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Farewell
Dear Larry: You are the sanest man in America! I look forward to your columns because I ALWAYS agree with your answers. Great work! Thanks for speaking the simple truth about all issues — racial, political, parental, common sense, etc.
I often …Read more.
Hate Groups
Dear Larry: I want to forget for a moment that it is their constitutional right, because I detest the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and all other groups that preach hate. A long time ago, they came into cities across America without any protest. Now …Read more.
Troubles With Raising Teenage Son
Dear Larry: I am African-American and a single mother with three children, ages 15, 10 and 8. All of them are boys. I am having a lot of problems with them, especially the eldest.
He argues with me about almost everything. He thinks he is the man/…Read more.
How To Get Race Relations Back on Track
Dear Larry: So many of my friends are upset with the way things are going, especially race relations. They are not saying anything openly, but among themselves there is constant complaining and fear. There is something simmering and brewing that …Read more.
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NOTE TO LARRY G. MEEKS EDITORS: THE FOLLOWING COLUMN IS BEING TRANSMITTED EARLY TO ACCOMMODATE YOUR HOLIDAY SCHEDULES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. -- CREATORS SYNDICATEDear Larry: I am a 24-year-old white French female about to be married to my soul mate. He is a 28-year-old black American professional. We expect him to be appointed to vice president of a major U.S. company. Since we are about to get married, I have been trying to learn everything I can about the American black culture. My fiance is a very religious Protestant. I was raised Catholic but was never active. In fact, I cannot remember my parents ever taking me to church. I am excited about marrying someone who is serious about his religion. He asked me to go with him to a "New Year's Watch Night Service" at his church. My parents and friends don't know anything about this kind of service. My boyfriend said this is a religions service that originated during the time when slavery was ending in the United States with the enactment of the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. As the story goes, the slaves gathered at their church "watching and praying" as celebration for the end of slavery. At first, this service was called "Freedom Eve" and later changed to "Watch Night Service." I shared this with a minority friend at work and she said this was a myth. I don't know if this is right or wrong. My friend is a reader of your column and she told me to ask you. — Marie Dear Marie: As an aside, the Emancipation Proclamation only ended slavery in the states that were in rebellion against the Union of States. The states that did not rebel were allowed to keep their slaves. Slavery ended with the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865. The story from your fiance is a beautiful story, but I am sorry to say it is not true.
The term "watch night" was "watching over" one's covenant with God. There are various reasons people have offered why "Watch Night" is a Black tradition. One reason is: During slavery, blacks would gather on New Year's Eve to "shiver" in fear of whether or not they would be sold into slavery. Others have suggested it was when all debts were repaid to other blacks and the church was where blacks were gathered. My family tradition was: We should be in church so we would be safe and not get into trouble because the bigoted police and racist whites were on the prowl looking to hurt blacks. I have attended "Watch Night Services" every year all my life. The service generally starts about 10 p.m. and continues until after midnight. The service consists of traditional black gospel music — both congregation and choirs. There is always a strong fire-and-brimstone preacher extolling the congregants to live according to the dictates of God. The preaching continues until a half-hour prior to midnight, then the service transitions into group prayer. This prayer continues until past midnight. After the prayer, members stand and "testify" about being blessed to see another year and they make resolutions to live better in the upcoming new year. When service is over, the entire congregation goes into the social hall for breakfast and makes new year resolutions to their friends and relatives. It is not unusual to finally get home at 3 a.m. To find out more about Larry G. Meeks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
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