Why Black Youth Need Rites of Passage Programs

This post was originally published on Defender Network

By Aswad Walker | Houston Defender | Word In Black

(WIB) – Every traditional society in the world recognizes the need to have regular, ongoing rites of passage (ROP) ceremonies as part of their annual and life routines. In the classic book “Of Water and the Spirit,” author and medicine man Malidoma Somé shared his story of being kidnapped by Christian missionaries and taken away from his people, the Dagara of Burkina Faso.

Though Somé was eventually able to escape that captivity and miraculously find his way back home, he said he felt like a person without a home – trapped between two worlds. Even though he consciously rejected the indoctrination he was receiving from the Christian missionaries who told him daily that his people’s traditions and beliefs were savage and heathen, subconsciously, Somé admitted, it had an effect on him.

So, once he was back home, he was still not at home.

Making matters worse, rites of passage were/are foundational to the Dagara way of life. And Somé had passed the age of his traditional passage journey. But that would mean he would live the rest of his life without being fully Dagara and fully human.

He recognized the importance of the rites of passage both to himself as an individual and to himself as part of a collective. Without being part of that collective, his individual self would never be all it could be.

So, Somé pressed to be given the opportunity to engage in the ceremony. Village elders met to discuss whether or not they should allow Somé to do so, because of the dangers and challenges associated with the ceremony. As someone past the passage age, those dangers may be magnified. However, the elders finally agreed. Some participated. And you’ll have to read the book to get the full flavor and impact of that journey.

But he survived and became a full member of the Dagara, and oh so much more. He was able to fulfill his life’s purpose – serving as a bridge between African and Western cultures, his name (Malidoma) literally meaning “Be friends with the stranger.”

Though the rites of passage programs here in the U.S. run by community centers, Black bookstores and various places of worship don’t possess the level of danger that Some faced, they are still just as important to the overall well-being of individual participants and the communities to which they belong.

“As Black people, and really all people, we need these rites of passage, these markers of growth, to help us navigate life’s changes and challenges,” said the late Fana Vincent, noted Africana History teacher and community activist.

ROPs provide the structure and space for young people to explore who they are, where they come from, and what they value while also teaching them what it means to be part of a broader community and world.

But it is a mistake to think that only the young need ROP.

“Life has many stages. And in the most advanced (spiritually, morally, and ethically advanced) societies, they offer ROP ceremonies at each stage,” shared Vincent. “But for our communities to move to this level of understanding and appreciation for ROPs, they must first become a regular part of the lives of our children.”

Here are some of the benefits of ROPs.

Encourage Growth and Independence

ROPs are about recognizing the challenges and fears of growing out of one reality and entering into another (i.e. from adolescence to teenagerhood or from adult to elder) and the need for community support, guidance and direction/instruction in making that move. ROPs help our youth open up to the unknown aspects of growth and the newfound levels of independence that brings with it new opportunities and new responsibilities.

Establish Growth via Recognizing Dependence/Connection

In African societies, growth is not solely equated with independence. Far from it. Real growth and maturity brings to a person’s consciousness their absolute need for community and connection. And where Western society views connection as a weakness, the rest of the universe realizes that it is a strength and a super power. ROPs hammer home this point – “I am because we are, and because we are, therefore I am.”

Encourage an Embrace of Change

The one thing that is constant in life is change. Yet, we all fear change on some level. ROPs equip participants with the wherewithal to face those moments of change with openness, courage, curiosity and wonder. And it helps with the maturity process – not removing the childish wonder from youth, but letting them know some childish behaviors are meant to stay in childhood, and not follow you where you’re going as you’re growing.

Solidify Connection with Community (Ancestors)

ROPs, as already stated, solidify participants’ connection with community. But it needs to be said, ROPs solidify that connection with the entire community. And for African people, that includes the ancestors – those who have made transition from this earthly realm. For African people, severing relationships with ancestors is akin to severing a limb. We are neither whole nor complete without the love, support and guidance of our ancestors, who remain present in spirit and in many material ways, though they’re not still with us physically. Oh how much stronger our children would be, oh how much stronger we all would be if we cultivated those ancestral relationships like we cultivate our relationships with our phones, with social media and other things that pale in comparison to the positive impact available via our ancestors.

Establish Healthy Perspective on Purpose

Ancient Africans believed that God gave each of us a divine assignment before we were even born; an assignment that only we can fulfill. It is the responsibility of each of us to discover that person. But it’s not our responsibility alone. Our family and community have a responsibility to help us discover and nurture that purpose so, as we get older we can walk in that purpose fully and boldly. Rites of Passage programs are part of the process of communities helping youth discover their divine purpose so they can walk in it rather than walk into the toils and snares society has set up for them.

So, check with your area places of worship or community center to see if they offer a rites of passage program. Rev. William Lawson for years had his church conduct their rites of passage programs at the Shrine of the Black Madonna Cultural and Events Center. Lawson absolutely didn’t have to do that. Wheeler has more than enough space, more than ample facilities to host such event.

However, Lawson did that as a personal and public gesture of the African concept of Ubuntu (I am because we are, and because we are, therefore I am). He used that collaborative effort as a bridge between two different faith communities to quietly say we can do more together than we can apart. And we should find ways to work with one another rather than searching for ways and reasons to build walls between us.

What a powerful lesson to pass down to our youth during times such as these.