Continuing on with our series 30 Reasons I love being black. Here are reasons 6-10
6. George Washington Carver (That dude that made 400 products from the peanut and sweet potato). Carver is an example of an incredible mind. Not only do I love peanut butter but Carver introduced it to the United States. He also wasn’t limited to peanut butter. You have to have an extraordinary capacity for creativity to create an after dinner mint from sweet potato. On top of all that he helped to save the ruined agricultural economy of the South.
7. Negative means Positive. Have you ever wondered why “bad” means “good”? It is a carryover from slave days where the slaves who fought and rebelled against their oppression were characterized as “bad”. The other slaves on the plantation looked up to these slaves and heroes and therefore “good”. This inversion of language has carried over to where “sick” means great and “dope” means awesome.
8. The whoop! The whoop is one of the most distinguishing features of black preaching. Without the whoop! black folks say that your preaching is just teaching. It is the sing songy way that the message is given and an indicator of the level and depth of the emotion that the preacher is feeling. The whoop! lets the congregation know that you are committed to the message, you believe in the message, you are feelin it!
9. The Ring Shout. The ring shout is a carryover from West Africa. When the emotional temperature rises in a church setting and the people experience divine joy they have to express it in dance and vocal praise. The ring shout can be seen in not only Pentecostal but also many other black churches. When the congregation is committed to the message, believes in it, and starts feeling it then it’s time to dance!
10. The Wiz. Frank L. Baum’s Wizard of Oz is a great story but the Wiz took it to another level. Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. Nipsey Russell as the Tin Man. Diana Ross as Dorothy. And Richard Pryor as the Wiz. Although the film was not received well by critics I loved the fact that it had an all black cast and gave the Wizard of OZ a gritty urban feel. Ease on down! Ease on down! The road!
If you love black culture and history then check out my new book “His Story Our Story for the Kindle or get the print edition as well. It’s a Christian devotional based on black history figures. It comes complete with questions, prayers, and a resource guide at the end.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
