Today's women's history month feature is Trimechiah Lynette Rogers. Trimechiah, or Meca as close friends and family call her, was given her name by her mother and maternal grandmother. While not directly a biblical name, the ending of her name, "iah" is frequently found in the Old Testament of the Bible. The literal translation of her name means three eyes. The third eye (also called the mind's eye or inner eye) is a mystical and esoteric concept of a speculative invisible eye, usually depicted as located on the forehead, which provides perception beyond ordinary sight. This literal meaning resonates deeply with Trimechiah. Professionally co-workers and colleagues refer to her by her last name, Rogers, which is her preference, depending on who’s addressing her.
Trimechiah currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland but was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia. She has worked in Law Enforcement for the past fourteen years. Currently, she serves on a special operations team as a Certified Hostage Negotiator. Trimechiah views learning as a continuous, lifelong journey. Her formal education prepared her for a present career; this educational journey began at Baltimore City Community College, where she obtained an Associate of Applied Science Degree as a Microcomputer Specialist. She continued her studies and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Special Education from Coppin State University. After a break, Trimechiah went back to school and obtained a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice also from Coppin State University. In addition, she has a post-graduate certificate in Business. Her academic and professional credentials are extremely impressive. However, she also dedicates equal time to serving others and serving the community.
While in college, Trimechiah became a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She is still a highly active member of the organization and has served in various leadership positions. She is also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and is involved in her faith community. Besides her employment and community service activities, she also runs a small business specializing in tax preparation, developing professional documents, editing, tutoring, and consultation.
For fun, Trimechiah enjoys playing and watching sports; a big-time basketball fan, the NCAA men's and women's tournaments, and the NBA playoffs are a fascinating part of the sporting calendar. In addition to watching sports Trimechiah enjoys travel and engaging in intellectual conversation. She also loves to learn new things, read and watch documentaries that expand her knowledge base.
Trimechiah has always wanted to know more about her ancestry. It happened that during a trip to Ghana in 2011, she had the opportunity to meet and speak extensively with Dr. Ericka Bennett of Washington, D.C. Dr. Bennett was at the time living in Ghana and serving as Director of the W.E. B. Dubois Center in Accra. During her meeting with Dr. Bennett, they discussed many things, but one topic that they discussed moved her into action. That topic was discovering exactly where in Africa Trimechiah’s roots were. Upon her return, she decided to take the African Ancestry DNA test and trace her maternal and paternal ancestry. She had her father take the paternal test, and she took the maternal test. When the results were returned, she discovered that her maternal ancestry was 100% Balanta and her paternal was Yoruba. Learning that she had Balanta ancestry on her maternal side was somewhat of a shock as Trimechiah had spent considerable time in Ghana and learned about some of their customs and traditions. However, she has since been on a path to discover all the information she can about her Balanta Ancestry. When asked what she has learned about her Balanta Ancestry so far Trimechiah states,
"I have learned that Balanta people are one of the largest groups/tribes in Guinea Bissau. They are proud people and fierce fighters. This resonates with me because I am them and they are me. I am ecstatic to know where I come from; it gives me proper identity. I do not have any problem fighting for what is just."
As one who has always identified with being African, Trimechiah rejects the labels of African American and Black and chooses to connect her identity with that of the African global community. She embraces the ideals of Pan-Africanism and desires to see them put into practice. Part of that involves breaking down any barriers between Africans on the continent and those in the diaspora.
Trimechiah looks forward to one day very soon making her pilgrimage to the land of her ancestors and is currently making plans to do so. In the meantime, she is learning all she can and finding as many ways as possible to contribute to work being done to support the Balanta people worldwide.