Trigger warning: Mentions of rape and death
Editor’s note: We are so excited to introduce our new poet-in-residence — Camille Hernandez! Camille is an abolitionist who uses her words, her imagination, and her body/mind/soul to unearth a decolonizing world. Poetry is a powerful medium for truth telling. We believe Camille is the perfect person to help the SheLoves community see truth, pursue collective liberation, and love one another well through poetry. This month we asked Camille to write on one of our favorite themes — Not My White Jesus.
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MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, HE SAID LET THERE BE LIGHT
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, WE SAID LIGHT IS WHITE IS RIGHT
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, HE SEPARATED THE WATERS
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, WE SEPARATED US FROM OURSELVES
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, HE SET THE CAPTIVES FREE
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, WE SHACKLED US IN CHAINS
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, HE SAID MURDER IS A SIN
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, WE MADE MURDER A MINISTRY
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, HE HEALED THE WOMAN WHO BLED FOR 12 YEARS
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, WE MADE WOMEN BLEED RAPE WOUNDS FOR TWO MILLENNIA
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, HE SAID LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, WE KILLED THE CHILDREN AND PUT THEM IN UNMARKED GRAVES
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, HE GAVE UP HIS ONLY SON AND CALLED IT SALVATION
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, WE KILLED OUR SONS AND CALL IT RIGHTEOUS
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, HE CONQUERED DEATH
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, WE CONQUERED LANDS THROUGH GENOCIDE
MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD, MY GOD IS A GOOD GOD
my god my god – what have we done? teach me to pray with a blasphemous tongue.
Camille Hernandez is a writer and public educator pursuing an abolitionist world by dismantling systems of oppression created by settler colonization. Whether it is through interpersonal violence or spiritual abuse, Camille is focused on healing from the violence of anti-Blackness, colonization, and patriarchy. She centers her work on uplifting the healing journeys of women, trans, and gender expansive folks who are Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian. As a writer, Camille interweaves the themes of mental health and mythology to encourage and equip people to pursue healing practices that aid to our collective liberation. As an educator, she invites people to engage in trauma-informed practices that interrupt cycles of disembodiment, interpersonal violence, and internalized anti-Blackness. Believing that liberative knowledge needs to be accessible to all, Camille chooses to do her public education work through creating podcasts, social media content, and collaborating with people & organizations whose mission aligns with hers.
Follow Camille:
Website: camillehernandez.com
Substack: camillehernandez.substack.com
