Black Family Friday

Flashback to Thanksgiving 2015. My big Cousin Sean stands up to make an announcement. Now you have to understand that he and I are the extreme Super Black members of the clan. My entire clique is woke and aware on some level but we are Michael Evans “Boy is a white racist word “ Black. With that being said I made sure that I was all ears because anything can come out of his mouth and I was ready for the annual shouting match. Twenty-Four people perched to hear what was bound to be the argument starter……. And I’m paraphrasing here because Sean doesn’t give a fuck but I give a couple …..”We shouldn’t be celebrating Thanksgiving anymore, It’s a white mans holiday that celebrates their stealing of the land from Indians”. Whaaaaat???!!!!??, He said what he said and I was ready to jump up to back his suggestion, but a lot of the clan agreed. “We should get together on Black Fridayas a show of solidarity, and I say we have a vote”. Flash forward to 2019 and we are getting our plans together to celebrate our 4th Black Family Friday.

Think about what is celebrated on Thanksgiving in your home. That day has become a day that all family members, immediate and extended; near and far; young and old will make every effort to come together to break bread and catch up. If you don’t see some family any other time of the year you better believe you will see them on Thanksgiving to at minimum pick up a plate or a desert. We don’t celebrate the pilgrims or their inability to survive in a New World. We should not celebrate what Thanksgiving truly stands for to Indigenous Americans. (I wont go there because that is a closely related but different topic). The fact that we chose to celebrate a day that brought so much pain to a People makes us African Americans) hypocrites. Not a good look to say the least.

So as you go into the Holiday season, consider posing the option to your Families that Thanksgiving should not be celebrated. Instead Celebrate Black Family Friday. Say your prayers for one another (Thank you for standing with me) set a plate for the ancestors (thank you for guiding me); talk to the babies (thank you for allowing me to live after I transition) Eat heartily (thank the creator for nourishment and thanks to the hands that toiled), Drink (offer libations to the fallen members and let them know that they will never be forgotten) Celebrate an earnest feeling of thanks for things that bond the Black Family. Make your case, stand firm. Im sure you'll be surprise at how many members of the Family agree with you but just not want to break tradition.

ashukuriwe na ubarikiwe

-Giza