Jumping the Broom Plaque

Jumping the Broom - Original Artwork by Karen Alexander My love of weddings and history inspired me to paint this image as a tribute to African American weddings. "Jumping the Broom," is an African American phrase and custom for marriage. The significance of the broom to African-American heritage and history originates in the West African country of Ghana. During the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, most of Ghana in the 18th century was ruled by the Asante of Ashanti Confederacy. The Asante’s urban areas and roads were kept conspicuously clean according to visiting British and Dutch traders with the use of locally made brooms. These same brooms were used by wives or servants to clean the courtyards of palaces or homes. The broom in Asante and other Akan cultures also held spiritual value and symbolized sweeping away past wrongs or removing evil spirits. During slavery in America, “Jumping the Broom” was used to bring legitimacy to a slave marriage. This ritual has been handed down from generation to generation to remind African Americans of a time when vows among people of African descent were not legally sanctioned. This is the perfect image to customize for that special couple’s Engagement, Wedding or Anniversary gift. I love using this image with the name of the bride and the groom along with their wedding date to make that unique, personalized gift.