Fear, Faith and Hope, Part 1: Code-Switching and The Gift of Fear.

Devona, Rana and DeAndra take on popular (unpopular?) culture as only the Three Sisters can. From Rana's daughter's clarity over the first Black Disney Princess' true identity, to the importance of research that these sisters have practiced to survive white culture, our sisters find a way to deepen the conversation around every single aspect of how we connect with one another. And how we don't. As always, the Beard sisters are loving, humorous, deep and real.  *** We are taking a pause to let the complexities of the past year settle a bit. We look so forward to returning soon with Season 2. This is where you come in! What do you want to hear more about? Who do you want the Sisters to bring on the show? First 25 responses earn a FREE THREE SISTERS TOTE BAG! Email us at [email protected] or write to us on our Three Sisters page. (Scroll to the bottom for the discussion thread).

The Three Sisters return to catch up with each other and us after a rocky start to the year. Our nation lost (revealed?) its footing, the pandemic continues to take lives, and the long journey Black humans have endured to MATTER in private and in public took a toll on many, including the Beard family bond itself. Hear how Devona, Rana and DeAndra have engaged in a process of strengthening their individual sense of agency in order to fortify their familial ties. We thank Sylvia High for her work with Aiming High. All of this unfolds with tenderness, laughter and love. In short, the Three Sisters are back! Finally, at the beginning of the episode you hear from Kara Pierson, our Wellspring Fellow, about a healing program for Black women this month. For more information, visit us here.

Rana, one of our Three Sisters, lives and works just outside of Washington D.C. Her role in the federal government as a public servant is one of the identities that defines Rana's determination to live up to the promises of our country, now broken.  We asked Rana to talk to us about her feelings, observations and hopes for the long rebuild following the January 6th assault on the Capitol and democracy.  Thank you for listening. 

Note to family listeners with young ears nearby:  The Beard family stories reveal a bit about Santa's true identity.  When we were mapping out our episode themes, we asked the Beard sisters if there were any Christmas traditions they might want to talk about. The energy in the Zoom room became electric with excitement and a bit of trepidation: "Can we tell THAT story?" We then asked, who might we invite from the Beard family to our holiday show? "Daddy!" was the unanimous response. In this spirited, sweet, humorous episode, learn about the Christmas Tree Bandits and how "in the midst of chaos, tradition grounds us." Also we receive the most touching blessing from Pastor Beard, a much needed balm of faith and light as we near the end of an unprecedented year.

We let the recording run a little long this time because, well, wow. You'll hear why. Music is an essential part of what makes and moves the Beard sisters.  In this episode, the sisters share their afrocentric music roots with classical composer and Three Sisters Music Director Brian Raphael Nabors. From spirited "performances" from the hearths of the Beard and Nabors' homes, to their shared musical influences, to their reverence for and reflections on the intelligence of the human voice to transcend the most difficult of circumstances, the sisters and Brian bring the Word to the work of life and music.  We also get to hear John Hall (Pappy's) influential voice and hear the premiere of the Three Sisters theme music.  For additional notes and to purchase a Three Sisters tote bag or cap, visit The Well. 

In this episode, the Beard sisters continue their reflection on moments of profound and overwhelming fear in each of their lives: the premature birth of Devona’s daughter Zora, the near-death experience of Rana’s husband Julian, and when DeAndra went from the sanctuary of church into an unexplained coma. As always, prayer, faith and powerful images and messages orchestrate the way the sisters and their families heal, survive and thrive despite extraordinary circumstances.

When the Beard sisters sat down to talk about fear, faith and hope, the night went long because the subject matter was so deep and personal and necessary. In this episode, the sisters talk about code-switching as linguistic smoke and mirrors (shout outs to Michelle Obama, Zora Neale Hurston and Benjamin Crump).  As the conversation deepens, we come to understand the first moment when rebel Rana lost touch with the voice of God, trusted a stranger, and entered into the abyss of assault.  This traumatic event helped Rana understand that "black girls need therapy." She was introduced to the work of Gavin de Becker, whose book The Gift of Fear helped her understand how fear can be a resource and how it aligns with the voice of God. Note: This episode includes information about an assault.

The visual artist Titus Kaphar was asked at a talk in Cincinnati how long his work had been political. He told the audience that for some people -- people like him --  the work is always viewed as political.   Recorded two days after the 2020 presidential election and two days before the race was called for Biden, the Beard sisters took a break from refreshing their news feeds to speak of this same idea and many riveting others in Episode 2 of Three Sisters.  Even without direct conversations about race and politics in the Beard household, the young sisters were inspired by dogeared books including The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Kaffir Boy, Native Son, Invisible Man and Her Eyes Were Watching God (get these titles and more at DeAndra's Beyond Barcode Bookstore!) These books were often being read simultaneously, one sister waiting to pick up the book the second another put it down. When sister Devona began to eschew hair straighteners, it was clear to the younger sisters that an act of bravery was happening, even if they didn't have the words to explain it as anti-racist representation.  The sisters also talk about the challenges of parenting and the need for new rituals -- ones that take rituals of oppression and turn them on their head.  As always, the conversation is deeply personal and beautifully, tenderly universal.  *** We would love to hear from you! We've added a comment section on our Three Sisters page at The Well.  Please let us know what you enjoy, what you want to hear more of, and if you would like some Three Sisters Swag. We're thinking t-shirts, totes, the whole deal! :)

Three Sisters. There's the Chekhov play, where three sisters ponder purpose, change and the meaning of life. There are the three Native American crops, squash, beans and corn. When planted together, they are thought to create sacred significance to sustain life. There are the three sisters rock formations in the Blue Mountains of Australia and the volcanic peaks in Oregon. And now we meet the Beard sisters from Kokomo, Indiana: Devona, the maternal eldest, Rana, the rebel, and DeAndra the baby girl.  All of the sisters attended HBCU's before finding their own path in equity and social healing via medicine (Devona), policy and poetry (Rana), and in social enterprise (DeAndra).  In this episode, we meet the sisters and begin to learn about the family dynamic that sowed the deep seeds of love that keep the sisters, and now us, grounded in what really matters. *** Three Sisters is a production of TheWell.World. Thanks to the producing team of Rowe Schnure, Claire Autran, Brian Raphael Nabors and most of all, the Beard sisters. We would also like to thank the On Being Project. It was at an On Being gathering where The Well Founder Stacy Sims first met Rana Dotson. The promise was that we leave feeling nourished, emboldened and accompanied. Later, in partnership with On Being, The Well hosted Mindful Poetry virtual gatherings where we first heard Rana and DeAndra's unique and powerful voices.  To all organizations and individuals who hold space for people to come together to nourish, embolden and accompany each other, know that you too are sowing deep seeds of love.