The movie premier of Jumping the Broom will be hitting national theaters this Friday, May 6th. The basic storyline focuses on the "have" and "have not's." How can the groom's "downtown - ghetto" family get along with the bride's "uptown - bougie" family in time for a wedding without killing each other? This comedy drama based on socioeconomics is directed by Salim Akil and produced by Tracey E. Edmonds, Elizabeth Hunter, T.D. Jakes, Glendon Palmer, and Curtis Wallace. The stars include, Angela Bassett, Paula Patton, Laz Alonso, Lorretta Devine and Mike Epps.
Beyond the classic or rather obvious to us; innuendos and scenarios applied to our genre in this film, there is a backdrop of history in the title. Did you know that many African traditions like broom jumping were abandoned by African Americans after slavery ended? So, just in case your interest gets peaked after watching the movie, Jumping the Broom - here are some quick tidbits about the custom and phrase of jumping the broom:
- Using a broom to jump over in wedding ceremonies is a symbolic tradition in other cultures around the world.
- Alex Haley, author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family is credited with the resurgence of using a broom to jump over in black wedding ceremonies.
- Two handsome black men jumped over a broom for their wedding ceremony in the 2008 movie, Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom.
- Danita Rountree Green wrote the comprehensive book, Broom Jumping: A Celebration of Love.
Jumping the Broom Trivia Question: What were names of the characters that jumped the broom for their wedding ceremony in the 1977 American television miniseries, Roots?
Leslie Detouche is an independent - Certified Literary Concierge and Freelance Writer based in New York.
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