This Little Light of Mine: Addena’s Substack

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This Little Light of Mine is a monthly newsletter about my thoughts, new writing, readings, workshops and interviews with the artists and community movers and shakers that inspire me.

This Little Light of Mine: Addena’s Substack March Newsletter

Addena Sumter-Freitag
Mar 31, 2026

The Ancients

We are Ancients, like the Dinosaurs

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But unlike the Dinosaurs

We have survived.

Survived

Slavery

Burnings

Holocausts

Lynchings

Residential systems

Survived

Abuse in all its forms

To emerge

Wise

Whole

Strong.

We will learn from history

Not to mirror

All the things we fought against:

Politicians

Leaders

and

Systems of the past

That were

Motivated by fear

Manipulated by hatred.

As you walk through the world

Look around you

Look

At all the beautiful faces

Of your sisters

Young

Old

White

Colored

Wise

Feel the Spirits of your sisters

Gone…

And, in honor of us all

Vow

To stand together in our fight.

Vow

There will be no judging glares

No We and Them

They and Those

Only Us People

Fighting together

For our different interests

Different struggles

But our Universal Cause

Our Vision

That we,

And all our children

Have

Food

Shelter

Freedom

Inclusion

Equality

that we

And all our children

Have,

“Bread, and Roses”

© Addena Sumter-Freitag

In Honour of International Women’s Day

March Newsletter Reflections

Welcome back to all my Subscribers, and Welcome new readers.

I’m honestly pleased (and grateful) you choose to come and spend some time with me at the end of each month and listen to my thoughts and opinions (some of which are way out there!) and experience some of my storytelling and poetry.

Sometimes I stress and struggle before I publish a monthly addition. I worry. I question myself and wonder, is what I’m writing about good enough, or important enough, to put out there in the world? Then I have to remind myself why I started this Newsletter in the first place. Part of my answer to why, is right there in the title of the Newsletter, “This Little Light of Mine“. I write to shine a little light into some of the darkness out there.

March, like February, is one of my favourite months. It is Women’s History Month in the USA. In Canada, we also celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 08. IWD started out as a one-day observance in 1910 at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen.

International Women’s Day started in Canada as a day of observance and evolved into celebrations, protests, and events that highlight the achievements of women and girls in various fields.

The Bread and Roses Strike was an Epic Labour Action for Workers’ Dignity, led by women and child labourers who were textile workers in the factories. They wanted dignity and a better life for their families, fighting for “Bread and Roses.”

The victory of the workers after nine weeks of striking came, in part, because of their organizing and networking. They understood the courage it took to resist injustice and gave hope to future generations.

Together

Struggle

Challenge

Stand up

Shout

Together.

Link

Join

Empower

Recognize

Organize

Together.

Diversify

Rectify

Connect

Build anew

Together.

Let egos,

And anger

And pain

And injustices from the past

Go

Free

And then

Positive

Powerful

And miraculous things will happen

For all of us …

If we

Do the work

Together

© Addena Sumter-Freitag