We’ve All Got Magic In Us

Mary Ellen Pleasant was THE entrepreneur of the 19th century. A financier and real estate magnate, she amassed a fortune of over $30 million (that’s about $750 million today). 

She used her wealth to fund abolitionist endeavors, from sponsoring enslaved runaways to funding John Brown’s rebellion. But did she get that wealth just by being a savvy businesswoman? 

Pleasant was also a voodoo practitioner. It’s rumored she studied under Marie Laveau, the voodoo queen of New Orleans.

Some people suspected she used voodoo to conjure the money that she needed to support the activities of abolitionists. 

Unfortunately, her character was questioned because of her independent lifestyle and business ventures. She was accused of involvement in numerous scandals, and vicious rumors were spread about her practice of voodoo. 

But no rumor was vicious enough to erase Pleasant's impact on the movement. Even after her death in 1904, her title as“mother of civil rights” lived on in California.

Even if they didn’t practice voodoo, many of our abolitionist leaders were spiritualists. Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner, and Sojourner Truth all talk about their relationship with God within their revolutionary work. 

Many spiritualists were leaders and activists within their communities, meaning our historical revolutions and movements likely had a little magic behind them. 

Even if we don’t identify as spiritualists, we each came here with a little magic. Our “magic” is the gifts God gave us. 

How can you use your magic to have a revolutionary influence on your community?