Before the Broom: A Premarital Workbook for Dating, Engaged, and Newly Married African American Couples

By Dr. Erica Holmes, Dr. Ronecia Lark and Dr. Jessica M. Smedley

Are you Black and in love? Strengthen your bond and discover true intimacy with your partner before you "jump the broom."

Before the Broom is an indispensable workbook-the resource you need to facilitate self-reflection and communication between you and your partner to equip you for lifelong marital happiness.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Over North Publishing
• Release date: Jan 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9781733232036

Book preview

Introduction

Present-day discussions about marriage in the African American community are colored by a myriad of thoughts, beliefs, and reactions. Commentary is often littered with skepticism and doubt, optimism and anticipation, apprehension and fear, fantasy and naivete. When questioned, most singles admit that they never received any structured education about relationships or marriage: they learned what they currently know from observing their parents’ relationships while growing up and from their own relational experiences as adults. Sadly, this does not bode well for most.

Over the past few decades, there have been shifts in both marriage rates and marriage trends, especially for African Americans. Upon reflection, many reading this workbook may realize major differences in ideas about marriage between their parents’ generation and their own. Marriage rates for African Americans have historically been lower than for other ethnic groups and have continually declined over the years. Today, less than half of African Americans are married. The gap in marriage rates between Blacks and other ethnic groups has not always been as prevalent as this. During enslavement, the Black enslaved engaged in plantation marriages that, although not legally recognized, were considered bonded unions. Once marriage was legalized post-enslavement, marriage rates among African American men and women were extremely high. However, by the late 1980s, the marriage rate for African Americans dropped drastically. Currently, African Americans have lower marriage rates than any other ethnic group in the United States, indicating that they are the least likely to get married. Despite the decrease in African American marriages, research has shown that African Americans continue to place a high value on marriage and continue to desire