Today Whitney Houston's funeral happened. It still seems so freaking surreal. I watched the service stream online, for which I am thankful. I mean 1.) I'm happy that the family allowed us into such a personal affair and 2.) I'm glad that TMZ was able to stream it so those of us without a TV could watch and celebrate Nippy.
The service took place in Whit's home church in Jersey. I tuned in late but when I started watching there was a large choir singing and the place seemed like it was filled with such energy. I automatically thought "damn, I bet if I grew up in a church like this, I would be MUCH more involved now" When I lived in the South side of Chicago, I went to a predominantly Black Methodist church. Then I moved to the suburbs and went a mostly White church. Both were traditional and tame churches. There was no dancing in the aisles. People didn't say "Amen!" "Praise him!!" or anything else. Basically you walked in, sat down, listened for an hour (but what felt to me like 15 hours), and then went on your merry way). It all felt hella boring growing up. I remember when we moved, going to different churches to see where we would end up worshiping. We went to a Baptist church. It felt HUGE. It had a live band and people were dancing in the aisles catching the spirit. Now that's what I'm talking about! Entertainment for days!
The church has always been a big deal to Black folks. It was at the centre of the Civil Rights Movement. It has given rise to so many mainstream singers (Whitney, Brandy, etc) and has been an influence in music. Where do you think Aretha and most of these divas learned all of their runs that made them famous? Yup, you guessed it-- the church! If you didn't guess right, then you are stupid and should read a book when you are done with this blog. The church has been the backbone of Black culture and has helped so many. All these good contributions to society and I haven't even touched on the fashion! The hats! The suits! The now and later gators! I could go on for days, but I won't.
The church, like anything else is not above scandal and corruption, but today I'm not talking about that. I'm keeping it positive. Today's funeral has given the general population a glimpse inside of the church and what it means to Black people. The ceremony was uplifting, joyful and full of music. Watching it, I literally laughed, cried and sang all by myself. It just goes to show just how important and positive a building with a bunch of people sharing the same beliefs can be.
A clip of Whitney from "The Preacher's Wife"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment