Generations of Black Womanhood

Love is a healing force. When that love has the opportunity to develop and be passed down from generations to generations, the impact serves as a opportunity for individuals to connect with themselves on a deeper level of self-realization. The theme of female relationships is crucial when analyzing Sassafras, Cypress, & Indigo. Mama serves as the matriarch of the family and the anchor for each of the three sisters as they navigate life. Her wisdom and old-fashion conventions often contrast with each of her daughter, but they all depend on her knowledge to gain deeper insights into the world. When analyzing Indigo, the youngest character, it is apparent that this text is a work of magical realism through Indigo’s strong spiritual connection with her dolls and  how she is described as having “too much South in her.” This “south” that Indigo posses symbolizes the dichotomy between the North and the South and its impact on centuries of African-Americans. Indigo is often misunderstood by many of the characters in this novel and this due to how she is able to think outside the box and is unafraid to assert the metaphysical power of Black womanhood. When Indigo gets her period for the first time, she believes that a “trail of stars […] fall from between [her] legs after dark.” This description of her menstrual cycle scares her mother because she knows that historically the sign of menstruation is a sign of danger for Black women to have their sexuality used against them and she states this by saying “White men roam these parts with evil in their blood, and every single thought they have about a colored woman is dangerous.” This statement by Mama reveals her as a vessel of history that contrasts with the younger generations of her daughters; however, she is not only person who attempts to shield the  other female characters in the novel from potential danger. When Sassafrass, wants to escape her abusive relationship with Mitch she flees to San Francisco to live with her younger sister Cypress. The fact that Sassafrass sought out her younger sister for security demonstrates the capacity for younger generations to teach their elders. In the end, all three sisters return to South Carolina and Sassafrass gives birth to a newborn baby. When she gives birth, she is surrounded by her sisters and mother and this ending scene ultimately reveals how generational love is invigorating and restorative.

This novel reminds me of the Red Table talk hosted by Jada Pinket Smith, her mother, and her daughter Willow Smith. This show that debuted in 2018 is a show about three generations of Black women speaking about their truths and wisdoms that they have gained throughout their lives. In this particular episode of the show, the women are discussing loss and how they move forward from losing things and people that they loved. Willow Smith reveals how she began cutting her self at a young age and her mother and grandmother are shocked to find out that for the first time. They begin to empathize with Willow and learn something new about mental health that had never been discussed in their generations. This theme of generational healing and knowledge I believe is critical to the survival of Black women. Without these kinds of conversations and connections with other Black women, I undoubtedly believe that we would all go insane from the everyday traumas we face being Black and being a woman. In the novel, all the women return home to their mothers at tumultuous time periods of their lives in order to gain guidance and resurrect their self identities. The Red Table Talk series is a modern day embodiment of this Sassafrass, Cypress, & Indigo and how Black women must lean on each other for strength and wisdom on their journeys to self-realization and discovery.