These days, you can easily find Black people who openly ask, “Lord, what has happened to us; we are literally destroying ourselves.” At the same time, there are plenty of Blackfolk who view these current times as a renaissance of Black pride and achievement. Still, others hold the position that today’s expressions of Blackness offer untold possibilities for a wildly expansive future.
Each position, whether critical or celebratory, is an assessment of Black culture in 2024. So, the question remains, “Who’s right?” Is today’s Black culture a hot mess, is it at some pinnacle of greatness, or is it somewhere in between — challenging yet pregnant with possibilities?
Periods of Black Culture Renaissances
With a focus specifically on our time in the U.S., activists, scholars, and grassroots community members pretty much stand in agreement that The Harlem Renaissance/New Negro Movement (1919 — 1934) and the Civil Rights / Black Power Movements (1953 — 1973) were periods where Black people in the U.S. expressed a broader embrace of our global Black identity, our Pan-African past, and our current accomplishments.
Some, like Howard University’s Dr. Benjamin Talton, author of “In This Land of Plenty: Mickey Leland and Africa in American Politics,” make the case for the 1980s being a revival of Black culture, led in part by the college student movement (Black students “fighting the power” at PWIs coupled with an explosion of HBCU applicants) and the international activism of TransAfrica and the Congressional Black Caucus.
“There have also been those moments ‘for the culture’ throughout our existence in America, like the Black Economic Centers movement from post-slavery through the 1950s that brought us Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, New York’s Seneca Village, and the Lyons and Dowling business hubs in Houston,” said the late African American Studies professor Dr. James Conyers.
“There was also the Sidney Poitier slap of the mega-racist in the movie ‘In the Heat of the Night,’ the bebop/jazz explosion, ‘Carmen Jones’ starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte, the Million Man March, Nelson Mandela walking tall out of jail and into freedom, and the Obama’s first appearance in that Chicago park after news broke that this nation elected its first acknowledged Black president,” he added.
“And you can’t forget the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement and Summer of George Floyd; those galvanized a new generation of activists,” shared health care worker and activist Imani Karega.
Black Culture Defined… Kinda
But beyond those “moments,” what about day-to-day Black culture?
Here’s how dopeblack.org defines it:
Black culture refers to the diverse range of customs, traditions, beliefs, practices, art forms, languages, and social behaviors that have emerged from the experiences and contributions of people of African descent. It encompasses the shared experiences, history, and identity of Black people, which have been shaped by their interactions with various societies, including Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe.
The writers at dopeblack.org, like many others, point out that “Black culture is not monolithic but rather consists of a rich tapestry of distinct ethnic, regional, and national identities.”
Moreover, Black culture contains these elements: 1) History and Heritage, 2) Language and Vernacular, 3) Music, Dance, and Art; 4) Religion and Spirituality, 5) Cuisine, 6) Fashion and Style, and 7) Community and Social Activism.
Conyers and others contend Black culture is not static, but rather ever-evolving and adapting to past and current influences and social realities. And the many ways race intersects with ethnicity, nationality, and individual experiences within the broader Black diaspora help shape the culture.
“The importance of Black culture lies in its significant contributions to the world in various realms, as well as its role in fostering a sense of identity, resilience, and empowerment among Black individuals and communities,” according to dopeblack.org.
“Black culture at its best helps build a powerful Black identity, gives us a lane all our own to express ourselves and our many diverse identities, connects us to our historical legacy of resilience and brilliance, and builds bridges for the cultural exchange of ideas leading to our unmistakable and unmatched global influence,” said the late Fana Vincent, noted Africana Studies teacher.
Scholars and Activists on Black Culture Over the Years
Dr. Maulana Karenga, founder of Kwanzaa, contends “culture” is the biggest problem facing Black people. More specifically, Karenga argues that all the issues and inequities we face are because we’ve disconnected from traditional cultural values that allowed Black/African people to civilize the world, exchanging them for western cultural ways that shun community and spirituality.
The late Reverend Albert B. Cleage Jr., known in theological circles as the “Father of Black Liberation Theology,” goes a bit deeper, arguing that because Black people have been declared inferior by a “white enemy system” and “niggerized” (conditioned to believe that declaration), “Black people have created a Slave Culture, a subculture of the powerless where our lifestyle, time ritual, and value system all perpetuate a second-class existence where we work against our own best interests.”
Cleage believed that only by building a “counterculture,” one that celebrates our history and heritage, can Blacks actualize their full potential.
Defender Readers Speak on Black Culture 2024
With all that said, here’s how Defender readers answered the question, “What is Black Culture in 2024”:
It’s relative. It’s young gifted, and Black, Black and I’m PROUD, Black POWER and Black Sovereignty! It’s served with a side of ratchetness, complete loss of identity and values. It’s reclaiming and taking shape, it’s confusion attempting to capitalize on chaos and consciousness seeking to save our lives and our home, this planet. (Akachineke Azubuike )
Black culture is the nature of our Creator. It is original, not mimicking the folkways, norms, and values of our former slave masters and their children. Black culture is what made the Nile Valley, Africa, and Asia the cradle of Civilization. Black culture is a reflection of the quintessence of humanity’s relationship with the creation (Dr. Abdul “Robert” Muhammad )
African culture evolves. It takes shape within its environment. I think there is a shift to more African Spiritual Values depending on the circles that you are in. (Kwame Mboya )
Not sure what it is, but what we see is no respect for others & not even themselves. I’d say folks are after the dollar; only certain ones. Then we have those who don’t give a damn and just want to have a good time. Then we are passing it to our children to just survive & get what you can. (Kalomo Dandridge-Wilmore )
I’m not sure what it is today, but it’s not working. We are so distracted that we’re like a compass that spins around in all directions. We Need A New Culture. The growing numbers of low-skilled migrant workers, and emerging technologies like AI, are quickly pushing us further down the social ladder while replacing many knowledge workers with computer bots. We are facing the most challenging situation we have ever encountered, perhaps more than slavery, because they don’t need us… other than for entertainment. We need a new culture that prioritizes the survival and sustainability of the Black family. Everything else we need will spring from being laser-focused on that single objective (e.g., education, 21st-century skills, entrepreneurship). We have to understand that we are at war for our right to exist. Period. And the TEAM with the best players and the right strategy will win. (Keith Strong )
The social, political, religious and material ways that people of African descent understand, relate, experience, and translate the world around them in reflection to how they see themselves as subjects, persons, and citizens. (Dr. Marlon Smith )
I concur with Marion Smith, and I would include the realms of the artistic, and spiritual to the mix. (Ernest McMillan )
It’s learning and sharing our hidden history through social media! (KaRa Ma’at )
It is our total way of life. (Dr. Kefentse Chike )
Culture is a way of life. It is actually what you do. You believe what you do and you do what you believe. Based on that meaning, I ponder. Is Black culture predominant among us? If so, then understanding slave culture behaviors of escapism, irresponsibility, individualism, materialism, etc. must be contrasted with counterculture behaviors of realism, responsibility, and communalism. Do these improve the lives of our people as well as ourselves? Black culture bends heavily on the slave culture lifestyle. (Shelley McIntosh )
