We joke about “CP Time” to poke fun at anti-Blackness stereotyping us or to point out how Uncle Johnny really be existing in his own time.
But could CP Time be a form of spiritual resistance?
White people also have a time. Capitalism. During enslavement “WP Time” had our ancestors laboring from sunup to sundown, literally working themselves to death.
But some enslaved Africans intentionally worked slowly as a form of resistance.
Post-emancipation, through Jim Crow laws, sharecropping, limited job and housing opportunities, politics, and denied bank loans, white supremacy ensured we had to “hustle” just to make ends meet.
Today “hustling” is “securing the bag” which is still rooted in capitalist “WP Time.” And it’s spiritually draining.
Throughout Africa “time” is experienced differently than in America, but not because African countries are “underdeveloped.” Anti-Blackness reinforces this lie, tricking us into believing America’s the best country.
Whether walking through crowded streets, strolling down beaches, or looking out into “the bush,” African concepts of “time” center community not capitalism. African time is circular, united, whereas Western time is linear, individual.
What would rejecting capitalism and embracing CP Time do for our spiritual wellness?
As we reimagine what a liberated future looks like we must remember God took time creating the world. Let’s reclaim our time.