Getting the Jump on History
How a simple object has kept women hopping for centuries—and helped put the rhyme in rap.
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It’s a simple object with a long history and a powerful place in the lives of Black women.
Kyra Gaunt, an ethnomusicologist, says the jump rope has been around forever and was a reliable bit of worldwide fun. It may have started with the ancient Egyptians, but it became all the rage in Europe (particularly, spoiler alert, the Dutch) after the leg-freeing pantaloon was created. Even enslaved kids jumped rope with the white children of their enslavers. But it wasn’t until the mid-twentieth century that jumping rope—single strand or Double Dutch—became a powerful cultural expression for Black girls in the
From her short and snappy, TICK-tat, TICK-tat, TICK-tat, TICK-tatty TED talk:
“Double Dutch jump rope remains a powerful symbol of culture and identity for black women. Back from the 1950s to the 1970s, girls weren’t supposed to play sports. Boys played baseball, basketball and football, and girls weren’t allowed. A lot has changed, but in that era, girls would rule the playground. They’d make sure that boys weren’t a part of that. It’s their space, it’s a girl-power space. It’s where they get to shine.”
When you’re done, fire up some Nelly and ask yourself which U. City, Mo., Double Dutch power-girls he was recalling when he wrote this.
I thought we could all use some nostalgic #BlackGirlMagic today. Enjoy.
Ellen McGirt