S2 Ep 36. Stories Erased and Found: Rashida Godwin on History, Astrology, and Self-Determination

In this inspiring episode of ABWilson's Heart of the Matter, host Aderonke welcomes Rashida Godwin, a passionate living historian and entrepreneur devoted to uncovering and sharing the African diaspora history of Bermuda.

With heartfelt candor, Rashida speaks about the perseverance and determination that drive her mission to bring long-overlooked stories of Black Bermudian history to light. Her work draws from a range of sources, including government records and British archives, revealing truths that have often been erased or forgotten.

Listeners will follow Rashida’s journey as she creates immersive, educational tours that honor the African diaspora's legacy on the island. She reflects on the power of pairing passion with purpose and how she weaves astrology into her historical storytelling, offering a perspective that is both grounded and spiritually rich.

Throughout the conversation, Rashida shares how storytelling can uplift entire communities. She talks about her business, Titan, and how it not only supports cultural tourism but also creates job opportunities and fosters pride in Bermudian heritage. Her insights echo the African philosophy of Sankofa—the idea that looking back can guide us forward.

The episode also explores Rashida’s personal interests, including her deep love for astrology and how it enriches her understanding of history and human experience. She opens up about the challenges she faces as a Black historian in Bermuda, the importance of wellness and self-care, and the transformative impact her work has on young people and the wider community.

Featured book recommendations include The History of Mary Prince, a moving firsthand account of enslavement in Bermuda, and Abiola Abrams’ work on manifestation and astrology, which aligns with Rashida’s holistic approach to history and empowerment.

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Transcript

Aderonke (00:01.111)
 Welcome to another edition of ABWilson's Heart of the Matter, a podcast that uses overwhelmingly positive questions to learn about our guests, where every episode uncovers extraordinary stories of triumph, growth, and empowerment. Hi, I'm Aderonke Bademosi Wilson, and my guest on today's show is Rashida Godwin. Rashida is… perseverance, determination, passion. Rashida, welcome to the show.

Rashida Godwin (00:36.898)
 Thank you, thanks for having me.

Aderonke (00:39.799)
 And so, Rashida, I want to go into your descriptors to get us started. What does perseverance look like for you? What does that mean?

Rashida Godwin (00:48.782)
 To me, perseverance is really important because there's always a solution. I often see problems as opportunities. So for me, we will find a way. We will figure it out. We will figure it out. That's just my personality—it’s like, we'll find a way. No worries. Yeah, so definitely perseverance.

Aderonke (01:17.495)
 And determination, that sounds like it goes hand in hand.

Rashida Godwin (01:20.62)
 Yeah, I'm very determined. I put my mind to something. I'm definitely going to get it done and accomplish it to the best of my ability and stay steadfast. So that's definitely the determination side for sure.

Aderonke (01:36.539)
 And I'm passionate. Tell me about your passion. What are you passionate about?

Rashida Godwin (01:40.751)
 I'm very passionate because I also share the African diaspora history here in Bermuda. A lot of stories—I’m very passionate about that. Sometimes my passion can be a bit overwhelming because I can get a bit emotional, but I try my best to ensure that I get the message across as best I can, although sometimes I might put too much emotion into it. But because our stories—the stories of many Black people and enslaved people—were oppressed. These stories were never told. It was like an erasure of history. And it was a deliberate attempt to erase us from history. So finding out a lot of this information, I put my passion behind it and started offering various tools to the public if they wanted to attend.

Aderonke (02:30.873)
 So how do you go about finding stories that have been erased from a country's history, from a people's history?

Rashida Godwin (02:37.55)
 It's so interesting because a lot of the information is still right there in Bermuda—in government archives, even in the British archives, with Bermuda being a British colony. One of the stories I share that I'm very passionate about is called the Mary Prince story. Her story is actually in a book. It's a small book, not a very big one. Her book can still be found in the Bermuda Library, the Bermuda government archives, the British government archives, and even in several other British sources. There’s also a book called Chain on the Rock: Enslavement in Bermuda by Packwood, and he talks about her a lot as well. These stories were not even covered in school or anything. The information was there, but it was pretty much left on the table—not included in any curriculum. I'm not saying anything against schools because families should be teaching their own children and people about this information; I believe that should be our own work. But it was just something I would discuss, especially when we have a holiday every year called Emancipation Day that we celebrate. Her story is the beginning of that holiday, but no mention was ever made of us. So it's somewhat bittersweet that we're only really finding out about her story now, even though she told it in the 1800s.

Aderonke (04:05.871)
 And what drives this passion? How did you get started going down this road of uncovering stories, uncovering history in Bermuda?

Rashida Godwin (04:18.988)
 In my family, I always had uncles and even my dad sharing information, but we would just keep it amongst ourselves. We were always worried about it, like, you know, we just share a little bit of information. Then I would share stuff with friends. And I love to read, so I read a lot. Actually, some people pulled this out of me because I was just fine reading by myself and had my little group of friends I met with. We talked about history and different things like that, then we left. Then I had a group of young people in Bermuda who were actually in international business. They knew that I knew somebody's history, somebody's stories that I shared with them or their friends or siblings. We’d walk somewhere and every time I’d go somewhere I’d say, "You guys ever heard about this story?" I was one of those people. They’d say, "No, share," and it was all sorts of people.

What happened was many of these young people—they were probably in their early to mid-20s—and they felt like they were going into corporate areas, and they realized something was missing. Some said they felt like they were being made fun of because different people from other countries would say, "How did people like you get here?" because they say there were no real indigenous people in Bermuda. Sadly, many of our young Black children didn’t even know. They would just say, "Oh, we came from..." My granny or somebody said we came from St. Kitts. And someone at the job would constantly say, "Read, I read that there was enslavement and different things going on in Bermuda." And I told those people they just didn’t know, because nobody shared their stories. They felt like they were being tested on their knowledge, like somebody kept saying.

Rashida Godwin (06:29.336)
 They would throw questions at him: "Okay, you don’t even know your history." Yes, I had a young lady reach out to me and I said, "Okay." At first, I thought I was going to take her, then she shared it with several people. She called me back the day before and said, "I have about 20 other friends I want to take." I was like, "What? Okay." So yeah, I decided that night because I do love it. So that same night...

Aderonke (06:35.171)
 Hmm.

Rashida Godwin (06:58.87)
 I forget, it was a rainy night. I said, "You know what? I'm going to buckle on." I said a prayer. I asked the ancestors for help, and they helped me. I said, "Help me put something together for these young people so I could take them out." I took them out for six to seven hours the next day, all throughout Bermuda. I took them to various sites and shared with them the African diaspora history here on the island.

Aderonke (07:23.501)
 Rashida, thank you. Thank you for sharing how you have indeed become a living historian for Bermuda. And so I would like our listeners to learn even more about you. Please share three interesting things about yourself that our listeners may not know and your friends would be surprised to learn.

Rashida Godwin (07:24.982)
 Mm-hmm.

Rashida Godwin (07:47.823)
 Three interesting things. Like I said, I do love the passion of history, but my real passion is astrology. I love astrology. I'm addicted to it. I have so many astrology books. I study it. I love learning about how the stars and our signs connect. I'm one of those people who would see some of your behaviors and say, "So, what sign are you?" and then you’d say, "Okay." I’d say, "Alright, I got you." And understanding astrology along with history means you never get offended by what anybody does. Because most times, the astrological sun sign, your moon sign—your ego sign—and your spirit signs, most people... because we’re not aware of these things, most of us act off our ego sign, which is often our sun sign. But what we have to do is rise above and be more spiritual and tap more into our moon sign, which most of us aren’t aware of. That's a conversation I don’t really share much because even my family would be surprised—most people think, "Well, you’re just into history." I’m like, "I like history, but I am completely into astrology." I love learning about the stars, how your signs affect you, what times and days we should be out or inside because of different things affecting the stars. Even how history has affected astrology and the different books people read is so interesting. A lot of people read the Bible and go to church, but the Bible is really a book of astrology, but many don’t see it that way.

Aderonke (09:47.8)
 Okay, so you just said something so controversial! My goodness, I’m not sure where to go from here.

Rashida Godwin (09:56.779)
 Yeah, that’s one of my secrets. But it’s a conversation I have with a lot of my overseas friends. We have fun with it, maybe on a Zoom Friday or Saturday night. That’s my thing. I just enjoy astrology.

Aderonke (10:14.191)
 So, okay, there’s so much. I’m gonna actually touch just a little on your comment on the Bible. Tell me more.

Rashida Godwin (10:25.588)
 Mm-hmm. Literally, every holiday we celebrate—like Easter, lots of Bible stories are stories of stars in the sky. Even Christmas, when they’re talking about... I’m not taking away anything. I always tell Christian people: these stories are great and have great principles to live by. This is nothing against Christianity or anyone’s religion. If it works for you, enjoy it. I respect you. But respectfully, for example, Christmas says the sun (S-U-N) was born. That was the sun, not the son (S-O-N). Through history, the story of the sun was made literal into the son. Thousands of years ago, even in Egypt (Kamit), there was a story of Horus, also named Horus, Usa, and Aset. It was allegory.

Aderonke (11:38.469)
 Mm-hmm.

Rashida Godwin (11:55.607)
 Allegory stories back then—they’d look up at the sun. They didn’t have TV or anything. So many stories were of the sky, talking about constellations. Even if you look up at the constellations in December, you’ll still see the story in the sky: the sun and different things going on. So, many of these stories, including Easter, are based on stories in the sky—astrology, stars, constellations. History and time simplified them into literal stories to help people comprehend. That’s what happened. But sometimes there’s a danger in making things literal because people think they were actual living people, but most times they weren’t—just stories of morality to help people be better.

Aderonke (13:02.211)
 Thank you for that explanation. And so, give me two other things people may not know about you.

Rashida Godwin (13:11.406)
 Other than that, I’m really shy and really quiet. People don’t believe that—they say, "Yeah, you’re right." But yeah. I really just like to have a book, some dessert, tea, or coffee, and I’m happy.

Aderonke (13:36.827)
 Wow, thank you. So, you’re shy and quiet and you love a book, dessert, tea, or coffee. So when you’re with your book, you’re just relaxing—it’s your "you time."

Rashida Godwin (13:39.374)
 Yeah.

Rashida Godwin (13:51.375)
 Yes, I literally get lost in my book. I feel like I am in the book. My mind is right into it. Sometimes if someone’s calling me, even family, I wouldn’t hear because I’m so tuned in.

Aderonke (14:12.931)
 Thank you. We’re going to come to book recommendations a little later, so I’m looking forward to hearing what you suggest. Rashida, can you tell us about a recent accomplishment or success you’re particularly proud of?

Rashida Godwin (14:35.424)
 I can’t even... let me see... (laughs). I’m just happy that I’m able to share information and do things for people. I can’t really think of a recent accomplishment or success.

Aderonke (14:55.681)
 Anything with your business or your family?

Rashida Godwin (14:59.364)
 Yeah, the business is still going. I have to do a lot of training to keep it going, so I’m glad I’m able to train a few people well enough to leave them so they can do their job. That’s an accomplishment in many ways because it takes time to train people.

Aderonke (15:26.681)
 Thank you. Please tell us about a time when you made a difference in another’s life. What were the circumstances? Paint a picture for me.

Rashida Godwin (15:38.286)
 I feel like I’m doing that constantly. One of my favorites this year was doing tours with young people at Cedar Bridge. The Social Studies Department asked me to do African Diaspora tours for the week, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I learned a lot from the children as they learned from me, which was so interesting. Many of those who were considered troublemakers were very engaged. At the end, many came to thank me for coming to their school and sharing information that would help them. That was a real highlight for me this year—I just loved it.

Aderonke (16:52.397)
 Mmm.

Aderonke (16:57.943)
 What key strengths and qualities do you rely on to make a difference?

Rashida Godwin (17:05.398)
 It goes back to the three I shared: definitely my passion and determination. You have to be passionate; without passion, I wouldn’t be very engaged. My passion fuels my determination to put everything together.

Aderonke (17:26.607)
 Excellent, thank you. Can you recall a situation where you overcame a challenge that led to personal growth? What did you learn?

Rashida Godwin (17:29.515)
 No.

Rashida Godwin (17:41.386)
 I’m constantly challenged. I swear it feels like the ancestors tease me. Sometimes last-minute things come up at work, and I’m like, “How am I going to squeeze this in and fix this?” But I tend to figure it out. I can’t think of a specific example right now.

Aderonke (18:22.351)
 Okay. How about as you developed your career, or made life decisions being the historian you are—what did you have to go through to get to your current success?

Rashida Godwin (18:30.222)
 Mm-hmm.

Rashida Godwin (18:38.85)
 I don’t know.

Rashida Godwin (18:48.866)
 Mm-hmm.

Aderonke (18:52.035)
 The space in Bermuda for history to come alive.

Rashida Godwin (18:57.29)
 Yeah, I’ve had many challenges that I usually don’t share, as I try to stay positive. But many entities don’t appreciate this information being shared. They try to keep me from being welcome in some places, but I still go because I feel my ancestors and many others built and worked these places, even if as enslaved people. I have every right to be there. One tour I do each March is at the national museum. I wasn’t keen on doing it this year but was contacted by people who wanted it. I even attended a CARICOM webinar encouraging folks who do tours on African diaspora or enslavement history. It feels like more than ever we need to keep the candle lit and keep this message going. So I decided to still offer tours there.

Starting the business, I was in corporate for a while, but as I got older, especially approaching 50, I realized I needed changes. I read a lot, and sometimes my family says I read or think too much. One thing I look at closely is when the government talks about pensions. I think I don’t want to rely on government pensions in the future because drastic changes are coming, and everyone is quiet about it with a deadline approaching. When the deadline is announced, I panic a bit.

Rashida Godwin (21:21.228)
 It’s probably before that time that something will run out. I panic sometimes and talk to people who say, “Why worry? That’s 20 years away." But I know how fast 20 years go. So that makes me want to be in good health, keep my business running, and have something I created through self-determination to fall back on instead of a government pension. That’s what helps me overcome challenges. I realized at 50, heading toward pension age, I need to direct my life with purpose.

Aderonke (22:22.255)
 Thank you, Rashida.

Rashida Godwin (22:24.206)
 You’re welcome.

Aderonke (22:25.719)
 You’re listening to A.B. Wilson's Heart of the Matter podcast. Welcome back. My guest today is Rashida Godwin. Rashida, we’ve talked about your passions and determination. Tell me about your self-care practices. What strategies help you sustain your energy and motivation on this journey?

Rashida Godwin (22:57.806)
 I need to be better at self-care, to be honest. I love tea, coffee, and dessert—I need to cut back on desserts. I’m working on that. For self-care, I do yoga and meditation. I love it. I go to Treehouse, which has great yoga and meditation classes with Tiffany and a great team. They have a great schedule. I also sometimes go to Spirit House on Sundays for meditation. For my personal care, I find it’s important to get my mind right, and once my mind is right, everything else—my body, my thinking—can be right. I take personal care seriously, but sometimes I’m like a toddler still wanting cake.

Aderonke (24:17.977)
 How might sharing your experiences of success and growth create a positive ripple effect in your family, community, and the world?

Rashida Godwin (24:29.408)
 I hope it does. I take Titan very seriously. My template for Titan is from Marcus Garvey. I love reading about him and the information he left. Many races use it—Asians, whites, not just Black people, even though he addressed Black people mainly. Marcus Garvey is about self-determination to create systems that people can rely on to care for themselves. I try to build Titan in that framework. I realized with one staff member that I thought charity was helping people, but maturing, I understood that truly helping people means providing jobs.

I hired a young man who asked for a job. I told him the qualifications he needed. He got them and said he needed help taking care of his children. I said, "If you get this, we’ll give you a chance." I gave him the opportunity, and he was great. I’ll never forget when he got his first paycheck—he thanked me, saying it helped him a lot. That touched me deeply. I realized being an elder in the community means creating opportunities for younger people or anyone in the community. To help people, you create jobs.

Aderonke (26:42.713)
 Tell us more about Titan, tell us about your business.

Rashida Godwin (26:45.326)
 Titan is a beast—lots of work. We are a minibuss and transportation and tour company with eight buses. Each bus seats 22 passengers. We also have a wheelchair-accessible bus. We do group transport and tours with cruise ships arriving in Dockyard, and at ports in St. George’s and Hamilton. I train staff to be tour guides, providing regular tours throughout the island. It takes up a lot of my time. I also have another older gentleman trainer. Many destination weddings and large groups use us. From now until November and into December, we’re busy. The first three months of the year are quiet, but otherwise, we’re busy.

Aderonke (28:01.743)
 Congratulations. When did you start the company?

Rashida Godwin (28:03.832)
 Thank you. We started in 2016.

Aderonke (28:11.427)
 What exciting opportunities do you see on the horizon, and how do these align with your passions and aspirations?

Rashida Godwin (28:21.14)
 There are lots of opportunities. Bermuda feels like a country, but we haven’t taken our tourism product seriously enough. We have many opportunities to expand tourism here, especially with many things happening. Bermuda is naturally beautiful—our beaches are stunning and the people are beautiful. It’s not hard to do tours here; sharing a little makes it enjoyable. I want to expand my business in tourism. I’m looking forward to having my team do what they need, so as I get older, I can enjoy the business more.

Aderonke (29:24.319)
 What brings you joy?

Rashida Godwin (29:26.658)
 Many things. My grandbaby, my son, my husband, family—those bring me joy. Just being well. Mental health brings me joy. I know many struggle these days, so I feel blessed to be in a good frame of mind.

Aderonke (30:08.152)
 So this is the question I referenced earlier: what book recommendation do you have? It can be a recent read or something that has stayed with you over the years.

Rashida Godwin (30:16.782)
 Mm-hmm.

Rashida Godwin (30:20.396)
 I recommend everyone read Mary Prince’s book. You can buy it at Broninco, online, or rent it from the library. Her book is fascinating; it gives a deep look at enslavement in Bermuda. It also shows how our behaviors today relate to where we came from. Many behaviors haven’t changed much. It’s not an easy book—I understand some will cry reading it—but it’s important and necessary for all to read. I just finished reading From Imagination to Reality by Abiola Abrams, about secrets to manifestation, lessons, and the law of assumption by Abiola, a master alchemist. It has astrology and more. The book feels like floating in space while manifesting. I love this book. Abiola also wrote The Initiation of the African Goddess. I love that stuff. This is my favorite right now.

Aderonke (32:08.152)
 Thank you. Rashida, do you have any final thoughts to share?

Rashida Godwin (32:16.001)
 I know times are tough. People face many challenges and change. I know some have great jobs but feel something’s missing. I always say, to understand where we are today, we must go back and read history. There’s an African word, sankofa, meaning “go back and fetch.” When confused, we must acknowledge the past to understand the future. That’s a key missing element. We often look only forward and get frustrated, not realizing others have been through or are still going through the same struggles. Going back to the past helps us find guideposts to move forward. That’s so important.

Aderonke (33:35.215)
 When you bring astrology and history together, what does that mean to you? For someone like me not knowledgeable about astrology but with some understanding of history, how do these come together?

Rashida Godwin (33:56.044)
 Mm-hmm.

Rashida Godwin (34:04.322)
 They’re a union. It’s like you have a clock with many pieces—you can’t figure out the clock without instructions. History and astrology are that instructional manual to put the clock together. Once you have it, you know the direction and time because we’ve been here before but didn’t know it. For example, in US history, Trump reads astrology and history. He’s reviving laws from the 1700s. They know the outcomes of laws because when systems are created—what we call institutional white supremacy—I call institutional white savagery—everything is very savage. Language matters; if you want to change something, redefine it so people don’t want to be associated with it. That’s why I call it white savagery—there’s nothing supreme, just continued oppression. Learning history and astrology together helps you understand today and how to move forward. I see what he’s doing. It saddens me many of our people aren’t knowledgeable about history or astrology. That’s fine, but it means little has changed because we should be stopping these people. You can’t do it alone; it takes group work. Our ancestors knew this, hence so many uprisings.

Rashida Godwin (36:25.92)
 There were constant uprisings throughout the Caribbean, even during enslavement, to stop people like this. But we’re many times under a system we think benefits us. That comfort keeps us immobile; we watch it happen to others and think, "That’s not me." But when those people run out, they come here. History repeats. We don’t realize there’s a group of really horrible, wicked people who never stop. But it seems there’s a group of us who stop them. You have to watch what happens; it all puts things into perspective. You won’t get confused with astrology and history because looking at history, we really haven’t learned. We’re repeating everything. Even in the US and other places, banned and burned books show a template played out again to test reactions. Many haven’t reacted yet.

Aderonke (38:17.465)
 Rashida, thank you for your time today, your knowledge, and your perspective on life and history. I’ve learned a bit more about astrology, especially around the sun and moon.

Rashida Godwin (38:17.518)
 Yeah.

Rashida Godwin (38:37.889)
 Yeah.

Rashida Godwin (38:45.964)
 Yeah, welcome. I have another favorite astrology book called Astrology Decoded. It has a book called Grateful Beginners if you want to just dip into it. The author has many YouTube videos too. His name is Vish… I can’t pronounce it; it’s an Indian name. He’s very passionate.

Aderonke (38:47.759)
 You…

Rashida Godwin (39:15.416)
 Astrology for Dumbest Person, but he’s great and passionate. This is one of the books I give out. These are my books for men, only playing and reading. Many watch his videos while I read. If you want to just dabble, here’s a great one. I have a lot of books.

Aderonke (39:45.135)
 Some appreciation nuggets I’m taking away today: “We will find a way,” determination, staying focused. You cited Marcus Garvey and his philosophy of self-determination to create systems.

Rashida Godwin (39:58.104)
 Yeah.

Aderonke (40:14.937)
 To take care of ourselves. And another nugget: If you want to help people, create jobs.

Rashida Godwin (40:17.282)
 Yes.

Rashida Godwin (40:26.508)
 Yes.

Aderonke (40:28.205)
 Rashida, thank you so much for your time and wisdom today. I appreciate you being here on A.B. Wilson’s Heart of the Matter, a podcast dedicated to overwhelmingly positive questions revealing incredible stories. Thank you.

Rashida Godwin (40:54.009)
 Thank you, it’s my pleasure.

Let me know if any further adjustments are needed.Here is the copyedited transcript preserving timestamps and content, fixing obvious typos and improving clarity:

Aderonke (00:01.111)
 Welcome to another edition of A.B. Wilson's Heart of the Matter, a podcast that uses overwhelmingly positive questions to learn about our guests, where every episode uncovers extraordinary stories of triumph, growth, and empowerment. Hi, I'm Adiranka Badamosi Wilson, and my guest on today's show is Rashida Godwin. Rashida is… perseverance, determination, passion. Rashida, welcome to the show.

Rashida Godwin (00:36.898)
 Thank you, thanks for having me.

Aderonke (00:39.799)
 And so, Rashida, I want to go into your descriptors to get us started. What does perseverance look like for you? What does that mean?

Rashida Godwin (00:48.782)
 To me, perseverance is really important because there's always a solution. I often see problems as opportunities. So for me, we will find a way. We will figure it out. That's just my personality — we'll find a way. No worries. Yeah, so definitely perseverance.

Aderonke (01:17.495)
 And determination, that sounds like it goes hand in hand.

Rashida Godwin (01:20.62)
 Yeah, I'm very determined. I put my mind to something. I'm definitely going to get it done and accomplish it to the best of my ability and stay steadfast. So that's definitely the determination side for sure.

Aderonke (01:36.539)
 And I'm passionate. Tell me about your passion. What are you passionate about?

Rashida Godwin (01:40.751)
 I'm very passionate about sharing the African diaspora history here in Bermuda. Sometimes my passion can be a bit overwhelming because I get emotional, but I try to get the message across as best I can. Our stories—those of Black and enslaved people—were oppressed, erased deliberately from history. Finding this information, I put my passion behind it and offer various tools to the public to attend.

Aderonke (02:30.873)
 So how do you go about finding stories erased from a country's or people's history?

Rashida Godwin (02:37.55)
 A lot of the information is still in Bermuda—in government archives and British archives, since Bermuda was a British colony. One story I’m passionate about is Mary Prince's. Her book, small in size, is in Bermuda libraries and archives, British archives, and referenced in Packwood's Chain on the Rock: Enslavement in Bermuda. These stories weren’t covered in schools, mostly left off curriculums. Families should teach this, but it was rarely included formally. We have a holiday called Emancipation Day connected to her story but with little mention of us. It's bittersweet discovering her story now, though she told it in the 1800s.

Aderonke (04:05.871)
 What drives your passion? How did you start uncovering Bermuda’s history?

Rashida Godwin (04:18.988)
 In my family, uncles and my dad shared stories but kept them private. I shared with friends; I love reading. Some people pulled this out of me from just reading by myself and meeting friends to discuss history. Young people in international business noticed I shared stories from their pasts and asked to learn more. Many young Black Bermudians didn’t know their own history, sometimes being made fun of at work for ignorance. This sparked me to take action.

Rashida Godwin (06:29.336)
 I got a call from a young lady who invited me to teach a group. She came back with 20 more friends interested. That same night, I prayed to ancestors and prepared a full-day tour for them covering African diaspora history sites across Bermuda.

Aderonke (07:23.501)
 Thank you, Rashida. Please share three things listeners might not know about you.

Rashida Godwin (07:47.823)
 Beyond history, my real passion is astrology. I study how stars and signs connect and often guess others’ signs based on behavior. Astrology, combined with history, helps me understand people without offense. Most act from their ego (sun sign) but should be aware of their moon sign (spiritual self). Many don’t know this, even family. Some people think I’m only into history, but I love both. Also, many Bible stories align with astrology, though people often don’t realize that.

Aderonke (09:47.8)
 That sounds controversial!

Rashida Godwin (09:56.779)
 It’s one of my secrets and a conversation I often have with overseas friends on Zoom nights.

Aderonke (10:14.191)
 Tell me more about your comment on the Bible.

Rashida Godwin (10:25.588)
 Many holidays like Easter and Christmas are based on stories of stars and the sun (S-U-N). History transformed ‘sun’ into ‘son’ (S-O-N). Ancient Egyptian stories, like Horus and Aset, are allegories about the sky and constellations. Over time, these stories became literal, which can be misleading since they were moral tales, not actual people.

Aderonke (13:02.211)
 Thank you. What are two other things people may not know about you?

Rashida Godwin (13:11.406)
 I’m shy and quiet, though people don’t believe it. I love to have a book, some dessert, tea or coffee, and just relax.

Aderonke (13:39.374)
 So you get lost in your books?

Rashida Godwin (13:51.375)
 Yes, my mind is completely immersed. Sometimes I don’t hear calls even from family.

Aderonke (14:12.931)
 What recent accomplishment are you proud of?

Rashida Godwin (14:35.424)
 I’m just happy sharing information and helping people. I can’t think of one recent accomplishment.

Aderonke (14:55.681)
 How about business or family?

Rashida Godwin (14:59.364)
 The business is ongoing. I train people to maintain it. Training takes time, so that’s an accomplishment.

Aderonke (15:26.681)
 Describe a time you made a difference in someone’s life.

Rashida Godwin (15:38.286)
 This year, I did African diaspora tours with students at Cedar Bridge. Many deemed troublemakers were engaged and thankful. It was a highlight and fulfillment.

Aderonke (16:57.943)
 What strengths help you make a difference?

Rashida Godwin (17:05.398)
 Passion and determination — I have to be passionate to stay engaged and determined to deliver.

Aderonke (17:26.607)
 Can you recall a challenge leading to growth?

Rashida Godwin (17:29.515)
 Not one specific, but I’m constantly challenged, feeling like ancestors test me.

Rashida Godwin (17:59.247)
 Last-minute job issues often come up, and I figure them out, but no single example comes to mind.

Aderonke (18:22.351)
 What challenges did you face developing your career?

Rashida Godwin (18:57.29)
 Many challenges, some I don’t share. Some entities don’t want this history shared and try to exclude me. But I keep going because my ancestors built these places.

I do a tour yearly at the national museum. I was hesitant this year but continued because of encouragement from CARICOM webinars to keep the message alive.

I shifted from corporate work when nearing 50, planning my future beyond pensions, which seem unstable. I read about pension deadlines and am concerned about my financial security. This motivates me to maintain my business and health for self-determination.

Aderonke (22:25.719)
 Tell me about your self-care.

Rashida Godwin (22:57.806)
 I must improve self-care. I love tea, coffee, and dessert (need to cut back). I practice yoga and meditation at Treehouse and Spirit House. Getting my mind right helps my body and thinking. Still, I indulge sometimes.

Aderonke (24:17.977)
 How does sharing success create a ripple effect?

Rashida Godwin (24:29.408)
 I model Titan on Marcus Garvey’s philosophy of self-reliance. I realized helping people means creating jobs, not just charity. One staff member thanked me for his job, which helped care for his family. Being an elder means creating opportunities.

Aderonke (26:42.713)
 Tell us about Titan.

Rashida Godwin (26:45.326)
 Titan is a minibuss transportation and tour company with 8 buses, including one wheelchair accessible. We serve cruise ship groups, weddings, and others. I train guides and staff. We’re busy from now to December; the rest of the year is quieter.

Aderonke (28:11.427)
 What opportunities do you see ahead?

Rashida Godwin (28:21.14)
 Bermuda’s tourism is underdeveloped despite natural beauty and wonderful people. Sharing our history makes tours enjoyable. I plan to grow Titan and eventually enjoy the business more as my team does their work.

Aderonke (29:24.319)
 What brings you joy?

Rashida Godwin (29:26.658)
 My grandbaby, son, husband, family, and mental well-being. I’m grateful for a good frame of mind.

Aderonke (30:08.152)
 Book recommendations?

Rashida Godwin (30:20.396)
 Read Mary Prince’s book on Bermudian enslavement—available in libraries and online. It’s a hard but vital read. Also, From Imagination to Reality by Abiola Abrams on manifestation and astrology. I love this and The Initiation of the African Goddess by Abrams too.

Aderonke (32:16.001)
 Final thoughts?

Rashida Godwin (32:16.001)
 Times are tough. People change but don’t feel fulfilled despite success. To understand today, we must fetch the past—Sankofa. Without understanding history, we get confused. Going back offers guideposts to move forward.

Aderonke (33:35.215)
 How do astrology and history come together for you?

Rashida Godwin (34:04.322)
 They’re a union, like clock parts needing an instruction manual. History and astrology explain time and direction. Many leaders use these insights. The system called “institutional white supremacy” I call “institutional white savagery.” Language shapes understanding—there’s nothing supreme about oppression. We need collective action, as our ancestors knew, shown by uprisings. Many don’t react to repeated oppressive templates.

Aderonke (38:17.465)
 Thank you for sharing this knowledge and perspective.

Rashida Godwin (38:45.964)
 Thank you. I also recommend Astrology Decoded by Vish, with YouTube videos. Great for beginners.

Aderonke (39:45.135)
 Thank you for your wisdom and time.

Rashida Godwin (40:54.009)
 Thank you, it’s my pleasure.

Let me know if you want more polishing or specific adjustments.

1. https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/attachments/31915387/082db65a-fe3a-4883-bc7e-354661bcd82c/Rashida-Godwin-transcript.docx