For the Culture

It is harder for me to keep up with the young folks’ sayings at my big age, but one phrase I’ve appreciated more and more is “for the culture.” I’m meditating on the double-meaning and importance of that saying this last dayclean in July.

We are “a people with a beauty rich and strong” and we have a “heritage that rates second to none” (thank you Sounds of Blackness!). But listening to those outside of our culture, we are likely to be told a completely different story. That’s why we must hold onto and evolve the traditions of our African Ancestors, passing along the strength, skills, spirituality and other capitals on to the next generation. These are exactly what we need now, and exactly what they’ll need to continue the work of re-creating a more just world after we become an ancestor. #fortheculture