Ama Chandra

Interview with Ama Chandra, by Amy Cornell

Amy: Thank you so much for letting me interview you today! First, tell me about yourself.

Ama: The easiest thing to say is: My name is Shanahara Ama Chandra, most people know me as Ama Chandra. I recently received the naming Sanahara last November. So I’ve been working with that name more often. I’m a mother of 2, a daughter who is 8 and a son who is 13. I’m originally from a small town called Plant City, Florida but most of my adult life has been spent in the DMV, Baltimore specifically. I’m a singer/songwriter, really a vessel for spirit. I am very defined by heart relationships, so how we heal the relationships so we can be closer and work from our heart. Mostly, it’s the relationship problems that get us all into trouble, the difficulty communicating and such. For my day job I work as a nurse. I also do spiritually-based readings and sound healings and work in that capacity.

I do work through She Be Warrior and some of the callings came about from personal life experiences. She Be Warrior came about after I went through a really life-changing, violent situation and I became not just aware of everything that was going on but, the understanding that women needed to take it very deeply that they may be their only line of defense. You may be the only one you have that stands between danger and your children. Red Moon Lodge came from an understanding that it’s easy to get lost inside of the cycles of our present-day society, which aren’t really based on anything outside of “this just works for business” but when we connect back into nature, were able to connect it with the easiest calendar for us to follow, the seasons and our moon. When we can connect to those things, everything else begins to make sense because we can recognize that pattern. So, I could say more on any of these things and I’m sure you will ask questions that will allow us to dive deeper.

Amy: Yeah! I actually wanted to know more about She Be Warrior and what they do. Could you tell me more about that?

Ama: We are getting ready to relaunch with some interesting things coming up so this is a really powerful opportunity. When we first began, it started with my experience. I’ve been a martial artist for years. My stepdad was in the army, my biological dad was in the navy, a lot of military background and awareness is kind of put into me even at a young age. I started martial arts training in my twenties, and really it was about teaching about situational awareness and how to maintain a certain kind of energy in one’s body. When I went through this life-changing event back in 2015 I was able to survive it, I totally believe, through the grace of God’s spirit but also situational awareness and being able to use these warrior techniques that have been ingrained in me. Being very relaxed in the face of extreme danger, that gave me time and it helped me keep my wits about me.

So from there, I started seeing more women talk about dangerous things that were happening in their city. I’m the type of person that when I see things I decide to step up. So, we started having workshops. The idea was to start creating experiences that would allow women to recognize and unlock their power. During these transformational experiences, we would also engage in conversations that would really deepen people’s knowledge base so that they can apply it and gain wisdom in it as well as bring to the table things that they didn’t know, like things that they just had no awareness of. We had workshops like going to the gun range, we did that a few times. We invited different martial arts instructors to come and lead different sessions. And then it sort of morphed into me holding, what I call, the Solar Calendar so we began working on doing things quarterly or at least with the winter and summer solstice. With those events, we would usually talk about survivalist training, martial artist training and we would have different conversations led by the people who were present. As well as understanding who we are as natural beings. I believe that we kind of condition ourselves to give our authority and power to others. To keep us safe.

Amy: Yeah self-defense is very important for everyone to know.

Ama: Yes! And when you give your power to someone else to keep you safe, they might not keep your safe, and then you’re mad at them! But really, the responsibility in nature, teaches us that that is our responsibility.

Amy: Absolutely! I agree. What are your long term goals for She Be Warrior?

Ama: What I would love to see us become, is a membership organization. Memberships really drive us to be able to keep operating. Not really for a paycheck for anyone unless something huge happens, but really just to keep the organization operational so that we are able to hold training for us. If you’re someone interested in weapons training, we have people we can connect you to. Also, a repository for information like how do you take care of your family and how do you make sure that your children are safe and teach your children these things about safety. We are very fortunate we are connected to a family who does an exceptional job of teaching some of these things to children as well as women who have never done anything like that in their life and are terrified about it. She and I partner a lot on those conversations,

Outside of that I would love for it to become a space where, not only do we have these skills and resources to offer but, that we can continue to have what I’m planning right now, to launch the membership and get all those things in place next summer. I’m planning a week on the land, you know learning how to live off the land as women with children. So, beginning to have those kinds of regular events, to me it really takes us into a different level of owning our own selves and feeling confident in our ability to take care of ourselves. So from there, the sky is kinda the limit. We will see what women want to do, I imagine that it won’t just be my thoughts, it will be the thoughts led by those who are involved as well as our leadership council.

Amy: Memberships would be a really good idea! As you said, the sky is the limit, It would allow you to do so much more with the group. That’s really cool. Another question, what does being an activist mean to you?

Ama: Being an activist to me, it really means someone who, not only are they awake to what’s going on and are out of just the observer role (the people who see things happen but they just simply say “that’s terrible”), but you are now doing something actively. That active movement can come through in many ways. I’m not the one to tell anyone what it should look like to be an activist and I believe that there are many ways to be an activist but for me the keyword is active. You’re awake, you see and now you’re engaged. For me, activism has to have a goal, it can include being angry. Usually, that is what activates you. It clicks on and becomes a passion like “this can’t be this way”. But, it also means having a vision of what you want it to be and what do you want to take it to, so we don’t just stay in the space. You actually have a desire to do something even if you don’t know how it’s supposed to get done. I think a lot of people think activists are just angry, and of course, a part of that comes from the passion that is involved in most things. If something makes you come out of your life and do something, of course, it’s a passion, a fire in the belly so to speak. A fire in the belly and a fire in the heart. To me, I have to wear the fire that comes from my crown of wisdom as well, though. That is what would resolve this problem. Even if I don’t know how to get there, for me that is a part of being an activist. If you don’t have that, then you’re just reactionary.

Amy: Yeah I agree. Like you were saying earlier, I’ve been seeing a lot of people saying “you can’t just say you’re against something, and then it’s okay. You have to be actively against it and do something about it if you are really against it and really care about it." So I definitely agree with what you’re saying. We need to be actively against things we don’t like. For you, what role does art play in your activism?

Ama: Oh my, art is everything, right? And the reason why I say art is everything, especially in my work, is because it’s the way that artists think. It’s the artist’s mind and the artistic approach. It’s saying “I have this, this, and this. Oh I know, I can make this.” It’s an experiential quality. So, how that relates to She Be Warrior right now, allowing this energy to unfold organically, using the materials and the ideas at hand. Because I’m a singer, songwriter, and writer, I work to create harmonies with those things. So I have this note, this is my baseline melody, and we want a world where children and women can feel safe to live their lives. So that becomes the underlying tone, now how do we begin to weave different notes that are going to create a harmony, that is going to become a song we sing through our actions. Through our actions, that song gets sung until it becomes a new song within society.

I have been recently, of course, utilizing my singing as well as my voice through what I call sound healing and sound activations. I was preparing to start going out to some of these rallies and simply playing my bowls and playing some of my sounds just to put a particular tone in the air but I also know that I can do that from anywhere. So, I do that online just for putting particular tones out in the universe. I have had people write to me and let me know that it has been very helpful for them.

Amy: I saw that you stream that on Facebook Live, right?

Ama: Yes. I do it on Facebook Live and I also have more recently officially started posting on my youtube channel. I have had a youtube channel, but I wasn’t really doing a lot with it so I’ve decided to do more now. But I’m slowly growing, I went from 160 subscribers, now I have 208. I’m excited about it!

Amy: That’s awesome! Why did you choose to make music?

Ama: Did I choose or did it choose me? I think it’s just that I am music in a lot of ways. People tell me that when I talk, I sound like music. I come from a very musical family, singers abound, musicians abound. I’ve sung forever, in school, in the choir, in college, and my martial arts incorporates music. It wasn’t until I was divorcing my first husband that I decided to explore my voice again. That’s how it’s been ever since. At this point, about 13 years into singing out and at least 10 years into doing it professionally, it has been pretty amazing.

Amy: Do you encourage your children to get involved with your activism?

Ama: I do, I do. I encourage them mostly though to think and to have necessary conversations. For me, there are things that I needed them to come to me with passion about. I wouldn’t ever want to stop them from anything that has activated them or that they’re passionate about, but we have the conversations. There are times where we have gone out to do things. I haven’t taken them to many rallies because I’ve been out of the Baltimore area so I haven’t been able to do much with them there, but when it comes to having the mindset towards engagement and civic engagement, that’s very important to me for my children.

Amy: That’s great! It must be hard to balance wanting them to be kids with wanting them to be active and socially aware.

Ama: Well, it’s one of those things. They’re gonna be kids, they are kids. They’re just kids who are going to be active and aware. That’s aware of everything from food and food safety, health and wellness, political things that are happening. They’re kids who have a wider expanse of knowledge as opposed to whatever they’re seeing on television or youtube. They can be very deep in that place or they can be very wide and deep. That’s what I’m looking for.

Amy: How do you balance your family and your children with your two careers and your activism? That seems like a lot to balance.

Ama: Yeah, it is a lot to balance. One of the ways that I have to do that is having to take a back seat to certain things. I recently heard one of my friends say “know what’s plastic and what’s glass.” Certain things are glass so if you drop it, it’s a big deal. Other things are plastic, so if you drop it, it’s not such a big deal. You might have a mess, but you won’t have the same kind of mess that you would have from dropping the glass that is irreparable. So, when it comes to making the balance, the most radical thing I did for the sake of my children and community work was to leave my very good job. I was working as a nurse case manager, which was a pretty stable and secure position, and I left that to go to work as a teacher’s aid.

Amy: Wow that’s a big difference and a scary change.

Ama: There was a lot of stuff going on at their school and the kids simply needed a healthy, whole human who wasn’t scared to walk the school and say things. It was embarrassing for my kids at times, but I also had children come to me after and let me know that it was really important. If I hadn’t said this or that, it would’ve made a big difference to the students. That was probably the most radical thing that I did in terms of trying to balance. We will figure out the finances. Dropping the glass would’ve been letting them keep doing what they were doing and me keeping my life going over there. I had to bring my life to that place.

We are kind of shifting, my son is with his father right now because his father really needs him there. That means that my daughter and I are having a more intimate experience. I’ll tell you, COVID has been exciting. Being able to work from home, which I was already doing, and seeing my daughter’s education from home. Her witnessing me do all of my work digitally, having important conversations and being there for each other. If I’m having calls and we’re planning stuff for The People’s Coalition, another group I’ve been working with made up of Black and brown indigenous people of the world, my daughter sees all that and she’s right in the midst of that. And we talk about it. So, the balance is making sure I don’t drop the things that only I can take care of, and that is vital, IE, my kids. Of course, there are times where I have to tell them “you’ll be fine, go over there while I get my work done.”

I’m not looking for perfection, I know I’m going to mess up, I know I’m not going to get it right, but I have no doubts that they know I love them and that I’m passionate about our world. They also know I’m passionate about the world because I love them, so it all balances out.

Amy: You mentioned that you work from home, do you still do your nursing work?

Ama: Yes, I do. I was fortunate enough that the same job I left to be a teacher’s aid, let me get my job back, and work remotely from Florida, where I am currently living. I’ve been working for them for over a year now, from home. I work for a practice in Maryland, from Florida as a nurse case manager. I call patients on the phone and do a lot of work with our seniors. I talk to folks and try to keep them safe and healthy. So COVID wasn’t a big shift for me, the bigger shift was my children being home while I try to do it.

Amy: I know you were already working from home but how else has COVID-19 affected your work, specifically as an activist.

Ama: Well, it got me more creative. Right now, I see myself really serving the world. I would go live on Facebook before and I would kind of keep my mouth shut like “Nah you don’t really want to hear me” but eventually I began to hear more and more “actually we do!” and “actually I follow you and keep up with you”, “actually I need to hear what you have to say.” Eventually, I began to finally get it. So, early on I started keeping certain days to go out with my bowls and play bowls. I would do it occasionally before, but I started doing it regularly during COVID-19. I had people who would show up regularly! And now I have a global following of people who check in with me around my check-ins with them around health, and life, and love and family. Family during the time of COVID is a huge thing. There are so many topics that we can kind of explore and I do it from the space of my bedroom with my bowls, my voice, my big open heart, and curious ears. I want to hear. I get inbox messages, I’ve started calling them blue light specials, and whenever I get them, I go live and do a blue light special about what I’m hearing and what is coming through me, to speak to them. If anything, it shifted a lot.

We did do a She Be Warrior event where we brought in 3 different activists for the summer solstice, so that was fun. We had a conversation about what it’s like to live off the land. Someone else spoke about what it is like to be prepared in an Urban environment. It also allowed me to participate in other events, so I’ve participated in holding sacred space as well as being a voice to add to other martial arts groups and women’s healing, so that has been cool.

Amy: Have you faced any backlash for your work?

Ama: Um… not yet. I say not yet because, you know, now people are getting to the place where they have more things to be angry about. I will be on steps with crystal bowls and singing songs with a speaker and that might create some pushback. “Why are you here? What are you doing? What’s going on?!” I’m grateful that I am 6ft tall, I’m grateful that people think twice, and I’m grateful that I present very calming energy. Going back to when you asked what is my ultimate goal. My ultimate goal is peace. So if you’re coming from something outside of that, we’re going to clash because of that but I know what my ultimate goal is. So, I will say, am I prepared that there will be pushback? Yes, especially because we created an organization that has deep beliefs about self-preservation focused specifically on women maintaining their own sovereignty and personal boundaries. I could see people not liking that, I can see how me talking to children about their wellness and speaking to them outside of certain paradigms of right and wrong, I could see people pushing back on that. I can see that happening but am I worried about it? Not at all.

Amy: That’s great! Are there any projects you’ve been working on recently?

Ama: I just became a member of the Baltimore Wisdom Project as their healing arts fellow. I will be working with them, they work with a very diverse community of families who have been heavily hit with the financial impact from COVID-19. So, I will be providing for them, sound healing, which I’m excited about. They did a whole series over the summer that I was apart of as well. They would bring me in to do this work to create safe spaces and meditative spaces. That’s been a big one. I’m also currently, I’ll share this with you, I’m currently comprising a list of songs and psalms to the spirit of the great mother. Most artists only allow space for the sacred father. Everything has a masculine and feminine pull, and we wonder why we aren’t in balance, we need to balance it by creating songs to both the great mother and the great father. There are songs to the great mother but there are some that are coming through me. So I am right now comprising a litany of these songs to release as an honoring to the great mother energy. So, I’m excited about that.

Amy: Yes that is really exciting!

Ama: It is! It revealed itself to me when I looked at my phone and saw that I had a bunch of songs that come through after meditations and after prayer time. Something will show up and then I’ll just record it.

I’m also going to be in Baltimore right after the election as a part of The People’s Coalition. We are going to be there doing some work in the park. It is going to be a coalition between Native Americans and urban African Americans and anyone else who wants to be there as a part of gathering the people. We will be sharing stories from our elders, playing drums, and dancing. We are planning on doing that outside, that’s really the only way we can do it in a safe, socially distanced way. We are also holding space for one of the elder teachers from the Lakota tribe who will be coming in. In the last year, I’ve been getting more relationships with people from indigenous communities. So those are a few things that are coming up.

There will be a Winter Solstice gathering for She Be Warrior, and then of course my goal is planning out our outdoor adventure and where that is going to be. We have to figure out where that is going to be because we are going to be camping out. It’ll be really fun.

Amy: November is a great time, right after the election, to get people together for the People’s Coalition event. I think people really need it. Is there anything else I may have missed that you would like to talk about now?

Ama: You know, I would like to share this. The courage around doing something, the courage around saying something, the courage around putting yourself out there, it doesn’t have to look like what anyone else does, it just has to be awakened or decided upon. You can show up in whatever way feels good to you. One of the most radical things we can do is to work to heal our relationships with our family members in whatever ways we can, or give them space for the relationships to work themselves out. For me, activism and creating a world that works for everyone is really about each one of us having the courage to show up in the best ways that we can. Unapologetically, unashamedly, and celebrate it for what it is.

Amy: Thank you so much! That is so inspirational!

Ama: Thank you, Amy. Thank you for choosing to lean in a little closer to my story.