By: La Trecia aka Reiki Ra-ess, Your Positive Inner-G Coach
Some say the past is the past—but what if the towns that once forced our ancestors out by sundown are now the same places forcing our people down with badges and bullets? As a Positive Inner-G Coach, homeschool mama, plant whisperer, and forever student of truth, I had to ask: Is there a connection? If so, what can we do to heal it?
What Were Sundown Towns?
Sundown towns were towns, cities, and even counties across the United States that enforced (either by law, intimidation, or violence) an unspoken rule: Black folks and other people of color had to be out by sunset.
This wasn’t just a Southern issue. Places in Illinois, Oregon, Indiana, Ohio, Arizona, California, and yes—even parts of Maryland—maintained these racist codes well into the 20th century. Most didn’t put it on paper, but the signs, social pressure, and police made it clear: “Don’t let the sun set on you here.”
For more info: History and Social Justice Sundown Towns Database
Where the Legacy Lives
We may not see the signs anymore, but the effects linger. Many of these towns remain majority-white to this day. That lack of racial integration isn’t accidental—it’s inherited.
Research has started connecting the dots. A 2023 study published in Social Science & Medicine found that former sundown towns are still less diverse and more racially segregated. That matters, because segregated areas often have:
- Higher police surveillance of Black bodies
- More aggressive policing tactics
- Less representation on the police force
In Ferguson, Missouri—where Michael Brown was murdered in 2014—Black residents made up the majority, but the police force did not reflect the community. Ferguson was once a white suburb, and its sundown past left behind a policing structure still steeped in control, not care.
Check the stats yourself: Mapping Police Violence
Why This Still Matters
When the roots are rotten, the fruit will be too.
Policing in America didn’t start with protecting and serving all people. It started with controlling enslaved Africans and enforcing segregation. The trauma from sundown towns is not just historical—it’s ancestral.
Even today, Black folks living in predominantly white areas often report being over-policed, followed, questioned, or brutalized. The system may have evolved, but the energetic signature of exclusion is still active.
“We don’t inherit trauma to carry it. We inherit it to transform it.”
The Positive Inner-G Path Forward
Here’s how we begin to shift the energy:
1. Teach the youth Include sundown towns and local racial history in your homeschooling or family education. Normalize truth-telling at the dinner table.
2. Know your zip code Use the sundown town database to explore where you live, where you travel, or where you may move.
3. Demand community accountability Push for racial equity in your local police departments, schools, housing, and policy boards. Especially in areas with a history of exclusion.
4. Heal through action + intention Ground yourself with tools like:
- Journaling your ancestral pain and power
- Root chakra grounding exercises
- Reiki-infused affirmations and rituals
- Speaking your truth in safe, sacred spaces
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Asé to the Ancestors: A Closing Reflection
As I prepared this blog for posting, something sacred stirred. I realized this month marks the anniversary of Freddie Gray’s death — a Baltimore son whose final days were filled with injustice, whose passing sparked a fire in the city and in the hearts of those who could no longer stay silent.
What shook me most was discovering that his death timeline aligns with my Solar Return. And I didn’t know that when I scheduled this blog. But the body always knows. The spirit always speaks. What I thought was a personal reckoning in a sundown town was also a cosmic reminder: none of us journey alone. Our stories, our trauma, our healing — they echo through generations.
Freddie’s story wasn’t just Baltimore’s. It was mine. It was yours. It was every Black soul who’s ever had to dim their light to survive. Every time I wore my ankh in public. Every time I chose silence over safety. Every time I smiled while screaming inside.
So I end this post with intention: in honor of Freddie Gray — and all who never made it back home. May their names continue to guide us toward healing, truth, and liberation. May this blog be more than words — may it be a small act of remembering, reclaiming, and rising.
I honor the unrest. I honor the alignment. I honor the return.
Ancestral Healing Through Reiki
I invite you now to participate in a Distance Reiki session from wherever you are.
Take a breath. Place one hand over your heart and the other over your root (lower belly). Repeat aloud or silently:
“I release the residue of oppression. I reclaim peace for my lineage. I am protected. I am power. I am my ancestors’ healer.”
Visualize a warm lavender light washing over your body—cleansing, calming, renewing.
Feel the frequency. Let it move backward through time, healing every step your bloodline was forced to take. Let it move forward through time, protecting your children, your tribe, and the future you are building.
Asé.
This blog isn’t about fear—it’s about freedom. May this truth set you on a path of transformation. May our children look back and say, ‘Our mama told us the truth—and she gave us the tools to heal it.’
With truth, tenderness, and tenacity,
La Trecia, Positive Inner-G Coach | Something Nubian
WifeWisdomWednesday #SundownToShowdown #PositiveInnerG #ReikiHealing #HealingOurLineage #SomethingNuBian
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