fatherhood, marriage & community

black art of Martin Norwood

MARRIAGE IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES


“A new direction in this dialogue would begin the dissimulation of the Christian doctrines that have birthed the tragedies in African-American relationships. A new direction would be a trip out of a coarse nature into a higher one that begins with discipline. It is a tough dialogue, but our (Black folks) commitment to our pain is stronger than our pain. We need another relationship with pain and truth.

The paths from East to West are the repetitive journeys from illumination to Introspection. We travel from how he or she made me feel to what I think about the feelings into the dark feelings of worth, and speculation. Going back and forth embroiled in this dance we tend to travel South. In the South we deepen the pain and the pleasure having sex and afterwards we return to the East West dialogue, and the East West diatribe. The roots of our definitions of relationship based on conflict attract the same people, the same script, and develop the same fondness for conflict to occupy our time.

Most marriages are founded and established in this triangle and rarely complete the Sacred Circle by traveling North into the place of Spirit, Creation, and Divinity. When the couple stands before the Creator, in the midst of Divinity, and the mysterious prospect of becoming whole their understanding of basic math takes over. Two is a sacred union, and two is the sacred divide. Discipline, and devotion to the spirit of how things work, and ownership of a deep understanding of the energies that join human spirits will hold a couple together when they travel the full circle of energies marriage needs. But typically standing in the North country the experience of Church fails to merge Black couples with the Creator. Why? The answer is steeped in the Christian faith we typically refuse to examine to its root, and our unwillingness to examine the source of our tragedy is the tragedy, and the money made from talking endlessly about it without the prerequisite spiritual work to become ourselves is incredible. But it is emptiness this legacy we gift our grandchildren with. These are my thoughts, my words. I speak as a Grandfather-Teacher. AHO!” Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories