Exploring The Origin of The Supernatural Elements of The Black Gothic. By Eddie Hilliard

Eddie Hilliard 

Ms. Harris 

ENGL 2016-44378 

December 3, 2021 

Blog Post 

As black people we come from an extensive line of spirituality and religious dependence due to our trauma during slavery. As enslaved people we found solace and hope in believing there was a higher power to help in a divine way to allow us to have freedom or at least bear with the atrocities of slavery. But before we were introduced to western religious beliefs, we did have our own spirituality practices that allow us solace and peace in our day-to-day lives prior to enslavement.  

Which is why the spiritual connection and understandings between black and white people differ so drastically. African people have a much deeper understanding of the spiritual plain than any other ethnic group. In return for this deep understanding African spirituality is often demonized or ostracized making it much more easier for it to be labeled Gothic or Black Gothic. African people’s understanding of specific spiritual phenomenon is also a factor that sets them apart from whites. They know not to upset certain spirits or partake in certain rituals because of the dangers each example poses. White people on the other hand are not experienced with the handling of African rituals and their effects so they involve themselves with things that they should not make or being in contact with. They also react to these situations differently. The average Black person when confronted with something they do not understand especially of a spiritual nature try to escape by any means necessary. White people do not react this way. They try to conquer and overthrow anything that they do not understand and disguise it as being “friendly” often resulting in them being cursed or haunted in some way.  

But these are not the only things that connect this to the Gothics, for example, mix these things with the traumatic deaths and the situations of black people (also current), like them being stripped of all their religious practices and the connections they shared with their people being severed all while being forced to assimilate into western practices by force in hope for survival. It is within itself a separate category of the Black Gothic. 

Even though Africans were being stripped of everything that made them who they are small integrations of African practices were being implemented into western society through music, gospel, praise dancing, speaking in tongues, and catching the holy ghost just to name a few. Which in a way is a slap to the face because it highlights a trend in today's time where it is cool and popular to appropriate black culture and reaps the benefits that come with it, all while not acknowledging the entire race of people it came from and criticizing them for doing the things, they themselves started and things that are a part of their culture. 

In closing, this is a part of a bigger issue of African American people being burdened with the generational struggle of reclaiming our identities and becoming rooted in the spirituality in which we were taken from and becoming whom we were originally intended to be.