About Me

Peace and Blessings!

My journey into the Orisa tradition was a long one…one with many twists and bumps in the road but ultimately one of many, many blessings!

I came to know of the Orisas while a student at Temple University, located in my hometown of Philadelphia.  As an African-American Studies and Religion major, I learned much about the Orisa tradition but unfortunately, those I learned from were not practitioners.  Though the information they have me was extremely helpful at that time in my life, I knew that if I really wanted to understand who the Orisas were I would have to meet someone who was in the tradition.  Fortunately, Olodumare heard my prayers and not soon after graduating, I met the woman who was to become my godmother.   I quickly knew that this tradition was where I supposed to be.   Once in the tradition, my journey to priesthood went full steam ahead andwas initiated to the orisa Osun in October 2009 in Philadelphia, PA.  I am blessed to be a iyalorisa (orisa priestess) of my beautiful and sweet mother Oshun.  Maferefun Oshun!

I recently completed my Masters Degree in Liberal Arts at Temple University in Philadelphia, focusing on African-American Studies and Religion at Temple University.  My masters thesis, titled “Identity Politics in Santeria,” focuses on how practitioners of Santeria understand and navigate gender and sexual identity and I plan to continue doing  research on understandings of identity in Yoruba traditions.

I’ve served as a Board and Executive Member of the Orisa Community Development Corporation and am a founding member of the Philadelphia chapter of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement.  I am continuing to learn and grow in the Yoruba-Lucumi tradition of which I was initiated into Osun as well as the indigenous Yoruba tradition of Ifa where I have  received Ifa and will soon received the Egungun (ancestral) initiation.

In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing, drinking tea, cooking, attending cultural events, being artsy, and being with good people.