There's something to be said about tradition...

Among the things I respect about other cultures is the amount of attention they pay to heritage, language, customs, and tradition. As a boy, I had the opportunity to attend a Bah Mitzvah of a young friend with whom I attended elementary school. I remember vaguely that the ceremony symbolized the becoming of a man, but I don't recall much more than that. Some thirty years later, I was honored to be invited to another Bah Mitzvah of the son of a close co-worker. Suffice to say, I paid much closer attention this time. [I'm leaving the name of my friend and his family out of this article to honor privacy.]

As I sat in the synagogue with a Yarmulka on my head, I was taken by the deep historical sentiment of the ceremony. A Bah Mitzvah is a Jewish tradition that takes place when a son turns thirteen. Bah Mitzvah means "son of the commandments." In practice, it's a rite of passage where a young man becomes responsible for himself, and his parents are no longer responsible for his sins or good deeds. The young man prepares for this occasion by first completing a prescribed course of study from his congregation's school. He then follows an individualized study program in a specialized subject area selected with the support of his family and the concurrence of his Rabbi. The program is generally individualized and combines independent research and regular tutorial meetings with the Rabbi. In addition to sustaining cultural consiousness, it's an opportunity for the young man to become closer to his family and his religion, and see life in a new light. The young man I watched did his parents proud that day, as he read from sacred scrolls in Hebrew...some of which he memorized.

I can't think of anything comparable to this ceremony in the African-American community, but I sure wish we had one. Perhaps it would help us coalesce. Despite being joined by the many shades of our skin, we are very separated by a disjoint culture, economics, and, in some cases, a "Crabs in a barrel" (a.k.a. "Hater-ism") mentality. To be fair, part of the reasoning can be attributed to history and the media. We're not even clear on how to refer to ourselves as a people. People of German decent are referred to as "Germans." People from Italy are "Italians." People of Hispanic culture are referred to in reference to their native land--Spanish, Argentinian, Puerto Rican, Cuban etc. You get the idea. Unfortunately, history has been none too kind to our labels--Nigger... Nigga'... Coon... Colored... Negro... Black... African American. We've come a loooong way, Baby! Still, we're not consistent in how we refer to ourselves. For example, the N-word has been taken on as a term of endearment, but let someone from another race use the term and we take exception. Double standards in the Black community? Go figure. In retrospect, you can trace disparities in our community back to the time when house Negros thought themselves as "better" than those in the field. Fairness of color resulted in preferential treatment. Sadly, much mars our tradition and heritage. Fortunately, we also have things to feel good about.

Black folk has much to be proud of in terms of contributions to societal culture--soul food, hip hop, jazz, funk, gospel, blues, R&B, and the essence of "cool." We have the historical memoirs of Jim Crow and the knowledge of the perseverence that it took to overcome atrocities not unlike what the Jews endured. We've taken that perserverence and turned into contributions in science, architecture, technology, courts of law, business, sports, and the fashion and entertainment industries. All have had bearing on American culture.

I wonder if 20 years from now we will have a common tradition that we will share with our Great Grand-children that we can hold up high and say, "This is what our fore fathers did, and now you can teach your children to do the same." Perhaps Kwanzaa will take off as our adopted tradition. Ebonics is entertaining, but it's no rite of passage by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, there's certainly something to be said about tradition. I respect what we have as African-Americans and what we have accomplished as a people. We have, indeed, come a long way...But to keep it real: We have a long way to go.
Peace,
+THINKER