Why would I pray to my ancestors?

An essay about ancestors, angels, and spirits

The other day, I decided to watch a bit of Beyonce’s Black Is King. It was suggested by Hulu, most likely because of the premiere of Wakanda Forever. It may come as a surprise to many that I hadn’t seen Black is King, and I haven’t seen Wakana Forever yet. I’m just not much of a moviegoer or watcher, but I’ll get there eventually. I digress. As I was watching Beyonce and the story she weaves through her voice and videography, I was reminded of the scene from Black Panther where King T’Calla has a conversation with his deceased father. If I remember correctly, the same type of scene also played out in The Lion King when Simba summons Mufasa. With all the music and movies pointing to the practices of the past, black and brown people have a newfound interest in connecting with the spiritual world as our ancestors did before us.

While I am certain that many people, black, brown, and other believe that communicating with and even praying to our ancestors brings power and wisdom, this is n…