The Nguzo Saba and the Black Family

 

 PART 1

ERA I

1758 – The African Baptist or "Bluestone" Church is founded on the William Byrd plantation near the Bluestone River, in Mecklenburg, Virginia, becoming the first known black church in North America.

The founding of the first known black church in North America influenced the dynamics of Black Family life in the areas of collective self-esteem and community organizing.  As we will see later, some of the most well known events that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement started with gatherings in churches.

1831-1861 - Approximately 75,000 slaves escape to the North and freedom using the Underground Railroad, a system in which free African American and white "conductors," abolitionists, and sympathizers guide, help, and shelter the escapees.

The Underground Railroad influenced the dynamics of Black Family life in the areas of collective self-esteem, community organizing, and social movements to improve the quality of life.  This effort also had an effect on migration patterns as African American slaves escaped to the North.

ERA II

1867 – Five all-black colleges are founded: Howard University, Morgan State College, Talladega College, St. Augustine's College, and Johnson C. Smith College. There will be more than 100 predominantly black colleges by the middle of the next century.

The founding of five all-black colleges influenced the dynamics of Black Family life in the areas of educational opportunities, employment and housing opportunities, entrepreneurship opportunities, opportunities to portray positive self-image in several areas (including higher occupational status, civil and political leadership positions, community organizing, social movements, and civil rights movements).

1927 - Duke Ellington's jazz group "The Washingtonians" begins a five-year engagement at The Cotton Club in Harlem. Their performances, broadcast on radio, will lay the groundwork for Ellington's rise to national prominence.

Duke Ellington's jazz group securing a five-year engagement at The Cotton Club in Harlem influenced the dynamics of Black Family life in the areas of employment, collective self-esteem, and opportunities to portray positive images of African-Americans in the area of entertainment.

ERA III

1954 - In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the Supreme Court rules unanimously against school segregation, overturning its 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson.

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas influenced the dynamics of Black Family life in the areas of educational opportunities, collective self-esteem, a social movement to improve the quality of life, and civil rights movements.   This court decision changed the course of history and paved the way for continued progress; progress that we are still working toward today.

1964 - President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act, which gives the federal government far-reaching powers to prosecute discrimination in employment, voting, and education.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 influenced the dynamics of Black Family life in the areas of educational opportunities, employment, and voting.  Additionally, the Civil Rights Act may have also had an influence on the collective self-esteem of the Black Family.

ERA IV

1972 - The Equal Employment Opportunity Act is passed, prohibiting job discrimination on the basis of, among other things, race, and laying the groundwork for affirmative action.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Act influenced the dynamics of Black Family life primarily in the area of employment.  However, as a result of this, other areas were also positively affected.

1993 - Dr. Jocelyn Elders becomes the first African American woman to serve as Surgeon General.

The naming of Dr. Jocelyn Elders as the first African American woman to serve as Surgeon General influenced the dynamics of Black Family life in the areas of education, civic and political leadership positions, and collective self-esteem.  Not only was this important for the Black community as a whole, but it was also important for Black women specifically.

PART 2

The two Nguzo Saba concepts below relate to all four of the events I chose to describe above in the first two eras of the Timeline of African American History.


Nguzo Saba:  (1) Umoja (Unity) - To be principled, purposeful, and harmonious together in all things good, right, and beautiful.  This is an ongoing state and a result of our constant contribution to it, ever striving to achieve it, increase it, and sustain it.  Our unity speaks to and reflects a very basic human need to belong, to relate consciously and closing, and to remain in active and mutual solidarity with members of our own family, as well as with the community at large.  (2) Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) - This is our responsibility to one another and our relationships, to our ancestors, and to future generations.  This is a reminder that we must share in the responsibility for building relationships with our families, communities, societies, and the world in order to create the world we want and deserve to live in.  This principle also teaches the fundamental idea that African-American freedom is indivisible.

PART 3

In Harvey’s article on Individual and Family Intervention Skills with African Americans:  An Africentric Approach, all seven of the Nguzo Saba principles are evident as they relate to individual and family interventions.  The origin of these principles is as relevant today as it was in ancient Egypt.  Harvey would argue that these beliefs provide the scope of understanding related to African American behavior and the theory on which Africentric interventions are established.

Watson’s article, A Dynamic Duo, also focuses on all seven of the Nguzo Saba principles.  The Grahams, an upper class Black family, remained concerned about the collective race and Watson describes them as “shining examples of the success of the Civil Rights Movement.”  The Grahams felt strongly about and lived out the idea that it was their responsibility to make young people aware of the sacrifices that prior generations had made on their behalf and to install the responsibility to do the same for those coming along behind them.