Jumping the Broom (I's married now!)

The painting "Jumping the Broom" is subtitled "I's married now!" and is inspired by the cultural traditions of marriage in the Black community. The ritual of "Jumping the Broom" is a symbol of sweeping away the old and welcoming the new, or a symbol of new beginnings. According to history the ancestral roots of this ritual began deep in the heart of Africa. During slavery, our ancestors sought the legitimacy of marriage by jumping over the broom as a legal and bonding act connecting them with the heritage of the home land and giving legitimacy, dignity, and strength of their unions. In their eyes this union was now sanctioned by "the almighty."