As February 2018 comes to an end, I can’t help but reflect on the month which is designated to celebrate the contributions of African Americans throughout American history. While most of my books are purely mysteries with no social commentary or political agendas, the RJ Franklin series is the one series that comes closest to a statement as it is a mystery series which is an immersion into African American culture. The RJ Franklin Mystery Series is a multicultural mystery series that exposes readers to African American culture along with a (hopefully) interesting murder mystery. African American culture is as diverse as its people, so there isn’t one definitive history that encapsulates the people. However, there are some traditions or experiences that were shared by a vast majority of the people. Food and music are two of those shared traditions. The titles of the books in this series were derived from Negro Spirituals, but what are spirituals and why are they still song today?
To look at spirituals, we need to first talk about African American history. African American culture, just like every other culture, is diverse, but there is a common thread that runs through most of the tribes and cultures. The vast majority of African Americans can trace their history back to slavery when people were forcibly taken from Africa, the Caribbean, and the West Indies, and brought to the United States. Africa is a very linguistically diverse continent. It’s estimated that there are between 1,500 – 2,000 African languages. So slaves were brought to the United States and not only do the slave owners not understand them, it’s safe to say that many of the slaves didn’t understand each other. However, more disconcerting than anything to the slave owners would be those slaves who did understand each other. How could they prevent revolt? Some used religion. Many of the White Slave Owners exposed their slaves to their religion, Christianity. Whether their motives were an attempt to proselytize or an attempt to subdue, the result was that slaves heard a tailored message of Christianity. The songs often refer to freedom, rest and a better life in a place the slaves called Canaan.
Where’re you bound?
Bound for Canaan land
O, you must not lie
You must not steal
You must not take God’s name in vain
I’m bound for Canaan land
Slaves were allowed to sing while working, especially if they needed to synchronize their efforts (think about the coxswain on a boat). The songs often included the elements of their African heritage including, rhythm, call and response, and improvisation. Negro Spirituals were religious tunes which included those same components. It is also believed these songs held a subversive meaning and were used to communicate plans for escape using a network of sympathetic antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.
Wade in the Water: Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children,
Wade in the water
God’s a-going to trouble the water
TRAVELLIN’ SHOES, the first book in my RJ Franklin Mystery Series will release on July 1, 2018 and is currently available for preorder on Amazon. Get your copy and experience the culture, songs and food of Detective RJ Franklin and his godmother, Mama B.
