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There's this longstanding belief that plantation owners imposed the custom of jumping the broom

on the enslaved who didn't have the legal status to get married.

However, the truth runs much deeper than the plantation.

I'm Len and this is two-minute black history.

What you didn't learn in school.

Jumping the broom is a tradition deeply rooted in African cultures that long predates the institution of shadow slavery.

While it gained widespread recognition during the antebellum period in the United States as a symbol of enslaved couples' commitment to one another, its origins can be traced back to African societies, where it held significant cultural and spiritual meanings.

The Asante Confederacy ruled Ghana during the transatlantic slave trade.

They kept the roads clean while the Dutch and British slave traders were around.

The brooms they used had the spiritual power to sweep away evil entities and pass wrongdoings.

These same brooms used to sweep the streets were waved over the heads of a couple during their wedding ceremony to banish evil spirits and negative

energy. To end the ceremony, many couples would jump over the room to signify their commitment.

Whoever jumped higher would be the decision maker of the household. The custom traveled overseas

with the enslaved and survived under slavery.

The law did not legally recognize marriages between the enslaved, therefore jumping the broom became a symbol of commitment between two people.

Despite Despite its association with the horrors of slavery in the United States,

jumping the broom has deep roots in African communities

and serves as a powerful reminder of resilience and love transcending adversity.

In order to move towards the future, you've got to look to the past.

This has been Two-Minute Black History, a podcast by Push Black.

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