In Touch With The Drumming of The Beauty of Black Culture

By Betty Miller Buttram
FWIS Contributing Writer

On the Sunday afternoon of February 18, 2024, at 1:30 pm, the beating of the drums called out to the people as they did years ago in various villages in African countries. Faith United Methodist Church, the People of Afrikan Descent Elders Council (PoADEC), parishioners, family and friends came together for the celebration of Black History.

The theme of the program was the Beauty of Black Culture. The beating of the drums opened the program. The players were in different areas throughout the large auditorium and the drummers belted their sounds out answering each other’s call. Tracy Caldwell, the Emcee, welcomed the people and stated that we stand on the shoulders of our black ancestors, and this was a chance for us to come together to talk about our past, present and future. The Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” was sung by the attendees. The drummers played their beats while the audience enjoyed the good food that had been prepared by Faith United Methodist Church.

The Thomas Family Singers rendered songs that were uplifting and inspirational, giving praise to God and full of thankfulness in our journey in getting us to where we are today.

Kellie Hill Hicks was introduced to the audience and presented us with local entrepreneurs in the area. She talked about the Beauty of Blackness, about the beauty of Black Hair which comes in different styles such as braids, weaves, fades, and hair wrapping. Pastor Jones’ daughter, Aryanne Jones, read from her published book, “Don’t Touch My Hair.”

The People of Afrikan Descent Edlers Council (PoADEC) were introduced by Condra Ridley who spoke about the Elders’ desire to teach young people about their Black history, family history, to learn about themselves, working together in unity and help them develop their talents and skills that would be beneficial for them and their communities. The PoADEC gave the audience a preview of their meetings.

Every PoADEC meeting begins with a drum calling forth the ancestors. The drum represents the heartbeat of the Motherland and then permission is asked of the oldest elder to begin the Libation ceremony which is the pouring of water into a plant honoring and calling out the names of the ancestors and their family and friends who have made their transition to a better home.

After this presentation, Condra Ridley called on the Elders seated together in front of stage to introduce themselves and they offered words of wisdom:

--Put the past back in our hearts for we never know when it is going to be your turn.

--Ubuntu. which means “I AM BECAUSE WE ARE” classes are held twice a month at the Turner Chapel A.M.E. Church and led by one of the elders teaching the adults and youth about our history and experiences. Black History is celebrated all year.

--Keep our past in front of our children for that will help them remember where they have come from. Encourage the children to read about their Black history. There is a wealth of knowledge in reading.

--Who we are; our identity is critically important. Our children need to know who they are. We are the only ones who can teach them by paying attention to our history. Your family history and personal history is the history that you need to focus on because that is what connects you to your African past. We need to be clear about who we are. Our abilities are sky high but there is a lid on our capacity. We are dealing with spiritual warfare. The elders are important because we have been here long enough and through our experiences and through intellectuals know what this warfare looks like and how to deal with it.

--Think back to our original beginnings in the villages. The whole village, the elders spoke, people listened, and everyone had a chance to speak, problems were solved in the circle. That is who we are in the community. Some of us have a spiritual disconnection and we do not see who we are. We must get that back together again. We must bring the children back into the circle and let them know how much they are loved.

--Each one of us has journeyed through life. We are going to do something; we are in something, or we are coming out of something. We need to share our experiences that will help the young in their journeys. Everyday, there is something to learn.

--We have a responsibility to our young people to help them to grow and make them productive citizens in our community. In this group, we put the best of what we each have to make things better.

--I believe that it is important to communicate, to listen, and see God in everyone.

In her closing remarks, Rev. Annettra Jones, Pastor of Faith United Methodist Church, stated that the church has a diverse congregation. Over the years the United Methodist Church has dwindled to 700 churches across the state of Indiana, Faith United has had Black senior leaders and she is the fifth senior pastor of Faith United. Pastor Jones stated that when communities started changing, many churches experienced white flight. There are those who stayed in the community, communicating, serving under Black leadership, having hard conversations about race, and going through the toughness of it all. “This was not easy because it is easy to run where it is comfortable,” she said.

That statement requires the beating of a drum.