It's OK to shine Big Bruh!

Sitting next to my cousin OJ at my Te Sally’s anniversary party and a photographer walks up, and signals for him and me to pose for a photo. As if my left hand had a mind of its own, it at once went to our tried-and-true pinky pointed to my mouth and thumb pointed to the sky. All to show this big slugged out pretty smile of white and gold teeth. And then the photographer almost as immediately shook his head in a gesture of “no” as if to say don't bring that riffraff around these well-behaved folks. Now the next few sentences are all true except they happened so fast that I didn't have the time to process until days later. When I posed, my cousin OJ looked at me and smiled as if to say ok Cuz, I see you. And we both looked at the camera. The photographer shook his head no. I instantly felt anger in the pit of my stomach. Every fiber of my being wanted to exclaim truths to him, but this was my aunt's moment so my pose of no control of my own was changed. The photographer went on his way, an altercation was avoided and my aunt got to enjoy her day. Thanks be to the Holy Spirit.

First let me say that it was nothing but God and the Holy Spirit working in me at that moment. Because a not so older version of myself would have given that man every last one of my thoughts and then dared him to feel some type of way about them. But God!

As the days went by my spirit would not settle and I kept reliving the moment. Thinking about what I should have done and how I should have stood my ground. And then I prayed, and God revealed that the photographer was mis-educated about what he saw. Like a lot of our people, they don't know our true history and it is lost upon them of our identity. So let me go the extra mile with you and share some empirical facts: the Black experience and gold teeth.

Gold teeth can be traced all the way back to 700 BCE Italy. However, historians believe that the practice of adorning one's teeth with precious metals and gems started in Africa. There are also articles that reference ancient central and south Americans wearing jade and other precious stones on their teeth. Establishing a baseline for the historical implications. Let’s move on to how this impacts us African Americans today.

Post-civil war and the newly released Freedmen of America are living amongst white Americans for the first time with the ability to be seen and heard. Most of them for the first time were able to earn a wage and establish an identity away from the plantations that they and their families had tolled on for centuries. With that said, gold teeth were one of the many outward expressions of their newfound freedom. But not only of freedom but of their new identity and self-worth. These young men and women proudly showcased their smiles. Keeping the same energy throughout the Jim-Crow era Black people usually self-made in all aspects from plumbing, to boxing, being lawyers, jazz musicians, poets, authors, and many more, chose to be every aspect of the Black experience. From the clean buttoned up and polished look like Thurgood Marshall, to the all-out decorated and high fashionable extravagant looks of the Harlem Renaissance. Gold teeth have been a staple piece through it all. In the 1980s Hip-Hop in New York took the big stage and performers like Slick Rick and others showed the world African Americans and gold grills make another world combination. The year is 2005 and Nelly just dropped the multiple times platinum single Grillz, and gold teeth are now a commercialized phenomenon. 

Making this more personal. When I was just a young fella running around West Montgomery, my mother's smile would light up any room she walked into and guess what you could see on that beautiful smile… you guessed it, a gold tooth. Since then, she has replaced her permanent slug with a now pearly white smile. The love of my heart my Granny also had gold teeth. I used to love to see her smile and watch them sparkle against her mocha skin. Just like me most of the males of my generation have chosen to go with the removable grillz. And two of my three daughters partake in this honored tradition. Gold teeth are deeply rooted in the fabric of my ancestry. Yours as well. Also, in the DNA of the photographer who shook his head no at me when I tried to express my birthright.

There is so much that I could say but have chosen not to because I want you, the reader, to do your own exploration through our history. Truly understand for yourself what it means to be a Freemen (Freedmen) in America. While it is a privilege and honor to be a part of the tapestry of the Black collective, a lot of our people don’t really understand the vastness of our identity. And even so I would like for you to read and research for yourself further. My goal with this post was just to point you into the direction of the Sun. I will leave you with these thoughts. Next time you see a black youngin male or female, slugged up, gold grill shining, and their lips are mean mugged, or they are pulling down their bottom lip to expose the shiny metallic luster, with a hand gesture possibly equivalent to the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha or the world renowned Hawaiian saying “Hang Loose” (the shaka) just know they are expressing their historical liberation, the truth of their freedom, and the wealth of their soul and spirit!

(Granny Swan)