Jumping the broom has become synonymous with African American wedding traditions. Popularized by the Emmy award-winning miniseries Roots , the tender scene of Kunta Kinte and Belle cementing their wedding vows by jumping the broom left a lasting impression on many Black Americans. It was a symbol of perseverance in the midst of so much darkness for enslaved Black Americans throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. “The broomstick wedding, for many viewers, conveyed how African descendants shared the profound joy of romantic love in the midst of incessant violation and trauma,” said Dianne M. Stewart , author of Black Women, Black Love: America’s War on African American Marriage . “In the years since Roots premiered, I’ve been invited to a number of weddings in which Black couples jumped the broom, considering it a dignifying African tradition preserved by ancestors.” The popularity of the custom in Black communities is depicted in contemporary films and television such as the 2011...
