A lot of mixed emotions about Black Lightning Season 2 Episode 11 Book of Secrets:Chapter1 Prodigal Son. The death of a once, young promising life of a Black teenager, a community under seige, and the traumatizing conditions affecting every Black man, Black woman and Black child. But as always great dialogue gets me every time. Reverend Jeremiah Holt delivers another gut punched sermon.

Reverend Holt : … Currently in a battle. See every second of every minute of every day every man, woman and child right here in Freeland are fighting for their lives whether they realize it or not. Freeland is under seige by enemy forces seen and unseen known and unknown. The 100 and other rival gangs are killing each other. The problem is the stray bullets are killing our children.

Reverend Holt: Over hundred of years of slavery and Jim Crow laws the one thing we have learned we can not depend on Democrats or the Republicans or the Independents. The one thing that has been constant and consistant during our struggle in this country has been… our Black sweat, our hard work and our determination to change our condition. We have to fight and battle forces in our community and outside our community. We can not depend on Black Lightning or Thunder or anybody else to help us. We, us have to take back our streets. We have to take back our neighborhoods. We have to take back our community. We have to take back our culture… with our own hands. We can do it.

Reverend Holt: No more moaning. No more tears. We’re not going to ask any more for justice. We are going to take our retribution. We’re not going to be victims any more. We can not let this world put out the fire that our ancestors lit that carried us through the darkness. We have to teach our children not to bend or bow down to claim what our ancestors left. Teach our children to claim their destinies and embrace their power so they can boldly use it for the benefit of our people. We got a long way to go. I said we got a long way to go. But we’ve come so far. Nobody has given us anything and they’re not going to give us anything. I said every ounce of freedom that we have we had to take it. So I say thanks…to Harriet Tubman!…Fannie Lou Hamer! Rosa Parks! Martin Luther King Jr! If you with me say Amen!…..