Still We Gather: Honoring the Savior’s Week Amid the Struggle

Each year, around June 26th, members of the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors prepare to gather, not simply for festivity, but for something much deeper: remembrance, reverence, and resilience. This sacred time is known as Savior’s Week, the Yamassee Tribe Pow Wow, Zed Festival,  a week-long celebration that honors the birth of our spiritual guide and teacher, Dr. Malachi Z. York, born on June 26, 1945.

For decades, Savior’s Week was a vibrant, joyful occasion. Families would travel from across the nation, converging with tribal unity to celebrate the man who devoted his life to awakening the consciousness of our people. It was more than a birthday, it was a spiritual renewal. A time for cultural expression, ancestral reverence, and community upliftment under the warm summer sun.

But that rhythm was disrupted.

On May 8, 2002, Dr. York was kidnapped and unjustly incarcerated in a federal case shrouded in legal irregularities and violations of due process. Since that day, the echo of drums during Savior’s Week has been muffled. The joyful songs replaced with prayers for justice. His imprisonment has cast a shadow on what should be a season of light.

Despite the challenges, we still gather. In spirit, in homes, in prayer, and online, we still celebrate. Because to forget would be to surrender. And we will never surrender.

The legal travesty surrounding Dr. York’s case cannot be ignored. Among the many concerns:

• Juror misconduct and a tainted jury deliberation process were documented.

• Key government witnesses have since recanted their testimonies, admitting to coercion and fabrication.

• Exculpatory evidence and witnesses has surfaced that were never presented at trial.

• The Federal Government never proved  jurisdiction.  Raising questions about federal venue manipulation, biased judge and countless more.

• To this day, sealed transcripts and classified evidence remain inaccessible, keeping the truth obscured.

These are not just technicalities—they are violations of the very justice system meant to protect the innocent.

So when we say Savior’s Week, we don’t just mean celebrations. We mean holding onto truth in the face of injustice. We mean honoring the teachings of a man who built communities, healed families, and taught knowledge of self. We mean keeping the fire alive until freedom is reality.

This week, we light candles, we speak his name, and we lift our voices—not just in memory, but in hope. One day, we believe, Dr. Malachi Z. York will walk free. And when that day comes, we will dance again under the summer sun. Not in mourning, but in triumph.

Until then, we say:

Long live the spirit of our Chief. Long live the truth. Long live the fight for justice.

Happy Savior’s Week.
Free Dr. Malachi Z. York.