In my research for writing this post, I ran the idea through my daughter, “Are African Americans the only ethnicity that have family reunions?” She said no, they just don’t call it a family reunion.” Oh! In my 77 years, or since I can remember, I have never heard any other group say they were planning or going to a family reunion.

I have gone to quite a few, some I have enjoyed and others I have not. My wife has sponsored several. Her being the one who has a close-knit family is the reason why she enjoys it so much. Me, not so much. We can’t seem to agree. However, in my research, I have learned a lot. I was ignorant of the purpose. I am going to do better.

According to a piece written by Renee Mccoy, African American Elders, Cultural Traditions, and the Family Reunion, family reunions are important rituals that have long contributed to the survival, health, and endurance of African American families, helping to maintain cultural heritage even in uncertain and turbulent times.

Although there is variation in how African Americans hold family reunions these days, some key elements remain constant. One constant is that these events have the potential to generate such power, in large part, from the participation of the elders—the keepers of the African American legacy.

Instead of seeing elders as problems and inconveniences, make an effort to talk to them about their “good old days. They might be talking about the time when someone was in need and the community prevailed by giving assistance where it was needed. It may not have been money, but about being a good listener. We don’t take the time to do that anymore. If you do not text or use Facebook, or some of the other vehicles you might be left alone. 

Hurricane Katrina, which hit Louisiana should have taught us that you need to at least communicate with those family members that you know and try to find out about others.  Many families lost all they had and had to be uprooted and live with strangers. There were some good examples of positive relationships and some were not so good. They were strangers to the family with no connection.

My takeaway from the research is that it can be a positive event. We should talk about health issues and how we can prevent some of the suffering and deaths from not taking self-care seriously. Taking the advice of widely known preventions that are out there. Such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other cancers. High blood pressure, mental illness, and forgiveness.

Keep in mind, that this is not a time to widen the gap by bringing up unsolved hurt unless you are going to talk about healing. Forgiveness is not about letting the offender off the hook; it is about freeing your mind and spirit from the overload. Many times, the offender has already forgotten.