Dear Family & Friends,
Happy New Year!
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I pray this letter finds you in good health and lifted spirits.
February 2026 marks the 100th Centennial of Black History Month, a full century of honoring Black resistance, brilliance, survival, and legacy. In this same sacred month, on Mardi Gras Day, February 17, 2026, I will be stepping out for the first time with Big Chief Shaka Zulu’s Golden Feather Hunters in a role our tradition has never seen before.
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This year, after years of sewing on suits for our Big Chief, I am coming out as THE WOMAN KING, in the spirit of Nanisca, the General of the African women warriors of the Kingdom of Dahomey. I step into this role not to disrupt tradition, but to extend it, guided by our elders, and our ancestors, grounded in the truth that women have always stood in leadership, protection, and resistance to empower our people.
For more than 200 years, the women warriors of the Dahomey Kingdom stood as an elite, all-female force guarding their people and kingdom in West Africa. Disciplined, fearless, and bound by purpose, they did not fight for recognition, they fought because it was their calling and duty. Their legacy inspired the film “The Woman King” starring Viola Davis, but long before the screen, these women were real, leading with spiritual authority and responsibility to generations yet unborn.​
For Viola, bringing that story to the screen in modern times was not easy. And in my own way, stepping into the work I’ve dedicated myself to in our community has not been easy, especially for such a time as this in the Deep South. I am walking a path few have imagined, carrying a responsibility that extends far beyond myself. I am stepping out not just for today, but for what comes after me.
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My New Suit! (I Need Your Support)
I am now in the final stages of completing my FIRST suit, and I humbly ask for your support and blessings. This moment is deeply sacred to me, which is why I am not sharing this publicly on social media.
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Certain things are to be shared between those who respect and value what this SACRED commiment truly means to us. In the Black Masking Indian culture, every feather, jewel, and stitch carries intention, discipline, prayer, and sacrifice. When you contribute, know that you will be with me, present in every plume, feather, and sequin as I step onto the streets of Tremé in New Orleans.
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Arts & Cultural Funding Cuts
This year, our annual arts and cultural funding was cut, and we did not receive the annual grant that typically helps cover materials, especially feathers. For my first-year coming out as The Woman King, I am calling on my friends & family to help me carry this weight.
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Your contribution is not simply material support, it is an offering to legacy and tradition, to culture, and to the ancestors who paved the way and the generations who will follow.
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If you feel called, I invite you to give what you can. Together, we can make history come alive on the streets of New Orleans. Be well my beloveds....
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With Love and Power,
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Diedra “ Deepa Soul” Meredith
