The Ancestral shrine that I have created uses the lyrics of various Bob Marley songs paired with images of the struggle of people of the African Diaspora. Bob Marley, through song, was able to capture the essence of the Black struggle for freedom on the social, economic and legislative levels, from its beginnings in slavery up to the modern day when the hindrances of advancement are not necessarily physical shackles, but economic and social drawbacks. The theme that I decided upon for my shrine was honoring Bob Marley, various other Civil Rights leaders and Black Power leaders.   I incorporated lines of various Bob Marley songs that convey images and sentiments of the struggle of Black people from the times of slavery to the present day.  There are quotes from his songs, such as "War," "Buffalo Soldier," etc., placed near pictures that correlate with the meaning of the words.

The shrine involves a set color scheme of red, yellow, black and green.  The red represents the blood that had to be shed by Blacks to attain their freedom.  The yellow represents the sun, as well as the wealth of many African and Caribbean nations.  The black represents the people and the green represents the land.    On the cover of the shrine, I have lines from the chorus of Bob Marley’s "Redemption Song."  I believe that the words of the song capture the overall essence of slavery.  The song explains how Black people were stolen from their native lands and sold away into slavery, yet they remained faithful that God would help them through their ordeal.  The letters of the song are red to represent the blood that was shed by these people.

Around the outside of the box I have the colors black, yellow and green; these colors represent the colors of the Jamaican flag.  My family hails from the island of Jamaica so this represents my heritage and my ancestors.  On the left side of the shrine I have placed the colors red, black, and green to represent the flag devised by Marcus Garvey.  This flag was devised by Garvey to represent all people of the African Diaspora, for they had no flag to represent them and he believed that no nation or group of people should be without a flag.  Many  independent African nations have used these colors in their flags.  Around the flag that I made are pictures of Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley, all of these men promoted the idea of Black consciousness and a “Back to Africa Movement.”  The Lion of Judah also adorns this part of the shrine; the Lion of Judah is a symbol of strength to people such as Rastafarians.  Many people also believe that the Lion represents Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian king who was considered a prophet or a Christ-like figure.

On the right side on my shrine, the background in painted black to represent the people, as well as the disdain and bleakness of the situation of Blacks.  There is a picture of women plowing a field to represent slavery, and the bottom to this side of the shrine has green cloth on it to depict the earth tended by Blacks.  There is a picture of a Black solider to represent the irony of America, for although Black men were willing to risk their lives for their country they were still treated like second class citizens.   The picture of the hands that are breaking out of shackles is there to depict the struggle and the dream of freedom.  Although during slavery, the shackles were physical, today they are more mental.  The sun that I have made, shining in the top right corner of the shrine, is adorned with feathers for sun rays; the feathers are a symbol of freedom. To the left of that sun is an image of Martin Luther King Jr. and boycott activists to represent the judicial struggle of the Black Movement.