A Fourth of July celebration, St. Helena Island, S.C. (LOC), a photo by The Library of Congress on Flickr.
We come together to teach our children and their children how to be family.
We come together to remind ourselves that we are greater than the sum of our accomplishments, disappointments, and desires.
We come together so that we’ll recognize ourselves as we continue to grow.
We are together to have fun!
Our family is large and extended with varying belief systems, politics, life experiences, and future hopes.
We are vanilla, cocoa, dark chocolate, café au lait, and light chocolate.
We are close and sometimes not so close.
We are young and old, new and worn.
We recognize that our connection as family is greater than our disagreements.
We miss those who are not present.
We remember those who will attend no more.
We are a Black family and the blood of our creators proudly carries us on.
We go from table to table, connecting over ribs, hot dogs, fried chicken and hamburgers. Hot links, dip with potato chips, and a slew of six-packs are conversation starters.
We talk plainly: about the future, the past, and the present.
We share good and bad news.
We laugh often.
We laugh at our fears.
We laugh as we watch the kids playing.
We laugh at the antics of the elders.
We laugh at ourselves!
We listen and learn that our greatest joy and our most acute pain are shared.
We play games to bring us closer to one another.
We tell stories from years past so that those younger will remember from whom they came.
We finish conversations that took place the year before.
The architects of our family are Manuel & Lucille Washington, my Grandparents. Their commitment to one another and family brought forth seven children. Those seven children: Dorothy, Manuel Jr., Willa, Robert, Gloria, Mary, and Shirley, and their children, have created generations that continue to renew.
We are a Black family and we come together in love!
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