Lowcountry boil, ribs, baked beans, potato salad, hopping johns, collards, crab cakes, sweet potato pie, red velvet cake.

Hungry yet?  These are foods that often accompany Black family reunions in the Lowcountry.  Other family reunion ingredients include matching t-shirts, good music and, of course, line dancing!  Summer is here and Savannah is a favorite destination for families to gather from around the country.  Good food.  Good fellowship.  Good fun.  Let summertime begin!

Family reunions serve to connect generations by bringing family members together:  the past, present and the future.  These reunions are a time to celebrate kinship; honor family resilience and pass down traditions, memories, and cultural heritage.  These reunions are also a time to learn family history and explore heritages.

Reportedly, family reunions among Black families date back to Emancipation when formerly enslaved people sought out the family they were separated from as a result of forced sales and separation, such as the Weeping Time auction.  This tradition would become a continuous celebration of resilience and kinship.

An important element of Black family reunions is often the passing down of the family history in the culture’s oral tradition.  In Africa, the keeper of the village history is the Griot.  In Black American families, it may be Madea, grandpa, or any other elder who has witnessed the growth of the family and can share memories of times past.  In the spirit of the Sankofa Bird, it is necessary to reach back to collect historical memories of the past so that future generations can know and remember, keep family traditions, and maintain continuity as the family continues to grow into the future.

In part, that’s what I’m endeavoring to do through GriotSpeaks!  This BLOG is merely one part of it.   Let’s keep our voices relevant and heard throughout generations!