears will be shed as layers of painful lies are removed, not only for you, but for the millions that have gone before you. But remember beloved, you’re here because you know there is unfinished business to attend to in order to be reconciled with God regarding your abortion(s). 

This guide to healing was designed to be used in a small group setting, however, if you do decide to work at your own pace, know that Holy Spirit can and will see you through.  Your sisters at Arise Daughter are also available to serve as mentors when and if you need us!

What Does God Have to Say?

Let’s take a look at God’s character.  God’s desire has always been to have a loving and intimate relationship with His creation and that includes each one of us.  He created man in His image to commune with Him in a unique and loving way.  The God we serve is the only wise God (Romans 16:27).  Our God has dominion and power over ALL of the earth and its creation (Jude 1:25) and yet He chose us to share who He is more fully.  As we think about some of the ways God can manifest Himself to us and show His love for us, it can be both comforting and overwhelming.  If we allow ourselves to rest in the fact that God truly loves and wants what is best for us then that knowledge allows us to let God be God in every aspect of our lives (Psalm 146:5-10). 

But, let’s be honest: For some of us, it has been difficult to relinquish control over our lives - even to an all knowing and generous God.  There may be many reasons for this.  For example, some of our reasons may come from past experiences with our own father or a surrogate father.  Many of us have “father wounds” which may make it difficult to see God as the loving Father that He is.  Some of us may be holding on to negative belief systems and patterns learned in childhood or that are generational in nature.  

God’s character is independent of us in that He is “I AM.”  We don’t define God, but we do try to better understand who He is through our relationship with Him.  Our relationship with Him is built through His Word, through following His Son Jesus and through fellowship with Holy Spirit.  God is an all seeing God  and, yes beloved, He sees you right where you are. He knows your brokenness and He is the God who is able to bind up all of your wounds.  Psalms 147: 3 AMP says, He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [healing their pain and comforting their sorrow.]

He wants you to take the time to get to know HIM better.  He wants to build a new intimate bond with you; one where you can learn to love Him, trust Him in every aspect of your life and understand His will for your life. This intimacy requires knowledge of who our heavenly Father is and His character; that is what we will look at next.

Below is a list of some of the names for God.  As you read each name carefully, make a note of which name speaks most to you in this season.  In God’s names, we clearly see His character.  An additional resource to learn more about God’s character would be the BibleProject.com  video series on the “Character of God" which is HIGHLY recommended (click HERE to view on YouTube).  

Notes on the video:

The Names of God (Not an exhaustive list. From open sources)

God is patient and kind and He has always sought the best for us despite our sins (or the sins committed against us).  His original intention was for us to be fruitful and to populate the earth with more image bearers with whom He could form loving relationships with.  He wants us to care for His creation as He has cared for us; but we all know how original sin messed THAT up!  We also know that we serve a God that can make beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3).  God’s intention has been to restore us to our original state of being in intimate communion with Him and, that is why His son was sent (John 3:16-17).  More on that later…

For now, let us focus on the first command, which was a blessing for all of creation: (highlight any words in the following verses that stand out to you).

And God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’

Genesis 1:22

• What does God say to His new creation?
  

• What purpose did God have for speaking to His creation?
  

Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His [own] image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ Genesis 1:26-28

• As you consider these verses, was “multiplying” meant to be a blessing? Why?
  

Bible connection:  Consider God’s first human female-Eve-and the promises God made to her.  in Genesis 3:16 God told Eve that she will desire and long for her husband (Husband is defined as the person she was sexually intimate with). This reminds us that God ordained women to want to : a. Become “one” with only one husband B. desire our own husbands sexually and C. Be fruitful and  bear children that would have dominion over the earth. There is tremendous promise for eve and her offspring despite the fall. God promises that one of her offspring (Jesus) would crush the serpent that tricked her. reflection: God always has a plan of redemption ready even when we mess up and sometimes, that plan involves our offspring.

So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” “And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it.”

Genesis 9:1, 7

• What was so significant about this second command to be fruitful and multiply?
  

I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. Genesis 17:6

• What important promises were made to Abram regarding his offspring?
  

So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.

Genesis 47:27

• Why is it significant to look at where Israel prospered?
  

Your wife [shall be] like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD. Yes, may you see your children's children. Peace [be] upon Israel!”

Psalm 128:3-4, 6 NASB

• What is God calling us to look like and live like in these verses?
  

• How is the blessing generational?
  

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you [are] the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

John 15:4-5

• As you interpret this verse, where does the source of our strength come from?
  

• Are we designed to make a life outside of God? Why not?
  

Check In: “Visualizing The Lord’s Prayer” by personalization. Include the words, “me”, “my” and “I” where appropriate.

Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment]. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]'

Matthew 6:9-13 AMP

What are your thoughts, feelings and emotions about starting this journey?: Share in the group or feel free to journal what you're feeling. Take your time and allow your thoughts to flow. Try your best not to censor or edit what you write.

Art Exercise: “Who Am I Right Now?”

(Please complete the Art Exercise Disclaimer by clicking “HERE”). Using the heart below, write out who you think you are inside the outline of the heart as a free stream of thought - no editing; just write.

🤍

Write Out Your Prayer

Let God know what you now understand about the lies you were told, or simply talk to God about what it feels like to start this healing journey. Include three things you are grateful for.

Songs

• “I Don’t Feel Noways Tired” by Peter Collins and Infinity Song.
  
• “I Don’t Feel Noways Tired” by Rev. James Cleveland.
  
• “Deep Enough” by Anthony Brown.
  
• “Breathe” by Maverick City Music
  

End of Excerpt

Thank you for taking the time to read this excerpt of,

“Arise, And Fly Free.” This is just the beginning step to a deep healing and reconciliation for my post-abortive Sisters and I pray its utility to the African American community has been apparent in the pages you’ve read thus far.

I am looking forward to hearing your feedback. Please feel free to email the author, Sylvia Blakely at: AriseDaughter@gmail.com May God richly bless you!

Notes: