Elder Atum Azzahir on finding self-acceptance and a calling
The Cultural Wellness Center's Atum Azzahir (second from right) leads a discussion with a group of teenagers working to address health from a community perspective Jan. 29, 2014 at the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis.
Jennifer Simonson | MPR News 2014
In MPR News’ Connect the Dots series, we ask community elders to share their wisdom and lessons learned about what really matters in life.
Elder Atum Azzahir, who was born in Mississippi in 1943 in the Jim Crow South, came to Minnesota in 1978. She founded the Cultural Wellness Center in 1996 and continues to be the nonprofit organization’s executive director.
The Cultural Wellness Center partners with counties, health care companies and other organizations to promote the health and resiliency of the Black community.
MPR’s senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently met with Elder Atum at the Center’s location on Portland Avenue in Minneapolis. He shared what she had to say with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: Time for our second edition of our new series, Connect the Dots.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
In this series, we ask community elders to share their wisdom and lessons learned about what really matters in life. Today we're going to hear from elder Atum Azzahir. She was born in Mississippi in 1943 in Jim Crow South and came to Minnesota in 1978. She's the founder and executive director of the Cultural Wellness Center in Minneapolis. That's a nonprofit organization that opened in 1996.
The Cultural Wellness Center partners with counties, health care companies, and other organizations to promote the health and resiliency of the Black community. MPR's senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently met with Elder Atum at the Center's place on Portland Avenue in Minneapolis. And he's back to talk about it.
This is one of my favorite series, my friend. So I'm really happy. The people you're talking to are just terrific. Elder Atum-- tell me a little bit about her.
CHRIS FARRELL: So, first, I'll say that she has several names that have been given to her by people in the community.
ATUM AZZAHIR: Lots of people call me Mother Atum. But I think I prefer Elder because I think that it has much more universal understanding.
CATHY WURZER: OK, so Elder Atum. So tell us about the Cultural Wellness Center because they've been involved in some really interesting, important health initiatives involving the Black community for many Years
CHRIS FARRELL: Yes, so it emphasizes the positive role that Black history and Black culture can play in addressing current social, economic, health problems. So just to give you two examples-- three examples, Cathy, there's the Community Health Hub. It's a partnership with Allina Health. And it promotes healthy activities like walking and yoga.
And another example was Ramsey County recently awarded a 2023 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize-- that's a mouthful-- for its collaborative initiative with the Cultural Wellness Center and the Black Community Commission on Health. And what their work does is it focuses on involving community members and policy leaders on ways to eliminate systemic racism practices.
And the Center also owns part of the Global Midtown Market. And if you visit the main floor of the market, you'll see the Cultural Heritage Kitchen. And it's going to bring ancient African grains into healthy meals for people in the area. Robert Taylor, one of Elder Atum's sons, is the executive chef.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, all right. Say, where do the ideas that inform the work of the Cultural Wellness Center come from?
CHRIS FARRELL: So this is a fascinating story. The genesis comes from the resiliency of the Black community Elder Atum witnessed growing up in Mississippi during Jim Crow. Despite the horrible atrocities perpetrated on the Black community, she was struck at how her parents and others in the community, they not only endured, but they were humane, loving, creative, energetic.
So the word that she uses a lot is resiliency and resilience. And when she moved to Minnesota, she took a Black history class with a group of Black women. And what she learned in class about Black history and culture, it inspired her to travel to the Caribbean and to Africa to learn from as many Black people and their experiences as she could.
And so the insights she gathered eventually became the Cultural Wellness Center. It's an institution as curriculums, a portfolio of activities for promoting and sharing the wellsprings of resiliency. For example, in our conversation, she says, look, slavery and segregation can't define Black history.
ATUM AZZAHIR: I got to get beyond that history. And we have to get beyond that history as a people. And we have to show that we did not come into existence in the enslavement process. That did not give birth to us. That we came into existence and survived this enslavement process with what we had before enslavement and that we had to now put something in place after enslavement that would put our own survival in our own hands.
That's how I got out of history into what I consider heritage, which is to find who you are, find your peoplehood, find those practices, customs, beliefs that have given us such great capacity to survive.
CHRIS FARRELL: So culture and heritage deeply matter across the generations.
CATHY WURZER: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. So I know one of the questions you like asking is whether there is a piece of advice that maybe she heard when she was young that she did not pay attention to, wishes that she had.
CHRIS FARRELL: So at 80 years old, she says the first thing that came to mind with that question is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
ATUM AZZAHIR: The reason that statement means a lot to me now is because I spent many years not feeling beautiful. And I spent many years recognizing that part of the work that happened to our people was that we also didn't and probably still now are working on believing that we are acceptable, that we have a presence that is powerful and amazing.
I wish I had listened to that and start to believe it earlier. Because self worth and self concept to me is the work that many of us are having to both do and also, once again, teach. Beauty to me is in a line with acceptance. And I have recently, just in recent years, learned that includes me.
CATHY WURZER: Mm. I know she's lived a very long, rich life. A lot of lessons for the rest of us. Did she say she's grateful for?
CHRIS FARRELL: Several things. Cathy, she's really proud of her sons, Anthony Taylor, Robert Taylor, and Nevin Taylor. Jeffrey Taylor-- he died 10 years ago, her fourth son. And she says that for a long time, she felt her calling was being a mother, a Black mother. But she also says she's grateful for knowledge from what she's learned throughout her life, much of it hard. And the day we spoke, she was grateful for the morning sun.
ATUM AZZAHIR: I saw this huge sunrise this morning. Looking out my window, it was so huge that I was struck by why was that today, and was I the only one seeing it? Because sometimes I can see-- [LAUGHS] I might be able to see the sunshine when it's cloudy outside.
So this day, I was thinking, oh my goodness, this is the most amazing kind of light after the dark. It was powerful. So I'm grateful to be able to see that kind of sunrise no matter where I am.
CATHY WURZER: Mm. I love that. I can just see that sunrise.
CHRIS FARRELL: It's a moment that really stayed with me.
CATHY WURZER: And at 80 years old, has what matters to her changed at all? She said she's learned a lot during her life.
CHRIS FARRELL: She says, yes, that there has been a change over the years.
ATUM AZZAHIR: I now know that what matters to me is accepting self and not looking to the outside for affirmation so much off the fact that acceptability is in the eyes or in the hands of those who are from the outside. But it's in my hands. That brings a lot of clarity to me on what my purpose is, what my calling is.
So I don't have to think about acceptability now. I just have to think about, do I have enough time left to do what I'm given to do as a part of my purpose and calling? Why did I come to the planet? That's what is important to me. I want to do what I came to do. [LAUGHS] Because I don't have much more time to do it. You know what I mean?
CATHY WURZER: Well, there's always time. Yeah, I know, but I'm thinking, knowing her, she's probably got a couple big projects left that she's working on.
CHRIS FARRELL: Absolutely. Just to highlight one of them-- and you won't be surprised, Cathy, by the scale of ambition-- the Center is currently raising money to build Dreamland at 38th Street and 3rd Avenue South in Minneapolis. So it will be a three-story building. It's going to house a food business incubator program, commercial kitchen, entrepreneurial development services, coworking space, community meeting and event space, and much more. It will be an institution that promotes community vitality and community resilience.
CATHY WURZER: I'm not surprised she's working on that. So did she give you any idea of what she-- what does she share with young people about just getting themselves started?
CHRIS FARRELL: So I love this. This is another one of those moments that I really love, Cathy. Because at eight decades, she has a real insight to share.
ATUM AZZAHIR: I really want people to know that you are acceptable. You are accepted already. You are free. And don't you forget that. You don't have to buy freedom. You do not have to buy acceptance and acceptability. And you are called into this life. And you don't have to look for life. It is available to you. And, once again, you are beautiful-- beautiful.
CATHY WURZER: Elder Atum of the Cultural Wellness Center in Minneapolis, what a story. Thank you, Chris.
CHRIS FARRELL: Thanks, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: Chris Farrell is MPR's senior economics contributor.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Support comes from the Guthrie Theater, presenting Art. With intense and funny dialogue, this Tony-winning satire circles questions about life, friendship, and what happens when worldviews collide, now through January 28, GuthrieTheater.org.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
In this series, we ask community elders to share their wisdom and lessons learned about what really matters in life. Today we're going to hear from elder Atum Azzahir. She was born in Mississippi in 1943 in Jim Crow South and came to Minnesota in 1978. She's the founder and executive director of the Cultural Wellness Center in Minneapolis. That's a nonprofit organization that opened in 1996.
The Cultural Wellness Center partners with counties, health care companies, and other organizations to promote the health and resiliency of the Black community. MPR's senior economics contributor Chris Farrell recently met with Elder Atum at the Center's place on Portland Avenue in Minneapolis. And he's back to talk about it.
This is one of my favorite series, my friend. So I'm really happy. The people you're talking to are just terrific. Elder Atum-- tell me a little bit about her.
CHRIS FARRELL: So, first, I'll say that she has several names that have been given to her by people in the community.
ATUM AZZAHIR: Lots of people call me Mother Atum. But I think I prefer Elder because I think that it has much more universal understanding.
CATHY WURZER: OK, so Elder Atum. So tell us about the Cultural Wellness Center because they've been involved in some really interesting, important health initiatives involving the Black community for many Years
CHRIS FARRELL: Yes, so it emphasizes the positive role that Black history and Black culture can play in addressing current social, economic, health problems. So just to give you two examples-- three examples, Cathy, there's the Community Health Hub. It's a partnership with Allina Health. And it promotes healthy activities like walking and yoga.
And another example was Ramsey County recently awarded a 2023 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize-- that's a mouthful-- for its collaborative initiative with the Cultural Wellness Center and the Black Community Commission on Health. And what their work does is it focuses on involving community members and policy leaders on ways to eliminate systemic racism practices.
And the Center also owns part of the Global Midtown Market. And if you visit the main floor of the market, you'll see the Cultural Heritage Kitchen. And it's going to bring ancient African grains into healthy meals for people in the area. Robert Taylor, one of Elder Atum's sons, is the executive chef.
CATHY WURZER: Oh, all right. Say, where do the ideas that inform the work of the Cultural Wellness Center come from?
CHRIS FARRELL: So this is a fascinating story. The genesis comes from the resiliency of the Black community Elder Atum witnessed growing up in Mississippi during Jim Crow. Despite the horrible atrocities perpetrated on the Black community, she was struck at how her parents and others in the community, they not only endured, but they were humane, loving, creative, energetic.
So the word that she uses a lot is resiliency and resilience. And when she moved to Minnesota, she took a Black history class with a group of Black women. And what she learned in class about Black history and culture, it inspired her to travel to the Caribbean and to Africa to learn from as many Black people and their experiences as she could.
And so the insights she gathered eventually became the Cultural Wellness Center. It's an institution as curriculums, a portfolio of activities for promoting and sharing the wellsprings of resiliency. For example, in our conversation, she says, look, slavery and segregation can't define Black history.
ATUM AZZAHIR: I got to get beyond that history. And we have to get beyond that history as a people. And we have to show that we did not come into existence in the enslavement process. That did not give birth to us. That we came into existence and survived this enslavement process with what we had before enslavement and that we had to now put something in place after enslavement that would put our own survival in our own hands.
That's how I got out of history into what I consider heritage, which is to find who you are, find your peoplehood, find those practices, customs, beliefs that have given us such great capacity to survive.
CHRIS FARRELL: So culture and heritage deeply matter across the generations.
CATHY WURZER: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. So I know one of the questions you like asking is whether there is a piece of advice that maybe she heard when she was young that she did not pay attention to, wishes that she had.
CHRIS FARRELL: So at 80 years old, she says the first thing that came to mind with that question is that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
ATUM AZZAHIR: The reason that statement means a lot to me now is because I spent many years not feeling beautiful. And I spent many years recognizing that part of the work that happened to our people was that we also didn't and probably still now are working on believing that we are acceptable, that we have a presence that is powerful and amazing.
I wish I had listened to that and start to believe it earlier. Because self worth and self concept to me is the work that many of us are having to both do and also, once again, teach. Beauty to me is in a line with acceptance. And I have recently, just in recent years, learned that includes me.
CATHY WURZER: Mm. I know she's lived a very long, rich life. A lot of lessons for the rest of us. Did she say she's grateful for?
CHRIS FARRELL: Several things. Cathy, she's really proud of her sons, Anthony Taylor, Robert Taylor, and Nevin Taylor. Jeffrey Taylor-- he died 10 years ago, her fourth son. And she says that for a long time, she felt her calling was being a mother, a Black mother. But she also says she's grateful for knowledge from what she's learned throughout her life, much of it hard. And the day we spoke, she was grateful for the morning sun.
ATUM AZZAHIR: I saw this huge sunrise this morning. Looking out my window, it was so huge that I was struck by why was that today, and was I the only one seeing it? Because sometimes I can see-- [LAUGHS] I might be able to see the sunshine when it's cloudy outside.
So this day, I was thinking, oh my goodness, this is the most amazing kind of light after the dark. It was powerful. So I'm grateful to be able to see that kind of sunrise no matter where I am.
CATHY WURZER: Mm. I love that. I can just see that sunrise.
CHRIS FARRELL: It's a moment that really stayed with me.
CATHY WURZER: And at 80 years old, has what matters to her changed at all? She said she's learned a lot during her life.
CHRIS FARRELL: She says, yes, that there has been a change over the years.
ATUM AZZAHIR: I now know that what matters to me is accepting self and not looking to the outside for affirmation so much off the fact that acceptability is in the eyes or in the hands of those who are from the outside. But it's in my hands. That brings a lot of clarity to me on what my purpose is, what my calling is.
So I don't have to think about acceptability now. I just have to think about, do I have enough time left to do what I'm given to do as a part of my purpose and calling? Why did I come to the planet? That's what is important to me. I want to do what I came to do. [LAUGHS] Because I don't have much more time to do it. You know what I mean?
CATHY WURZER: Well, there's always time. Yeah, I know, but I'm thinking, knowing her, she's probably got a couple big projects left that she's working on.
CHRIS FARRELL: Absolutely. Just to highlight one of them-- and you won't be surprised, Cathy, by the scale of ambition-- the Center is currently raising money to build Dreamland at 38th Street and 3rd Avenue South in Minneapolis. So it will be a three-story building. It's going to house a food business incubator program, commercial kitchen, entrepreneurial development services, coworking space, community meeting and event space, and much more. It will be an institution that promotes community vitality and community resilience.
CATHY WURZER: I'm not surprised she's working on that. So did she give you any idea of what she-- what does she share with young people about just getting themselves started?
CHRIS FARRELL: So I love this. This is another one of those moments that I really love, Cathy. Because at eight decades, she has a real insight to share.
ATUM AZZAHIR: I really want people to know that you are acceptable. You are accepted already. You are free. And don't you forget that. You don't have to buy freedom. You do not have to buy acceptance and acceptability. And you are called into this life. And you don't have to look for life. It is available to you. And, once again, you are beautiful-- beautiful.
CATHY WURZER: Elder Atum of the Cultural Wellness Center in Minneapolis, what a story. Thank you, Chris.
CHRIS FARRELL: Thanks, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: Chris Farrell is MPR's senior economics contributor.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Support comes from the Guthrie Theater, presenting Art. With intense and funny dialogue, this Tony-winning satire circles questions about life, friendship, and what happens when worldviews collide, now through January 28, GuthrieTheater.org.
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Transcription services provided by 3Play Media.