A photographer shared wedding pictures of an interracial couple jumping the broom that went viral and caused a ton of backlash.
In a tweet, the photographer simply said ‘Congrats to Jana and Marcus on jumping the broom”, before turning off his comments.
Congrats to Jana & Marcus on jumping the broom ♥️https://t.co/QbXo3Ja6bR pic.twitter.com/1CNovp870m
— IG: @DevonteWilliford (@DevonteRX) July 4, 2022
As many of you know, historically ‘jumping the broom’ is a symbolic way for enslaved people in the American South to recognize their marriages.
Black couples do it, to honor those who did it before them.
Enslaved Africans generally had no legal right to marry before the Civil War, they saw jumping the broom as a symbolic way to recognize their unions.
The ancestors “innovated, reinvented and reimagined jumping the broom in a way that was fulfilling to them.”
The practice has since come to signify sweeping away the old and welcoming the new, the joining of two families, and showing respect to ancestors.
Via TNYT
With all that said, people on social media are calling out the interracial couple for doing the tradition, calling them disrespectful.
Twitter reaction:
Not a BM jumping the broom with a WW on this land. Y’all have no shame https://t.co/J7i1AyEuKz
— Yall Sound Crazy (@queenveej) July 5, 2022
and
Y’all jumping the broom with people who would’ve owned you.
Lmfaoooo send the asteroid PLEASE!
— Harriet Tubman’s Gunsmoke (@BmoreBeloved) July 5, 2022
and
Jumping the broom (within the last 200-300 years) is so specific to the traditions of enslaved ancestors. I genuinely don’t know how a black person can know that and still want to involve their white partners
— T (@tinnkky) July 5, 2022
and
Having a white woman jumping the broom with your negro ass is the most disrespectful shit. That is BLACK TRADITION when slaves weren’t allowed to marry legally.
Thought I’d seen it all. https://t.co/oKmhj2Hstp
— ⚡️DEKU⚡️ (@NuevaHundo) July 5, 2022
and
I encourage any ppl who are unaware to google the origin and meaning of jumping the broom. That’s all I will say about that. https://t.co/5VnXu0NoTL
— Avery O (@aveowens_) July 5, 2022
and
Doing this with a white person is disrespect as hell. Enslaved Afrikans in America were not allowed to legally marry. Jumping the broom was a symbolic way of showing they had become married.
Black people do this in order to honor their ancestors. https://t.co/6Y6flfYjbc
— Dont say my name (@stillnez216) July 5, 2022
and
Jumping the broom was something that enslaved Africans did bc they could not legally get married. I personally think it’s wrong to take a tradition made by AA for AA and then participate in it with a yt person. Especially when that tradition originated from slavery.
— ♀️ (@sapphossire) July 5, 2022
and
Jumping the broom when you’re marrying a white woman is legitimately disgusting. Do people not understand the history and background of the tradition? What the hell?? https://t.co/Vt1yGABQdo
— T✨ (@txadel_) July 5, 2022
and then there is this:
Outside of the insanity of jumping the broom with a white woman, it’s important to pick a photographer that cares about you more than clout because those pictures never had to make it to twitter.
And the pics are not even that good from a promotion standpoint
— « (@shOoObz) July 5, 2022
What do you think?
Comment below!
