Just like Sunday dinner: Celebrating the Black experience and Black arts
By Quianna Ali, American Family Insurance Claims Desk Adjuster
I credit my affinity for Black history to my parents. Growing up, they would often come home with new books for my older brother and me to read, and we’d write reports on the subject matter. We had discussions as we sat at the dinner table about what we’d learned in school, and my parents shared their own stories with us.
My parents first met in elementary school in Newark, N.J., in the late 1960s. Throughout my childhood, I was given a front-row seat to their memories and experiences: Their recollections of the Newark race riots, their introduction to and later involvement with the Nation of Islam, and the profound impact that The Nation — as well as the Black Panther Party — had on their communities.
It was through these conversations that I was able to make the connection between textbook lessons and real-life events.
The ah-ha! moment
History, Black history — our history — became palpable. It became more than learning about “way back when” and hearing stories of people I’d never known.
I had an ah ha! moment: History is rarely made by those seeking to go down in history books; it’s made by everyday people simply living their lives.
Black history epitomizes this notion. The idea that our mere existence, and audacity to want to live our lives without restraint, was so radical in and of itself, to the point it’d be forever etched in history. Our rich history was built, and continues to build on, the backs and shoulders of people simply living their truths and sharing their stories, not unlike the way it was done at my dinner table growing up.
Black History Month gives us all the privilege to sit at the dinner table together and share these stories.
Art connects history
When I learned this year’s theme for Black History Month would be centered around the arts, I was elated. The arts — music, art, dance, film, poetry, writing, storytelling, fashion, even hair — are all so intricately woven into the fabric of the Black experience. You simply cannot tell the history of any of these things without finding the thread it’s connected to in our history.
I wrote my first book, “Hey Sis, Let’s Do Brunch,” in which I share how the sisterhood of Black women shaped my view on friendships and forever cemented the sacredness of these relationships. I think of movies like Soul Food that did the same thing; provide a counterimage of the stereotypical broken Black family.
Instead, it celebrated the imagery of a beautiful, imperfect, yet still loving Black family. A family that many of us could see ourselves in, and related to, with Big Mama passing down recipes, stories and traditions as family gathered around her table for Sunday dinner.
Celebrating Black/African American contributions to the arts during Black History Month goes beyond showing an appreciation for art. It is the acknowledgement and validation of the story and person behind it. It’s saying that, in a world that’s constantly finding ways to distort your voice and erase your presence, we see you, we hear you, and we feel you — and affirming that our lives, our stories, our experiences are deserving and will not be forgotten.
As we continue celebrating the arts during this Black History Month, I welcome you to share how the arts have impacted your life in the comment section.
